Linn LP-12 still competitive with the very best?

Thanks Drubin,
Sometimes, actually, most of the time, I wonder if I sound like some old geezer on a park bench, or worse yet Forrest Gump telling these stories.
They're from my perspective to be sure, and I try to be complely faithful to the truth. What's wierd is that some of them sound so outlandish--but when I think about it, it's because they are outlandish that I realize, at least I hope people realize that that's why they're true. I have a vivid imagination, but I couldn't make these kinds of thing up. It's funny the amount of information one acquires in 25 years in an industry, from all perspectives,
Hobbiest, Store Owner, VP for a Manufacturer, Designer, and manufacturing company owner.
Stay tuned Drub, I'm sure a dead brain cell will spit another out when prompted by a thread.

I have a mid 80's Sondek 12 with a Basic tone arm and a Nagaoka cart and love the set up. Works very well with my Cary tube amp and Cary tube preamp. Good bang for the buck.

Ok but what about the original question , Thorens 124 or Linn 12???

Ok but what about the original question , Thorens 124 or Linn 12???

The LP-12 and the TD-124 are both supremely well-executed examples of completely different approaches to building a turntable . . . the comparison is like Porsche vs. Ferrari . . . a practically unanswerable question.

Edgar Villchur's original AR turntable was designed to address many of the specific problems of mid-20th-century idler-drive turntables (rumble, motor noise, and acoustic feedback), and it did so very successfully. The LP-12 is based on the AR design . . . and one thing it's hard to fault Ivor Tiefenbrun for is his persistent, dogged determination to improve it, little by little, year after year. And just like the Porsche 911, the people that never liked it . . . still don't like it. Tiefenbrun himself is also a polarizing personality, and many people don't like him . . . and dislike the LP-12 out of proxy.

The TD-124, on the other hand, exudes all of the attributes that we value in a piece of fine machinery, and because of this it's satisfying to own, work on, and operate in a way that the LP-12 simply cannot match. Those negative attributes that define the performance of most idler-drive turntables are very effectively dealt with in the TD124, mostly by sheer manufacturing prowess. And the traditional Achilles' heel of a traditional suspended turntable - variation in pitch with suspension movement - is completely absent.

In the end, if one's looking for the turntable of their dreams . . . both of these machines are "required listening".

I'm the hundredth poster, Do I get a prize? Let me sum this up, the Linn still makes music and can make you happy. I finally bought one this fall because I found one that had been for sale for years in great condition with a Grace 707 and F9E for $400. Does it sound as good as the Scoutmaster I have set up? Probably not, but how could you tell, different arms and cartridges. I sure hope that the new Aries I have coming with 12.7 arm and most of the goodies sounds considerably better but I don't think that the Linn will be totally embarrassed by it. The Linn is still a good table that can work in a top system, Martin Colloms still uses one and so do many others.