Linn T-Kable worth the upgrade

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Defender
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Re: Linn T-Kable worth the upgrade

Post by Defender »

there are probably 3 camps

some say there is no burn in its just the brain which gets used to it or there is nothing happening at all

some say there is no need to run a signal through (the noise which is inevitable is enough to help with run in)

I am in the camp that says there need to be a music signal going through.

The issue with my opinion is that the cartridge is losing livetime for the burn in process.
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Re: Linn T-Kable worth the upgrade

Post by lejonklou »

Albert Hunt wrote: 2020-05-31 00:52 Hey Folks,

I have a Linn LP12 with an Ittok LVII that came with an older Ekos tonearm cable (not the Mogami version that comes with the Ekos SE). Just the other day I had a Grey T-Kable installed and It sounds harsh and two dimensional compared to the old Ekos cable. The grey T-Kable was unused so it may just need to be burned in. Does anyone have experience with the older Ekos cable compared to the grey T-Kable?
I agree with Hermann that a new cable (was it new?) should sound good right away. If it doesn't, I'd be looking for a fault of some kind. Might not have to do with the cable itself but with the installation (top plate bolts done too tight is a classic and results in harsh and unmusical sound).
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Re: Linn T-Kable worth the upgrade

Post by Albert Hunt »

Thanks for everyone's responses. The cable is apparently new. I should have noted that not only was the new tonearm cable installed but the Trampolin was also removed as an experiment at the same time (there is currently no base board on my Linn). Installation and set up was done by a Linn expert in NYC with decades of experience in the high-end audio world who operates with serious attention to detail. I believe that on balance, with my setup, that my Linn sounded better with the Trampolin installed (superior imaging for example with the Trampolin installed), so that could be skewing what I'm hearing.
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Re: Linn T-Kable worth the upgrade

Post by V.A.MKD »

Defender wrote: 2020-05-31 17:49 there are probably 3 camps

I am in the camp that says there need to be a music signal going through.

The issue with my opinion is that the cartridge is losing livetime for the burn in process.
+1, but also can be other issue ... as it is mentioned ...
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Re: Linn T-Kable worth the upgrade

Post by ThomasOK »

I would definitely think that the Trampolin 2 removal is the likely culprit in the sound you are hearing. As to the arm cable the original Ekos arm cable was black colored (but not the actual Linn Black Interconnect now used in the Majik tonearm cable) with the same black SME plug going to the tonearm as the early T.Kable also had, and Linn Black RCAs on the other end. This was replaced in the last few years of the Ekos II lifetime by the original gray T.Kable (also in the beginning with the SME black DIN plug), which was replaced by the Mogami one. The original gray T.Kable went to become the Akito cable with the new aluminum Linn DIN plug. There were other variations so you can probably find gray T.Kables with any combination of the four different connectors used over time. I did find the gray T.Kable musically superior to the original Black Ekos cable and I prefer it to the Mogami version.
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Re: Linn T-Kable worth the upgrade

Post by Matteo »

Same feelings for me

I would also add that the XLR black t-kable is even worst than the Mogami RCA.

M.
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Re: Linn T-Kable worth the upgrade

Post by Defender »

Matteo wrote: 2020-06-02 21:45 Same feelings for me

I would also add that the XLR black t-kable is even worst than the Mogami RCA.

M.
is the older grey T-Kable with the old non slotted RCA connectors as well as the black arm connector better or worse than the
newer Akito grey T-Kable with the newer slotted RCA connectors and the metal arm plug?
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Re: Linn T-Kable worth the upgrade

Post by V.A.MKD »

Defender wrote: 2020-06-03 07:22
Matteo wrote: 2020-06-02 21:45 Same feelings for me

I would also add that the XLR black t-kable is even worst than the Mogami RCA.

M.
is the older grey T-Kable with the old non slotted RCA connectors as well as the black arm connector better or worse than the
newer Akito grey T-Kable with the newer slotted RCA connectors and the metal arm plug?
Hello,

+1, Good questions ...
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Re: Linn T-Kable worth the upgrade

Post by ThomasOK »

Very good question. Unfortunately I don't have an answer never having been able to compare the two.
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Re: Linn T-Kable worth the upgrade

Post by lejonklou »

Neither have I. But if the Linn DIN arm plug is better than the SME it replaced, my guess is that the latest version is the best.

As there's also been some problems with old grey T-kables (in particular the ground lead becoming bad), I suggest choosing a new one.
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Re: Linn T-Kable worth the upgrade

Post by Defender »

I remember Fredrik had an older grey cable with the older non slotted plugs that broke and he has now the new one and said its good but that was probably not comparing them directly
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Re: Linn T-Kable worth the upgrade

Post by lejonklou »

Defender wrote: 2020-06-03 18:15 I remember Fredrik had an older grey cable with the older non slotted plugs that broke and he has now the new one and said its good but that was probably not comparing them directly
Yes, it broke during a demo! Years of wiggling back and forth of those soldered joints inside the RCA finally made the copper strands break. Certainly possible to repair, but as I had a spare I replaced it - with another old one.

