Linn LP12......That good??

Holmejr, I concur with Lugnut about the Ittok arm. Had one on my deck since '83 and I'm running an Akiva on it now. Sounds excellent.

Again, the Circus upgrade is a big one cutting your surface noise in half and improving detail resolution.

An option, the Lingo shows up used on A'gon from time to time without the table. Cheers!

Linn Sondek Lp12 is that good.
And when you consider the seemingly endless upgrade path it is not a bad way to go. I have had a Linn Lp12 deck since '83 and have upgraded along the way like Lugnut. Do I think about changing decks? Not really. I listen to a lot of other tables and then I come back home to the Linn. You would have to pry it from my cold dead hands. Are there better decks? Sure! But for me the Walker Audio Proscenium Gold Signature is out of reach and would show up the Linn but at three to ten times the price depending on upgrades… I guess it's all where you want to go with it. There are a lot of great tables out today; in 1983 the Linn was arguably one of the best with the most promising future so I spent my money and wisely. Cheers!

Best Linn combo?...Lp12, Ekos, Circus, Lingo, Akiva.

X1884, The bearings are good. You want the "Circus" bearing upgrade. It has very tight tolerance and cuts the surface noise in half over the old style bearing. I had an opportunity to A/B an exact table, tonearm, cartridge comp with the bearing against my deck without, it was a no brainer. I pulled the cash out and got back less noise and more detail. It was not subtle. Ahhhhh!

Cleopatra52, Nice to hear your well-rounded TT experience and balanced assessment of how the Linn Sondek holds up today. You have a perspective that many of us don’t, including myself. I have enjoyed my Lp12 since 1983 but couldn't draw those direct comparisons.
Thanks.

Ok Newmanoc, We get your take on Salvatore's somewhat eccentric ruminations. Frankly it's easy to criticize others for their opinions/experience and quite another thing to risk putting your own thoughts out for the same for mentioned scrutiny. This is meant only in a friendly nature and I have little interest in confrontation for it's sake alone but, where are you at on the thread topic "Linn LP12......That good??"? I found Cleopatra52's post to offer an opinion based in sound experience and the fact that this A'gon member mentioned Salvatore's site as a point of reference I see as no huge crime. In fact, I find a number of points on which Arthur Salvatore hits the nail on the head. Anyway, I believe it would add to your credibility and help X1884 and the rest of us to offer your options/experience to this thread.

There are many rigid suspension TT out there that have a blacker background than the Linn but I find many of them also are not as lively in the reproduction of acoustic music. They seem to suck some of the life out of the music yet give a sharp relief or contrast if you will, of what is left. A great audiophile trick but I'm looking and listening for the sound of live music.

Excellent comments Newmanoc, I would echo your assessment of the Lingo and the used price of a Linn as a value in the current market. The last bit you offered is a serious caveat to those unknowing or not interested in set up, yet it wouldn't stop me from buying one used today if I hadn't paid retail for one so many years ago. IMHO I feel set up makes all the difference. Cheers!

Hello Dcc, We can hear you just fine. FYI, the 'caps lock' key is located at your left, just above the 'shift' key. Just tap on it once. Then type away. Cheers!