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Possible turntable upgrade....

Hi All,

So it started as a simple, 'buy some new speakers' impulse. Well, that escalated quickly!

Now, I am looking at my turntable as the possible weakest link. Would love your help/advice/input/experience on whether it's time to give up on my old, beloved c.1980's Linn LP12 that I have had since the mid 80s. The deck has Lingo 1 and Cirkus/Valhalla upgrades of note.

Details: LP12 as above, Graham Phantom arm, Clearaudio Concerto cart.

System: Aesthetix Janus (brand new) pre, BAT 250SE (w BAT-PAK) amp. Tara Labs throughout (recent upgrade) including phono cables, Vivid B1 speakers (Tara The 2 cables).

So, it seems that the Graham Phantom may be too much arm for the Linn (been told Linn is better with a lighter arm) so should I upgrade the deck to build the analog around the arm and take it to the level of the Aesthetix/Vivids etc? Basically, is my money better spent on a new deck as opposed to trying to upgrade an old design such as the Linn? Is the Linn now the weakest link in my system? 

If so, recommendations would be greatly appreciated. I know tastes come into it etc but hopefully my choice of Vivids etc give an insight. Especially love to hear from anyone with a Graham Phantom arm. Price range: as low as possible to make the necessary difference, definitely under $10k. Preferably closer to $5k. Of particular interest (but little listening experience) would be Clearaudio and Transrotor. Open to all ideas. All positive input is greatly appreciated.

Thank you all.  
denjer1
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Everything is relative. Even great turntables can be improved by competent isolation. It doesn’t make sense that the Real TT is unsuspended. That’s why Kuzma is now offering isolation devices for their turntables and why other great turntables incorporate isolation into their designs, e.g., Walker, Rockport, Basis.
luxmancl38
580 posts
 
Recently I sold my 1987 Linn TT. Over the years I upgraded a Cirkus, Ittok vii arm and a Lingo 3. I now have a Luxman PD171-A. Just more clarity and dynamics. Built in strobe allows you to fine tune your speed. Comes w/a very nice dust cover. Also easier to change carts as it has an removable head shell.
audioquest4life
720 posts
 
I have had a Transrotor Apollon for years and never worried about vinyl playback issues that many others try to eliminate. Solid, 100plus pounds, Clearaudio Mont Blanc stand, and bamboo over concrete floors. Using an SME V, or two, or even three, is easy to setup too. I would definitely explore Transrotor options as they are not common in the US. The Fat Bob gained popularity years ago. I get the Transrotor does not look like a conventional turntable, but, man, does it sound good. I believe there are now two US distributors in the US now. At least call them and ask to to demo.
denjer1 OP
45 posts
 
Thank you Luxmancl38. You know exactly where I'm coming from. Sounds as though there will be no looking back. 

audioquest4life, your setup sounds impressive. Yes, in my post I specifically mentioned Transrotor. This is of great interest. One of the dealers is local to me, Carl of Apex Audio. I cannot say enough good things about Carl and I trust him implicitly. He's been incredibly helpful with advice that truly benefits my system without ever pushing me in a direction I did not want to go. This is the reason I specifically said Clearaudio & Transrotor. Unfortunately, demo time is limited for me due to my work schedule so workibg with someone I trust means a lot. Plus, I do but have a clue what I'm doing when it comes to set up and things like that!

Anyone have experience here specifically with a Clearaudio Ovation? Thanks all for input. 
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,155 posts
 
Stringreens, The Linn's suspension is not damped at all so the Q is very low. It is very tonearm sensitive. If you put too light a tone arm on it the resonant frequency of the suspension will get high enough to throw the arm right off the record. I made that mistake once. It was terribly sensitive to foot falls and any other disturbance near it. The tone arm board is crap. I made a laminated board for it which weighed more which fixed the problem with the light arm. Compared to the SOTA , SME and the Basis tables the construction quality is second rate. The SOTA is special because it achieves equal performance to the SME with less expensive and far more attractive materials and now has a better bearing than The SME. It is 1/2 the price because it is made in America. They will update any of their turntables and will even take them as trade ins. You can not find a better company to deal with. 
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