linn sondek tt

@cd318. Fifteen year old Linn, set up poorly with a bottom of the line Basik plus arm and a entry level cartridge...is not going to perform at a very high level.
Unfortunately, your LP12 experience sounds like someone sold you a bill of goods and even more unfortunately, you didn’t have the experience necessary to realize how to change that. A much better solution for you would have been a Rega or similar. Plug and play basically. 
I believe you are 100% correct, you needed a plug and play table back then...and you still do.
But please don’t be naysaying the LP12 table simply because your experience with it wasn’t up to your expectations due to what sounds like bad dealer support and an inexperience on your behalf.

costing more does not always equate in a better table. For example, the technics 1200G sounds better than the Linn Radical from what I remember to my ears.

Like I said, the scout was close in some ways to the linn, but the linn was better. 18K vs 1600 bucks is a big difference.

However, from your and other comments, I wanted to reverify my conclusion and listen to a newer updated Linn but I have to drive 200 miles to hear one which is a massive inconvenience considering the service and North American distributor of Linn is a couple miles away from me.

I mentioned the 6 videos on youtube because if there are six parts to a video on how to set up a Linn, that is too many steps and way out of line in this day and age, especially when they cost over 6k for a basic new Linn. with that being said, the linn has been around for fifty years so it obviously makes a lot of people happy with its sound and its good looks. So if I was able to acquire one that was reasonably priced, I could tinker with it while I listened to my 1200g.

 @tzh21y You are not getting it! The whole problem of a table like the Linn, which needs to be set up very precisely is NOT to have an amateur like you ‘tinker’ with it! 
If you think the Technics 1200G sounds better than a properly set up Radikal D...well buddy, I guess as they say YMMV! 

It is unfortunate that you would have to drive 200 miles to hear the table, but I suspect if you wanted to hear a new Basis or a new Tech Das etc.,...you would have to drive even further. That’s just the way it is with this type of gear, it’s not a Technics- soon to be handled by your nearest Best Buy!

@daveyf , it actually had the Ittok arm with the K18 MM (I started with the K9 - had no wish to go the MC route) set up and updated (arm board, sub chassis, oil and springs/ grommets/ belt etc) to spec by a local Linn dealer. I remember bringing it home on the back seat of my car with the inner platter supported - outer one off.

Sure enough, it had to go back for adjustment not long after as one side began to sag low. Yes, I now realise that as a Linn owner you are at the mercy of your dealer. There was another highly respected one locally, but he was some 20 miles further.

So standing at a crossroads between more £££s for an Ekos/ Lingo upgrade etc or a respected CD player from Marantz/Sony, there really wasn’t much choice. At that time there was no shortage of interest for a used Linn, so selling it was pretty straightforward as I’d kept all the receipts/boxes etc.

Yes, you are right, definitely plug and play next time. Semi or fully automatic one would be nice.