Never had the latest model of the grey T-kable myself, I have only installed it for customers.
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Re: Linn T-Kable worth the upgrade

Post by Defender »

oh, now I see you replaced it with the same type (black plastic DIN plug and non slotted connectors) I was under the impression it was the newer type - so good we found that out.
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Re: Linn T-Kable worth the upgrade

Post by lejonklou »

Defender wrote: 2020-06-03 18:51 oh, now I see you replaced it with the same type (black plastic DIN plug and non slotted connectors) I was under the impression it was the newer type - so good we found that out.
The DIN plug is made by SME and its housing is in metal, not plastic.
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Re: Linn T-Kable worth the upgrade

Post by Defender »

o.k. now I probably created more confusion - and I am even more confused by myself but I think we need to clarify otherwise we leave this discussion confusing for others:

the newest grey T-Kable is the one with an aluminium (dull/frosted) Linn DIN plug (the link Mateo gave on page 1) and slotted linn silver RCA connectors

the predecessor of the above one is a grey T-Kable which almost looks like the one above but has a metal (shiny tin) DIN plug (but there is also Linn printed on it) but was originally made by SME and has also the slotted linn silver RCA connectors

those two above are looking almost identical

the oldest one is a grey T-Kable with a black plastic arm plug and non slotted silver RCA connectors. This is the most different from the above on the arm side as well as the RCA side.

We currently dont know how musical the newest Linn Aluminium DIN plug one sounds compared to the 2 other generations.

Does that make sense now?
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Re: Linn T-Kable worth the upgrade

Post by lejonklou »

Frankly I wasn't aware of any two new versions (the ones you said look almost identical). Couldn't it be just the finish of the Linn DIN arm plug that has changed?

The old grey T-kable doesn't have a plastic DIN arm plug but a black metal one made by SME.
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Re: Linn T-Kable worth the upgrade

Post by ThomasOK »

As Fredrik says, the original gray T.Kable had the SME black metal plug (as did earlier Ekos cables before the T.Kable). It also had the original Silver RCAs without the slots. If my memory is correct Linn changed to the slotted Silver RCA while still using the SME DIN. The newer Linn connector is made of aluminum and is now on all three Linn arm cables: the T.Kable with Mogami wire, the Akito cable with the original gray T.Kable wiring, both with the new, slotted Silver RCAs, and the Majik arm cable with Linn Black interconnect and RCAs.

The silver Linn DIN plug is the same on the majority of the cables using it. However, when it first came out there were two versions of the plug used before the current one. They were originally thicker on the part that sticks out of the arm and could foul the Trampolin 2. So Linn redid the connector into the current one that is thin enough to not have a problem. All three of the cables pictured or linked in this thread are the standard (newest) Linn connector. Any difference in appearance is almost surely just the way the photo was taken, lighting angle, etc.
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Re: Linn T-Kable worth the upgrade

Post by V.A.MKD »

ThomasOK wrote: 2020-06-03 23:56 As Fredrik says, the original gray T.Kable had the SME black metal plug (as did earlier Ekos cables before the T.Kable). It also had the original Silver RCAs without the slots. If my memory is correct Linn changed to the slotted Silver RCA while still using the SME DIN. The newer Linn connector is made of aluminum and is now on all three Linn arm cables: the T.Kable with Mogami wire, the Akito cable with the original gray T.Kable wiring, both with the new, slotted Silver RCAs, and the Majik arm cable with Linn Black interconnect and RCAs.
Hm ...

Thomas looks that latest Akito Cable is "closest" to old Silver T-Cable or ... ???

DIN and RCA are the same ... wire is silver the same or ... ???

The point is on Musicality ...
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Re: Linn T-Kable worth the upgrade

Post by Defender »

really sorry for the confusion created so

this one is the old grey t-Kable with the sme metal DIN arm plug (I was under the impression that the black metal was plastic)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/flawhfjparwyt ... 2.jpg?dl=0

and this is the new grey T-Kable with the Linn Aluminium DIN plug and slotted RCA plugs
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ntvsr5km22n1g ... 5.jpg?dl=0

I realized that Thomas is right and what I thought was shiny tin metal was actually the Linn Aluminium DIN plug but photographed in a way that the reflexions confused me
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Re: Linn T-Kable worth the upgrade

Post by ThomasOK »

That is correct, Defender. And yes, Vlado, the Akito cable is what I now recommend as the most musical current cable.
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Re: Linn T-Kable worth the upgrade

Post by V.A.MKD »

ThomasOK wrote: 2020-06-04 17:06 That is correct, Defender. And yes, Vlado, the Akito cable is what I now recommend as the most musical current cable.
Thank you Thomas.
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Re: Linn T-Kable worth the upgrade

Post by Defender »

the topic didnt let me rest as I thought I have seen Thomas writing something years ago when the Linn Aluminium DIN Plug came out ... so far I have not found that article but I found something else which might give an information how the two grey T-Kables perform:
ThomasOK wrote: 2018-12-06 17:38 I definitely agree that the Akito cable, which is basically the original T.Kable with the newer Linn DIN connector, is musically better than the Mogami T.Kable. It is better yet with the older style Linn RCA connectors, I just put such a cable on my LP12 to allow me to listen to something besides my Urika 1 as a phono stage.
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