Possible turntable upgrade....

A little more perspective on Linn.

Everything like Linn that has been around a very long time you can be sure things back then were nothing like today. The earliest Linn tables were sold by going store to store demonstrating to disbelieving minds that the table really can make a big difference.

Now think about it. As skeptical as some still are today about the importance of quality power cords, or pick your pet thing you know that others still can't believe actually works, there was a time long ago when that was true for turntables. Linn was the first quality turntable to break through that barrier.

So Linn totally earned and deserves respect. Especially since it really was a good turntable. Is. It still is a really good turntable. 

And paradoxically, the better you understand this the better it is. Because everything mijostyn says is equally true. It is a flimsy poorly built (by modern standards) poc. From the point of view of a guy who wants to be able to actively build and upgrade the best system he can its The Royal Tennenbaums of dysfunction piled on faults covered with problems. But from the point of view of a guy who values not only music but history, tradition, and yes simplicity the Linn is hard to beat. 

Its like this. From one point of view the Linn is crap because you are stuck with Linn everything for now and forevermore. From another point of view though you understand what its all about, give in to the Linn, only pursue Linn upgrades, its just fine. Beyond fine. Which is why so many are happy with them. Love em to death.

You just have to know yourself well enough to know which one you are. Get that straight, its amazing how much that seemed hard just starts falling into place.

Linn is the prime example of the suspended isolation approach to turntable design. With all suspended designs but especially with Linn the whole thing is tuned to vibrate a certain way. They talk about isolation but need a stable platform as much as anything so really its more tuned to vibrate. Naturally the arm and anything else you put on there, a mat a record clamp or even a record, becomes part of that vibrating package and has to be accounted for and tuned for. I looked into this a lot and listened to a lot of Linns and others and have been forever since very happy to have not followed this path.

The limitations and compromises you're seeing now with your table are among the many reasons I'm glad I didn't go that way. If you love the Linn sound then of course its all worth it. No different than the guy with the electrostatics or the SET or whatever. If you love it then you'll do whatever it takes to get the most out of it and it'll be worth it to you. If you can't say that though then yes that would make the Linn the weakest link.

The other design philosophy is massive, solid, suspensionless. Usually these fudge and use a suspension to some extent but not to the point where you start worrying about cartridge mass and the whole thing is floating and bobbing around every time you touch it. The dividing line, none of these type tables cares what arm or how heavy. The best give you complete freedom in arm choice.

That's the way I went. In contrast to the Linn which already is limiting your options this way you are free to get the most table you can possibly afford secure in the knowledge its a "forever" component which with your arm you will probably already be able to enjoy forever but if not then wow, you upgrade that arm you won't believe how it can be even better.

That's what I did. Was very, very happy with my Graham 2.0 for many years. Eventually got to the point I couldn't stop thinking about all those extra connections in the very fragile micro-voltage signal path. Upgraded to Origin Live Conqueror, so much better its more of a new realm than upgrade. 

Which involved not one moments thought given to how much that arm weighed, if it would fit my table, etc. Because my table instead of being a limiting factor is wide open to upgrades.

Hope this helps.