Cartridge
above typical
Among the 89 cartridges in the catalogue, this one is above typical.
A band places a component against its peers and carries no price. It is deliberately the only price indicator on this page: a second one, measured against a different set, would narrow the two together far enough to give the figure away.
Upper Linn MC, between Krystal and Ekstatik.
Assessed against 16 rivals across the sixty systems: 12 head-to-heads won, 51 lost.
The dimension the engine names as the weakest link, counted across every head-to-head it lost.
20 lost · Anchored, Artisan, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Characterful, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Twin Arms
Against the Anchored brief, the van den Hul The Frog keeps the slot decisively.
With the Musical Fidelity M8x Vinyl, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.
On its own merits the Linn Kendo MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.
15 lost · Anchored, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Characterful, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Twin Arms
Against the Characterful brief, the van den Hul The Crimson keeps the slot clearly.
With the Musical Fidelity M8x Vinyl, the pairing gives up most on low-level clarity.
On its own merits the Linn Kendo MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.
4 lost · Silent Path
Against the Silent Path brief, the Goldring Eroica HX MC keeps the slot decisively.
With the Whest Audio 60Se Pro, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.
On its own merits the Linn Kendo MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.
It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.
3 lost · Artisan, Reference
Against the Artisan brief, the van den Hul The Colibri keeps the slot by a whisker.
On its own merits the Linn Kendo MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.
2 lost · Vocals-First
Against the Vocals-First brief, the Etsuro Urushi Gold MC keeps the slot by a whisker.
On its own merits the Linn Kendo MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.
It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.
2 lost · Vocals-First
Against the Vocals-First brief, the Etsuro Urushi Cobalt Blue MC keeps the slot by a whisker.
On its own merits the Linn Kendo MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.
1 lost· 1 won · Romantic, Twin Arms
Against the Romantic brief, the Linn Kendo MC takes the slot by a whisker.
With the Technics S-shape magnesium tonearm (SL-1200G), the pairing gains most on bass control.
On its own merits the Linn Kendo MC is the weaker cartridge — yet it wins here on fit: the pairing with the Technics S-shape magnesium tonearm (SL-1200G) gains bass control under the Romantic weighting.
1 lost · Twin Arms
Against the Twin Arms brief, the Koetsu Azule Platinum MC keeps the slot by a whisker.
On its own merits the Linn Kendo MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.
1 lost · Twin Arms
Against the Twin Arms brief, the Koetsu Onyx Platinum MC keeps the slot by a whisker.
On its own merits the Linn Kendo MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.
1 lost · Vocals-First
Against the Vocals-First brief, the Ortofon MC Quintet Black S keeps the slot by a whisker.
On its own merits the Linn Kendo MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.
It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.
1 lost · Silent Path
Against the Silent Path brief, the Rega Nd3 MM keeps the slot by a whisker.
On its own merits the Linn Kendo MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.
It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.
0 lost· 4 won · Anchored, Characterful, Intimate, Romantic
Against the Anchored brief, the Linn Kendo MC takes the slot by a whisker.
With the ProJect Tonearm 8.6 Carbon (Debut PRO), the pairing gains most on speed stability.
On its own merits the Linn Kendo MC is the stronger cartridge for that brief.
It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.
0 lost· 4 won · Artisan, Cavity-Native, PRaT, Reference
Against the Artisan brief, the Linn Kendo MC takes the slot by a whisker.
With the ProJect Tonearm 8.6 Carbon (Debut PRO), the pairing gains most on bass control.
On its own merits the Linn Kendo MC is the stronger cartridge for that brief.
It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.
dynamicSumiko Blue Point No.3 / Amethyst owner+press consensus
0 lost· 1 won · Twin Arms
Against the Twin Arms brief, the Linn Kendo MC takes the slot decisively.
On its own merits the Linn Kendo MC is the weaker cartridge — yet it wins here on fit: the way it sits with the rest of this system under the Twin Arms weighting.
It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.
0 lost· 1 won · Twin Arms
Against the Twin Arms brief, the Linn Kendo MC takes the slot decisively.
On its own merits the Linn Kendo MC is the stronger cartridge for that brief.
It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.
0 lost· 1 won · BBC Sound
Against the BBC Sound brief, the Linn Kendo MC takes the slot by a whisker.
On its own merits the Linn Kendo MC is the stronger cartridge for that brief.
It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.
nickel-coated 7075-grade aluminium body matches Arko tonearm Cymbiosis dealer + Linn product overview· Spatial naturalness
designed to be the perfect partner Cymbiosis dealer (Linn product positioning)
a balance less pitched toward the bass and more neutral Hi-Fi+ (Sircom), 2023 (Selekt LP12 system)· Tonal consistency
| cartridge type | MC |
|---|---|
| output mv | 0.5 |
| internal impedance ohm | 8.0 |
| recommended load ohm | 120 |
| tracking force g | 1.75 |
| compliance dynamic um per mn | 12 |
| weight g | 8.5 |
| stylus profile | line-contact |
| notes |