In order to make Linn's best cartridge ever, we needed to look further afield, and at more varied materials. We conducted extensive experiments; auditioning different materials and configurations for the body, inserts, cantilever, suspension, windings and leads. The result is Ekstatik – the new jewel in the crown of the Linn cartridge range.

Linn's all-new, flagship cartridge, Ekstatik, sets a new bar for arm/cartridge synergy; its unique construction forges an harmonious synergy with Ekos SE; wicking away more unwanted resonances along the arm, and out through the sub-chassis.

In Linn's search for ever better materials, their experiments led us to the implementation of aluminium-bronze inserts. Now a feature of Ekstatik, these inserts allow us to reap the sonic benefits we found this alloy to possess.

With a bespoke, honeycomb cut into the cartridge body, we have skeletonised Ekstatik so that overall mass is reduced to Linn's preferred sweet spot of close to 7g.

A micro-ridge stylus on a sapphire cantilever makes for an extraordinarily responsive cartridge. The sapphire cantilever is far stiffer than boron or aluminium, resulting in less loss between the stylus and the generator.

The overall result is an agile, responsive cartridge with the added performance yielded from specifying these materials; masterfully matched in unique configurations.

Key features

• Linn’s highest-performance cartridge
• Aluminium-bronze inserts
• Micro-ridge stylus on sapphire cantilever
• Machined honeycomb 7075 aluminium body
• Triple-point mounting system for accurate geometry
• Diamond-like Carbon (DLC) coated chassis

Specifications

Stylus Type Micro-ridge
Cantilever Sapphire
Pin Connection Type Flying wire with termination clips - 1.2mm, gold
Mounting Points 3
Coil Wire Copper 4N
Output Voltage 0.45mV @ 3.54cm/s
Load Resistance 100 Ω
Load Capacitance 1nF
Tracking Force 2.0 g
Cartridge Mass 7 g