When the Sondek was introduced in the early-70’s (I first learned of it in 1974), Linn was touting its superiority over all other current tables (I at that time owned a Thorens TD-125 Mk.2) in two regards:
1- As the first turntable designed with the table’s job defined in terms of it’s performance as a mechanical component rather than an electronic one. For that reason they put a lot of emphasis on the quality of the deck’s main bearing, an idea now taken for granted but in 1974 wasn’t.
2- As the turntable affecting not just the sound of music, but the musical performance that is contained in the LP groove. They invented the concept of a turntable "playing the tune". It was for the Sondek’s musical qualities that many early (and perhaps current) Sondek enthusiasts---including Herb Reichert and Art Dudley---were long-term owners of the table. After many years as a Sondek owner and lover, Dudley eventually decided idler-drive tables (Thorens TD-124 and Garrard 301) "played the tune" even better that the Linn, and made the switch.
Detractors dismissed Linn’s argument (regarding the Sondek’s superiority as a tune player) as Linn-created mythology, designed to make a rather ordinary suspended turntable design (the Sondek is basically the same as the budget-priced---80 bucks in the early-70’s---Acoustic Research table, but with parts machined to a higher standard) be perceived as something more than it actually was.
That was the situation until Peter Moncreiff in his magazine International Audio Review pitted the Sondek against the Oracle Delphi, pronouncing the latter "634 times better than the Linn," Linn and their enthusiasts dismissed that claim as the expected result of listening to tables for the wrong things.
As far as I know, though the Sondek has been upgraded in many regards over the ensuing fifty years, that remains Linn’s argument.
