Back in the heady days when the Ittok first appeared we waited patiently for a cartridge to make sense of the extreme rigid engineering employed in the arm construction and then like a boomerang out of the blue the Karma arrived.

That was a defining moment. Karma as all us pseudo intellects know is something like a boomerang that comes back at you long after you have forgotten you have thrown it and the Karma gave us back the original Grace Supex musical inspiration but with added power. Growling bass riffs of perfect pitch were firmly in their place while Albert Lee's haunting guitar took the Seven Year Ache to new subtle heights.

The new Kandid is another such defining moment. I can’t say that we have been waiting for a cartridge to make sense of the Ekos SE as we were the Ittok, there are a good few around that can do a good job of that including the excellent now discontinued Akiva but now we have a a tailor fitted glove for this tonearms hand. In keeping with the latest trend the carcass is now stripped away; weight radically cut back, rigidity increased, angle of pole pieces adjusted with offset magnets. The Kandid looks nothing like Linn have ever produced and this unexpected boomerang has now taken vinyl playback to a level that can only once again be an inspiration for the digital brigade to cram billions more ones and noughts into a fruitless attempt to compete.

From this you may gather I am a Vinyl junkie – not so! We are working constantly to improve the digital experience but here we are awaiting the new dawn of those extra billions of dots that take us to the next digital level as the Kandid has for Vinyl. 24bit Studio Master recordings offer a virtual Karma experience. Come and hear for yourself the streaming is steaming as a new era takes off; however, the launch of the Kandid proves there is still much more to be had from the groove. I.J.A.

Kandid Facts

Watch the Interview with Ian Wilson from Linn who took some time out on our launch day to explain the design concepts behind the Kandid.