What tonearms $1500 work well with the Linn?

With a Linn and $1500 to spend you should look for a used Ekos.

The Linn does not like either Regas or SMEs, so they're out. The Linn does love the Aro unipivot by Naim, a very common pairing, though it's only available used, now. So I assume it works well with unipivots generally, but check a little bit on this. I have a unipivot on a similar 3-point suspension which works great, an old Mayware in a modded AR-XA, fantastic. I use a Black Widow tonearm on aother similar 3-point suspension 'table, an Ariston (very close to the Linn in terms of mass and design) which is a great arm and a great match if you use MMs like the Grados and so forth. Of course the Ekos is a synergistic pairing. You have quite a lot of choice, with the two exceptions above. The classic 3-point suspension designs sure do boogey!

I agree completely with Johnnantais assessment of the Linn/Aro combo: about 2 1/2 years ago I put an Aro on my 20-year old Linn, and I've been very, very happy with it. Single most significant upgrade I have made since I bought the Linn LP-12 in '83. If you can find a minty one used for $1500. - buy it.

One caveat - there's no cuing device supplied with the Aro. I bought an "Aromatic" cue from Naim to mate with the Aro -- works great. I'm not sure you can still find the Aromatic, as Naim quit making them some years back - - mine was NOS from Naim USA in Chicago.

If the Linn does not like Regas, does that mean it also does not like Origin Live arms? I've got an Ittok LVII on my Linn and have wondered if I can improve upon on it but without spending as much as $1500. Some of the raved-upon OL arms are in the $750 range, for example.