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Affordable improvement on Valhala Circus LInn LP12

Hi Everybody,
I'd like to start out by saying that I'm not trying to stir up any controversy, but just asking for personal opinions based on actual listening experience. My analog system consists of a Linn Valhala, Circus using an RB 300 arm with Cardas rewire and a Sumiko Talisman Virtuoso DTI cartridge. My preamp is a Audio Research SP14 and my amp is a Hafler 9500. Speakers are Apogee Slant 6 with Tara Space and Time biwire cables.
I am very pleased with the sound of my system but am always looking for significant improvement, as long as it is affordable. Arthur Salvatore on his web site considers the Linn to be a class C table which is surpassed by numerous more modern tables. Assuming I could get around $1300 for my Linn table and arm (without cartridge) and could spend about $500 additional, does anyone think that for that total amount (buying used) I could get a clear cut, significant improvement in sound? If so, what table and arm would acomplish that? According to Stereophile, the B rated Music Hall 9.1 would be a step up, but I'm not so sure since they also rate the Linn with the Lingo as an A table. Salvatore muddies the waters for my decision making by saying the Lingo is an incremental improvement! Anyway, I'm hoping that some of you out there who have had an opportunity to compare a table like mine to affordable, used options will give me some constructive suggestions.
Thanks in advance,
Jay
drjay
tobias
1,534 posts
 
I used to own an LP12 Valhalla which I upgraded to Lingo-Cirkus, then swapped arms and so forth. I now own a Well Tempered Labs Amadeus and I feel it's the most musical table I've owned. It has ended my search for better things and it's a lot less fussy about setup than the Linn.

Your budget would take you most of the way to the WTL entry-level model, the Simplex. It would give you almost everything you get in the higher end models.
kentaja
25 posts
 
I would take Salvatore's comments with a grain-of-salt. Owning an LP12 with the Valhalla I can tell you that moving to the Lingo, in my case the Lingo II, is a tremendous improvement with the table. Improved drive and dynamics, better performance at the extremes, more articulate and focused. I was skeptical when I bought the Lingo II and was very pleased with the result. I would do it again.
musicslug
430 posts
 
I agree with Kentaja: the Lingo is more than an 'incremental' upgrade. I listened to 2 LP12s, side by side, one with Lingo and one without, and the difference was far from subtle: it seemed like the Lingo added a huge amount of low end.
breadman
19 posts
 
I have been asking myself pretty much the same question and have also read Salvatore's comments. For the money involved, I think it would be a lateral move. I have 3 Linn lp 12s. The one I am listening to the most at this time is a Valhalla, Ittok LVII, Supex 900 Super, wall mounted on a Mana Acoustics shelf. I like it very much. I also think that what the Linn sets on is very important. I had a homemade steel wall mount once and I switched from a pine shelf to birch plywood and it was a huge improvement My other tables are a Valhalla, Akito, K18, and a 25th anniversary with Lingo, Cirkus, Akito II, Adikt.
I think you may be overly optimistic in thinking you will get $1300 for yours. The Rega/Linn combo, right or wrong, has bad press on the internet, and is bound to drive buyers away. I think what I might do would be to sell the Rega arm and get an Ittok LVII. I like that arm a lot more than either Akito. The Akito and the Rega look cheap by comparison. Salvatore also thinks it is a good arm. That change may do the trick, at least for a while, and I think that combo will be easier to sell. In the meantime , I would start saving money. The Well Tempered Amadeus might be one I would set my sights on. Good luck.
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