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Linn LP12......That good??

I have an Ariston RD80 (very good) and a Thorens TD 160, also very good.
How good are the Linn Lp12 tt's??
I am always looking for the best most impressive sound.
I will have to sell the Ariston/Thorens if i buy the Linn because i will not need 3 turntables!
The Ariston almost looks like the Linn by the way.
So how great are the Linn's and what is the best combination to buy?
Thanks!
x1884
daveyf's avatar
daveyf
1,174 posts
 
stringreen, wrong....the fact that you had to constantly attend to the table tells me that you had it set up wrong...plain and simple! Sorry, but you clearly did not know what you were doing...which is ok, as I and most others don’t either when it comes to LP12 set up.
I have owned LP12’s for more than thirty years...none, none needed to be constantly set up--why, because I always had a pro LP12 tech set them up for me ( and I still do) and this results in the table being totally stable in this regard. The fact that LP12’s constantly float out of adjustment is a myth propagated by those who have never had a properly set up example. Too bad as they have no idea as to what they are missing, IMHO.
stanwal's avatar
stanwal
3,147 posts
 
The Linn is great and I was a VPI dealer before I got sick. I had it modified with gear from ? My memory is shot. Will try to post it!
stanwal's avatar
stanwal
3,147 posts
 
Analogue Innovations. They are great at a reasonable price. Also the Hercules PS
rossb
53 posts
 
I had an LP12 for about 20 years. It went through various upgrades: an Ekos I, Naim ARO, then back to an Ekos II, cirkus bearing, Naim Armageddon power supply. At the end I did the full Linn upgrade route - Keel, Ekos SE, Radikal ... and it sounded terrible. It was coloured, dull sounding and had poor speed stability. The best version was the earliest - and cheapest one. It was very musical but my expectations were low. But after spending around $20k on upgrades, my expectations were high and it did not meet them. And, yes, it was set up by a very experienced and highly regarded Linn technician.

Now I have Kuzma turntables - a Kuzma Stabi S and Stabi Reference. These sound amazing. Even the cheaper Stabi S is better than the full spec LP12 at a fraction of the price. They are well designed and have solid engineering behind them. And they do not need a technician trained in the mystical arts of Linn set-up to wave his magic wand at it every few years. I can set them up myself in minutes.

Thirty years ago the LP12 was a decent mid-price deck that had its strengths and weaknesses. Today it is just not competitive.
ronnierocksrecords
26 posts
 

I have 2 Linns. One is a stock 1984 lp12 with Ittok lv2.the other is a 1979 or so far from stock. Both tables gave me much pleasure over the decades, up till about 3 years ago. I was going to go full hog on the 1984 model ,only to be miffed by the prices asked for the various upgrades. This led to my current setup of a TTW gem V2 rim drive with 42 pound copper platter and mag lev bearing of my design/Teres Verus motor speed control. I still use the Ittok arm with this setup, soon to be replaced by a highly modified Eminent Technology ET1 arm.

So two completely different approaches to spinning the vinyl. the only constant between these decks is the Ittok arm. When I first heard my current rig the difference to the approach of music reproduction was clear. I like my current table better than the Linn. What will be interesting will be to hear the Stock Sondek with the SoundSmith strain gauge currently mounted on the Ittok. That will happen once I mount the ET1 to the TTW.

Ron

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