Radikal Linn LP12 or Palmer 2.5?

@latenitecity. Happy New Year to you.

I will be interested to learn what your thoughts are on the two tables once you have had a chance to listen to the LP12 Radikal D Klimax. Presumably you will be hearing it with the Ekos SE arm and I would imagine a Kandid cartridge. Hopefully, you will be hearing it with ancillary gear that is comparable to the ancillary gear that the Palmer was utilized with. I am not a huge fan of the Linn electronics or speakers...with the exception of the Klimax DAC.
I think if you heard the Palmer with Harbeths, that those speakers would be an excellent choice to hear the LP12 with as well....I am a pretty big fan of Harbeth speakers.

Hi daveyf,

Hope all is well with you.  My turntable quest was derailed for a while due to other priorities, but I’m back in the hunt and wanted to share my latest experiences. 

I had an opportunity to hear the full-mod LP12 and found it to be a slightly pinched and restrained, which surprised me. It turns out that the cartridge (the Kandid) had only a few hours on it, so I probably need to do a second audition.

In the meantime, various reviews led me to believe that an AMG Giro might be another contender. I found a dealer but he only had the higher-priced Viella 12 available for audition, which reportedly has the same characteristics as the Giro - just “somewhat better.”  So I gave it a listen (with an Ortofon Cadenza Bronze) and it was very good - no question - but, frankly, not as good as the reviews led me to expect. 

I asked the dealer about the Palmer 2.5 and he said he carried it, but (unfortunately) not for audition.  However, he could demo a table that was “clearly better” than any of the aforementioned decks.

Enter the (somewhat unfortunately named) Dr. Feickert Woodpecker with the same Ortofon cartridge.  I listened to about 8 varied tracks (jazz quartet, modern big band, Albert King, The Rite of Spring, etc.) and it never failed to produce a completely compelling and enjoyable performance. Everything sounded interesting and musically right. I really liked this thing a lot.

So now my happy predicament has taken an unexpected turn, and I am very seriously considering either the Woodpecker (with a Jelco TK-950L arm) or (more likely) the Dr. Feickert Blackbird, which is a step up. Interestingly, these tables seem to be the polar opposite of the LP 12 when it comes to tonearm compatibility (which has been a nagging negative with respect to the latter).

Anyway, that’s where I’m at. Would be very interested in your thoughts  (or anyone else’s, for that matter). Thanks.

@latenitecity  Nice to hear that you have done some listening and included a few options. The Dr.Feickert Woodpecker and Blackbird are nice tables. i would consider them if the Linn wasn't an option. Different sound to a full blown Linn, but one that certainly is very enjoyable, IME. 
I would certainly re-listen to the Linn set-up once the Kandid is broken in.

@latenitecity Today I auditioned the AMG Viella V12 with the 12JT Turbo tonearm and Benz Gullwing SLR cartridge. The associated equipment was Audio Research Reference 3 Phono to an Audio Research Reference 6 pre to Audio Research 160M mono blocks. Speakers were Wilson DAWs. Transparent Cabling throughout. I thought this setup sounded really good. The TT is definitely in the mix for me as I try to narrow the field I'm interested in seriously considering. Overall, I thought the sound would have benefited from the Benz LP-S cartridge. That is not based on personal experience with the LP-S, however, it simply is affirming what I have read elsewhere of folks who replaced their Gullwing cartridge with the LP-S and why they did so. Others who have owned these two cartridges have commented that the LP-S compared to the Gullwing is lusher, has more bass, with the midrange having more body to it. However, it has been noted that the Gullwing has extended highs compared to the LP-S. Now having heard the Gullwing, if the descriptions of the LP-S are correct, the LP-S would probably be more my cup of tea. But, the big take away from today is that the AMG Viella V12 provided a nice quiet background for the music to emerge from.