Interesting thought- Linn &

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

"getting the intent of what the musicians are trying to convey is just as, if not more, important than getting all the notes correct". This line of reasoning and evaluation can also be traced back to Linn, and is just SO subjective. Art Dudley in his reviews often includes a discussion of the capability of a component under review to reproduce "intent". It just seems to me to be a very personal thing, this matter of a component affecting the perception of the intent of the musician(s) and/or singer. If two components create the perception of two different "intents" (whatever that means), how is a listener to know which intent is closest to the Artists actual intent? Should the Artist be asked what his intent was ;-)? Seems more than a little presumptuous of a listener to me! Can that ability to reproduce intent be in any way quantified (whatever that may mean), and is that ability universally observable and agreed upon by a group of skilled listeners? Does the perception of that ability change depending on the listeners state of mind and/or emotion? Can that ability be attributed to anything in the design of a component? Attributing intent-reproducing capabilities to equipment I admit tests the limits of what I consider valid evaluation.

Norman, I think we will have to agree to disagree. I have heard all of the VPI range, including the DD and the Classic 11 that you mention.
Compared to a Linn LP12 Radikal D Klimax, the VPI Classic 11 is IMHO not competitive. For your $10K budget, one could get a LP12 with Radikal D and Kore that would still be a better option than the similarly priced VPI. All IMHO.

daveyf,

My Linn comparison is based on my personal table.  That is the only thing I could really based it on, as I had it for 10 years and am very familiar with it's sound. 

While the Classic II is an introductory table in the VPI line, it's dynamics and pace are excellent. 

I am a little surprised though at your staunch loyalty to Linn.  Linn isn't and has never been the last word in turntables.  There are just so many finer options, both vintage and new.  I will stick to my $4000.00 budget VPI Classic II over the Linn any day. (again comparing to my LP12, which by the time I sold it I believe was about a $9000.00 table.. that's in 2003 dollars not including the arms) 

Funny story, when I decided to move on to another turntable I called my Linn dealer and he took it personal.  He offered me $1650.00 for my LP12 (absolutely pristine conditions with all upgrades purchased and performed by his dealership) Go figure?

I will be at my Linn Dealer tomorrow.  I will let you know if I get an opportunity to hear the latest mods.

Norman