linn sondek tt

Yes, Linn was extremely well marketed...

Please note also that they were the first (?) manufacturer to shake the establishment by insisting that motor units/turntables sounded different and could dictate the sound of your system.
Consequently, they challenged potential buyers to AB the LP12 against competing turntables.
Dealers & reviewers did this constantly, using the LP12 as a reference product.
After hearing, most people bought the LP12 hence the fanatical following that Linn enjoyed for many years.

I’ve always said of even basic Linns that owners don’t know just how good a turntable it is until they use it with more resolving ancillaries. Running my old Valhalla-ed LP12 through bigger & better amps & electrostats revealed an altogether different beast, one that felt irreplaceable.

I no longer own that T/T but you won’t hear any bad-mouthing of LP12s in this house! ;)

analogluvr

However one thinks about the LP 12 sound you have to admit that it’s a great business model but not so great for the consumer.

Why do we have to admit that?

How can you have that many improvements/upgrades?

Perhaps because it has been in continuous production for more than 45 years.

... the price of these improvements/upgrades are just obscene for what you get ... I’ve never heard one so they may sound great.

How can you claim the price is "obscene" if you’ve never heard one? That just doesn’t make sense.

Perhaps it is that those who prefer the Linn prioritize different aspects in reproduced music than do those who prefer a different table. The LP12 is known more for it’s ability at conveying the temporal elements in music (forward momentum, timing, etc. PRaT), rather than its purely sonic (frequency extension---bass in particular, imaging, etc.) characteristics.

18K for a Linn Radical or say a used Basis debut.  Hmmmmm, tough decision.

Finally, we have a disclosure that one of the naysayers has never heard the table, but that doesn’t stop him from putting his two cents in...er,is that the definition of a troll!

Pity that the others who have never heard the table in a proper setting fail to acknowledge the same thing. Like i said before, plenty of misinformation attached to this product.