@rossb - I have had two Kuzmas as well; first the Reference, with a Triplanar, which was very easy to set up and run with minimal grief over isolation; then the XL, which was a huge pain to isolate given its mass, but well worth it once I got that sorted. (I now use a Minus K- a somewhat spendy solution, but pretty foolproof). Airline arm- magnificent- though bettered in some respects by other arms in aspects like bass performance, it has an effortlessness that, in combination with the big Kuzma, makes you forget a record is spinning. Downside- having to use an air compressor is added grief. Never had an issue with the arm, now going on 11 years. Air compressors- on my third one.
I remember the Linn shortly after its introduction. It was lively, gave much sparkle and life to the stuff coming off the disc. I never really paid much attention to its evolution. When I lived in Brooklyn Heights, my local hi-fi shop, Innovative, probably sold more Linn stuff than any place in the States. There was a cult around the the product line, the demonstration process, the source first approach, etc. My relations with the dealer were always cordial but I wasn't part of the club. I remember having them retube an old ARC preamp back in the early '80s- I bought NOS Telefunkens to supply them with the tubes- they were a little pissed about that for some reason- mark up on the tubes? But, the sales staff was pretty surprised at how good that old thing sounded when they had it running.
I take no position on Linn these days-- if someone has one and likes it, fine. If someone is thinking about buying into the product today or upgrading it, I think there are other options. It is incumbent on the buyer to do their due diligence. The hard part is comparing tables and arms in a controlled way as part of the pre-purchase process. I think the owner experience is important though, and what's telling is often the "you didn't set it up right" problem. This seems to be very common with Linn and not a new phenomenon.
There should be no magic in set-up. Experience, yes. A willingness to go to exacting lengths to get it dialed in. But part of the value of high end gear in my estimation is not only reliability in the general sense, but repeatability. Settings that can be made and pretty much left alone. Whether that is true of Linn I can take no position on- since I never owned one and doubt I ever will at this point in my life. Just out of curiosity, what is the cost of a fully updated Linn deck and arm today? @daveyf ? You should know, right?
