Interesting thought- Linn &

I liked the Linn.  I just do not feel I was hearing 10k worth of table.  The Benz should have sang on a 10k system.  The Linn seemed as though it was Linn dependent.  Linn everything or else.

Its amazing to me of the confidence of being right on these pages.  ..sort of like the Dems and Republican. 

Happy New Year Everyone!

" What upper end turntable is plonk and play?"
I’m not here to sell TTs, but by the application of brute force and weight I believe it is true of VPI TTs and probably many others. Every 2-3 years or so I lubricate the bearings and check for level and that’s it. Some people change the belt. I boil mine if I’m not using a thread. There’s nothing else to do. There is no "tuning." "Set up" is for the arm and cartridge: overhang, HTA, VTA, azimuth and VTF (and anti-skate if you use it).

" I would know this because I have heard the top of the line VPI and I have heard a well sorted Studer. Playing the same piece, the Studer left the VPI in the dust.
If you really think a VPI can compete on the same stage as a Studer playing a master tape, well all I can say is I very very seriously doubt you have ever heard a top flite tape deck!"
I don’t know what you heard and what was the condition of the record and the playback system. I used to own a Revox. Want to buy any prerecorded tapes? I have a bunch. I recall reading that HW has 7 tape machines and over 1000 pre-recorded tapes, many of them 15 ips master tapes. He is said to hold demos regularly comparing tapes to records. He "says" that Chad Kassem thinks that his VPI DD sounds like his master tapes, and he has quite a few. There have been at least a couple of TT reviews comparing VPI TTs favorably to tapes. If you doubt I’ll search some old files and see if I can retrieve.

" There is something about a record player looking like, well, a record player! The LP12 is compact , doesn’t require a lot of space and doesn’t weigh a ton. Nice and simple..plays the record.
Some of these newer decks require an aircraft carrier to land on and weigh a hundred pounds ( or more ! ). The KISS rule has served me well in life for most things."
I agree and I am annoyed that my TT is big, heavy and ugly. BUT it is simple therefore, simpler than a Linn and NEVER requires dealer intervention. Big also means it can accommodate a 12" arm which offers some advantages.

Zavato,

If 10,000 was your budget, you could easily do better than a Linn.  A VPI Classic II is about $4000.00 with a very respectable arm, that gives you quite bit of room for cartridges, step up preamplifiers, etc.  And it is most definitely "plug and play".  A close friend has one and it's superb. Further, no one had to come to his home and set it up and dial it in.  It truly was fantastic right out of the box.  He and I had it set up and playing in about an hour.  So simple and straight forward. 

That's what I wanted with my Linn, set up and enjoy.  Not set up and "I think if I did this it would be better, or why does it sound like that?".  I was constantly analyzing the performance of the table instead of enjoying the music.

My 42 year old modified Dual, and 58 year old Garrard were easy to set up and sound amazing. When playing either of them I don't ever think about "what can I do to improve the performance", I just enjoy the music. (and yes, there are many many tables that are much better than the Dual and the Garrad, but they are giving me what I expect, silent backgrounds, along with pace, pitch and power.)  For me they convey a great deal of emotion that I experience with I listen live.

My friends VPI was like that.  If I were buying a new table today, it would probably be a VPI, based solely on my experience with the sound and set up of his Classic II.  

With most everyone having the day off, I am sure their is a lot of music being played today.  Enjoy!

Norman