linn sondek tt

@tzh21y Are you another one of these guys who knows very well the sound of the LP12, but unfortunately has never heard one??

I suspect that is exactly the case here, otherwise you wouldn’t be posting what you did.
The Rega rp6 is very strident...as are most Rega’s?? How would you know if the Rega rp8 competes with the Radikal...if you have never heard either table...and certainly not in an ’AB’???
A Basis Debut is a great table, but now very long in the tooth. A friend used to own one, sold it to replace it with.....LOL!

The current Basis Signature 2800 would be a table that I think could actually compete with the top LP12 Klimax, and in some ways probably better it, but what price difference are we talking here...?

I have heard the Linn, actually the best Linn and I have a friend that has an old Linn.  I have heard the older Linn some time ago as he does not use the Linn anymore.  My recent listen was to a top of the line setup and when I came home, my VPI Scout sounded pretty close and actually better in some ways.

I will admit that you guys have me intrigued now.  I may have to go listen to one again.  The dealer I went to listen to one at is not longer in business.  The North American distributor is 5 minutes from my house.  They will not let me listen to one and say I have to drive 200 miles to go to a Linn dealer.  omg

I always heard a Linn sound great. But a new fully loaded @20K?

Even at this guy's price, tough to swallow:
https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis9964g-linn-sondek-lp-12-loaded-with-all-options-turntablesss.
For $10K, you open yourself up to quite a few tables WITH a nice cart.

@tzh21y Linn themselves are now handling all US distribution. If your ’distributor’ is 5 minutes from your house- and won’t let you hear one of the tables, it is most likely because this fellow is NO LONGER a rep!
Perhaps contact Linn at the UK website for how to hear the table?
Compared to your Scout, to my ears the LP12 Radikal D is in a totally different and superior league. YMMV.

@tzh21y , no hurry. Last one I heard at a dealer's featured an Ekos / Troika combo. Strangely underwhelming.

Things improved somewhat with a Naim Aro, but I have never heard a Linn with vanishingly low surface noise. You know, those 'inky black' backgrounds you sometimes read about.

Perhaps things have changed. If you can persuade your local dealer to reconsider, (forget the 200 miles, that's too far for even a Continuum Obsidian or Technics SP10R), it'd be nice to hear what you thought.