"deceptively simple"
Perfect description;
Thoughts on the Linn LP12 turntable
I don’t see many discussions that include the Linn Sondek LP12 turntable and was wondering why? They’ve been around since the late 70’s and other then power supply and a few other minor changes (IMO) are relatively unchanged. I had one in the early 80’s and another in the late 90’s. They are somewhat finicky to get setup correct and once you do, they sound great. That being said I know there have been a lot better designs to come out since the LP12’s hey-day. Are they worth considering anymore or has the LP12 just become another audio vintage collectors item?
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- 157 posts total
+1.
@uncleang Seiously? “I’ve always seen LP12’s as a giant money pit with ’upgrades’ that are actually ’fixes’” Refinement marches on. Over the last fifty years I have pursued high end audio and the changes have been truly amazing. Linn has shown they have what it takes to sell something high end with integrity. Like Leica and Nikon… invest with them and they will support you. The company will bring you along as they assault the state of the art, if you want to go with them. Linn has dedicated themselves to a really good design and improve, improve, and improve endlessly. I have seen this technique, time after time used by the Japanese: for instance used in the design of Namiki Fountain Pens. Classic design with every aspect refined over and over again to achieve perfection. Try one, one of the best three companies in the world producing fountain pens. My friend and audio dealer talks about the Linn turntables he has “repaired from dealer setup”. Where carefully designed 3D washers are installed upside down, springs, mixed up…the deck not remotely leveled. The contemporary Linn is an incredibly refined and sophisticated turntable. It’s incredible small size and this sophistication requires someone that can read English to set it up. After that, it needs no one to touch it for years. Any finickiness of forty years ago is long gone.
The ability to upgrade a great sounding <$5K deck to a world class performing turntable is a huge benefit not a shortfall. Someone compared an AR turntable to a Linn… seriously? There is and has been no comparison. I owned an AR in about 1980, then added a VPI Aries in about 1987… there is no comparison in SQ between the AR and the Linn. The Linn is and always has been leagues above the AR. The background noise, of the AR is horrible… dynamics are equally poor. |
Some of the most musical sonics from a TT setup, I have experienced with an LP12. Not the most accurate but not too off to sound wrong. The ones I liked were fitted with Aro/ Cirkus/ Lingo2/ Helikon and another one with the latest SME/Keel/Radikal/Kandid. Both different but gets to the heart of the music in the first place. Not many modern TTs can claim that btw.
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If you want to see LP12 samples in the wild then this thread on the Naim forum is worth a look. There is a long established friendly (mostly) rivalry between Linn and Naim fans, especially in the UK. But this shows the level of support this table has. Folks can dump on this kit all they want but the fact is this the LP12 is a rare popular 50-year-old survivor in a battlefield littered with many fancy eye candy turntable companies that burst on the scene but went kaput…
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- 157 posts total