alectrevelya
Member
I am seriously considering buying a new or used LP12 in very good condition. Are these worthy of all the hype they get? I saw one in person about 15 years ago, but never got to hear it! How unfortunate.
Do Linn Sondeks Live Up To The Hype?
- Thread starter alectrevelya
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- linn sondek lp12
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vinylkid58
Super Member
What's the budget? A brand new Majik is over $5K. There are much better spec'd tables on the used market.
jeff
jeff
alectrevelya
Member
I
I really don't want to spend more than $2500 CAD... so it looks like I'll be going for a used LP12 with a standard configuration. Maybe if I save up more money I can upgrade the tonearm later on. I am aware of some of the different setups.
tubewade
Super Member
They are excellent decks. That was the first deck I heard back in the early 1980s that showed me that there was something going on at a drastically different level than anything I'd ever heard or experienced before (mid-fi: Pioneer, Technics, etc.) They aren't the only great decks around, but they are one of the great ones.
alectrevelya
Member
I think the reason I want THIS particular deck is because my dad would always rant and rave about how good they were when he first heard one in the early 80's. He had a Thorens TD 166 MK V when I was growing up that he let me use. He told me he always wanted an LP12. He never got around to getting one though. As a merchant captain he could definitely afford one. He just never got around to it.
vinylkid58
Super Member
You should be able to get something quite decent for your budget. IMHO, avoid a deck with the old Akito mkI arm. I replaced mine with a Jelco 370H, but a Rega is also another option. There are a couple decks on CAM with rebadged Rega arms at the moment.
jeff
alectrevelya
Member
Thank you for your advice. I have experimented with about 6 different turntables now. I have a Technics direct drive SL 1300 that I opened up the other day to clean the dirty speed potentiometers. It did help quite a bit, but I am still having speed stability issues.
I have decided that the final turntable upgrade will be a Linn LP12. That way I can stop obsessing over turntables. I'm sure I'll end up obsessing over speakers next. As far as amps and preamps go, I am partial to Carver products. Again, because of my dad.
Make certain that you get a bona-fide Linn guru to set it up. I wouldn't rely on a Linn dealer to do this any more. You have to have heard a well set up Linn to know whether or not it is well set up. Some may think that they've set it up well, but they haven't.
alectrevelya
Member
I've heard of a technician in St. Catharines Ontario that is apparently "the guy" to go to for Linn turntable sales and repairs/setup. I hope to see if he can steer me towards an LP12 in my budget. I am 3 hours away from St. Catharines, so I hope to make a day of it sometime in the near future.
alectrevelya
Member
I also have my heart set on a pair of Carver Silver 9t Monoblocks. Too bad these are extremely rare. These put out 575 watts each into 8 ohms and can be found for under $2000 maybe once a year.
Tables like this are a sum of their parts,
Deck, what's been done with it? how old? arm board?
Arm, what kind?
Cartridge what kind? how many hours on it? how old?
Does it have a dust cover? record clamp?
Just saying an LP12 or wanting one doesn't mean all that much, and once you figure out the value of the sum of it's parts and what they are expected to do, the setup is just as important....
The question marks above don't have to be answered here it's just for you to think about when shopping to buy.
Deck, what's been done with it? how old? arm board?
Arm, what kind?
Cartridge what kind? how many hours on it? how old?
Does it have a dust cover? record clamp?
Just saying an LP12 or wanting one doesn't mean all that much, and once you figure out the value of the sum of it's parts and what they are expected to do, the setup is just as important....
The question marks above don't have to be answered here it's just for you to think about when shopping to buy.
I bought a Thorens TD146 in 1984 (same as the TD166 Mk II but with auto lift and shutoff at the end of a record). A few months later while shopping for a new amplifier, I first heard an LP12. It got so much more information off the records than my Thorens was capable of, even with Linn's budget arm and cartridge of the time (the Basik Plus arm and Basik cartridge), that I sold my Thorens and saved up my money to buy the Linn. Eight years later I traded it in to get an LP12 with the Cirkus upgrade and also bought an Ittok LVIII arm. An LP12 was my main source component for 27 years, and I have nothing bad to say about them. I will disagree with theophile on the merits of buying from a Linn dealer, and I would also encourage you to do some comparative auditions with other turntables in your price range. In my opinion, the best way not to obsess over turntables, or any other component, is to audition what's available and let your ears decide what brings you the most pleasure for the money you want to spend. For example, and with my admittedly aging ears, I was surprised at how competitive the humble Rega RP6 was with Linn's current entry-level, but much more expensive, Majik LP12. On the other hand, if past association makes Linn and Carver the only possible choices for you, there's no reason to think they won't bring you a lot of satisfaction and pleasure.
vinylkid58
Super Member
Definitely still one of the top decks around. Minimum config is with Valhalla PS - check the Linn forum, there's posts listing serial numbers, years made, level of upgrades.
I don't agree with this. The Akito arm responds well to new bearings and a service - audioorigami are the people to use - and refurbished matches both the arms you mention. The Ittok is the classic arm, although I'm inclined to think the Roksan Nima may be just as good.