Linn LP-12 compared to TW Acustic, SME, Nottingham

dg, when I was purchasing my 1st TT, the two final choices were Raven One and Nottingham 294. Raven One sounded awesome, with authoritative bass and really fleshed out sound. (The carts I heard with it were SS Strain Gauge and Dynavector XV1S, on Graham Phantom.) I also heard Nottingham 294 with the 294 arm, with EMT JSD-6 cart. There wasn't that bass grip that the Raven One had, but there was a top-to-bottom fluidity of sound with the Nott 294 that was easier on the ears than the Raven One. (One caveat: please take these comments with a grain of salt, since I did not test these tables under identical acoustical situations.) If I had to make the same decision right now, I'd get the Nottingham 294, which costs less, and swap out the stock arm for a Moerch DP6 12" arm or something. Then you'd have a lot of cash left over to spend on cart or LPs. I understand that mine may be of the minority opinion, but there it is.

P.S. - incidentally, I ended up with La Platine Verdier with the terrazzo plinth. Suits my music & listening preferences better than the TW & couldn't be happier... but still to this day, I sometimes think if I'd gone with Nottingham 294/Moerch DP6 combo, I can't shake off the feeling that I could have come pretty close to the kind of liquid musicality I'm getting with my Verdier.

I have had an LP12 for about 15 years. Mine has the Cirkus, Ekos and Naim Armageddon PSU, and currently a Glider.

A couple of years ago I bought a Nottingham Ace Spacedeck for a second system to use with an SME IV I already had.

With the SME arm, the Spacedeck did not sound all that good, despite trying a number of different cartridges. I felt that the LP12 still slightly had the edge. However, about a year ago I bought a mint condition Micro Seiki MA 505 arm on a whim, thinking it would be a better match for my Koetsu (used with a 15g AT headshell and additional Micro Seiki counterweight). Tom Fletcher made an armboard for the Micro Seiki and I installed the arm on the Spacedeck.

The Spacedeck sounded much better with the Micro Seiki arm but I was still using the LP12 as my main turntable. It has taken me about a year to get round to doing some direct comparisons between the Spacedeck and the LP12. I should add that the Spacedeck is pretty much stock and untweaked. I use the Spacemat which it came with (which I prefer to using no mat or to the Mystic Mat, which I did not like), no external PSU, no heavy kit etc.

After doing direct comparisons, I am about to sell the LP12. The Spacedeck is so far ahead of the LP12 that it is not worth keeping. I had always thought of the LP12 as having a rich, organic midrange, but the Spacedeck has a sense of tonal fullness and richness that is far beyond the LP12. By comparison the LP12 sounds thin and artificial. The Spacedeck equals the LP12 in dynamics and speed, but adds a sense of three dimensional space and a full harmonic structure that the LP12 cannot match. Perhaps the combination of Ace Spacedeck, Micro Seiki arm and Koetsu is a synergistic one, but I highly recommend the Spacedeck over the LP12.

I should, however, add a couple of reservations. The Space Arm gets mixed reviews. I was not willing to take a risk on the Space Arm, which was why I went with the SME and then the Micro Seiki. The Spacedeck is good enough to support arms costing more than the turntable, and I have been contemplating something like a Kuzma Stogi Reference or Triplanar, although I'm not entirely convinced they would be an improvement over my Micro Seiki.

The upgrade options from the Spacedeck also get mixed reviews. Some people have suggested that the Heavy Kit, for example, robs the Spacedeck of some of its magic. Similarly, a few people feel that the Spacedeck is better than the more expensive Nottingham turntables, although these views seem to be held by a minority. For these reasons, I have not explored upgrading to the Hyperspace or Dais, although the temptation is there. For now the Ace Spacedeck sounds so good that I don't feel any compulsion to risk losing what I have by going further up the Nottingham line, although I will probably add a Wave Mechanic power supply.

In summary, I highly recommend the Spacedeck over the LP12. While adding something like the Keel might improve the LP12 to the point where it is competitive with more modern tables, bear in mind that you can buy *two* Spacedecks for the price of a Keel.

Rossb's comments seem very helpful. The Nottingham arms get the job done, but are not trustworthy... I believe one of the dealers in the UK (Walrus, I think) recommends the Moerch arms with Nottingham 294 and Hyperspace, which was the reason why I wanted to try the combo. Moerch DP6 is a killer arm for the money, although on-the-fly VTA adjustments aren't possible... but the wands are replaceable. Very handy if you have multiple carts and you want to swap them.

Having owned both the Nottingham Hyperspace & Raven AC, I have posted comments elsewhere. The Hyperspace is a very musical table. But it does have a sound. Mind you a beautiful sound. Black background and a little bit of a "large" image size with a touch of bloat. This is with the SME V as commented above. I did use quite a few cartridges and with a thin sounding cartridge the match came out very nice.

The Raven AC is more neutral. More sea through than black if that makes sense. They share a sense of musicality but the Raven is less so while not being sterile. While the Raven is a great table, for the money the low priced Nottinghams are a great value to not be ignored. If I am right a Space Deck goes for under $3000. You do get a lot of value in the Raven One which I have directly compared to mine. You can't really do better than a Raven One until you go up significantly in $$$$. With the Raven you will hear what your cartridge or arm is doing. With the Nottingham, it is all about creating a system synergy to balance the Nottinghams sound. I haven't heard the Dais so no comments. Owning a Hyperspace makes me appreciate my analogue journey. But it wasn't my stopping place. I have had only the SME on the Hyperspace, but I did have the SME on the Raven with the same cartridges. It was a fair comparison but no side by side comparisons. Just from one day to the next.

Consider an Acoustic Solid Machine Small, off board motor, heavy dense platter - and you can mount a Moerch arm on it as well. The Euro has slipped some, so the price is nice. I am enjoying mine, and yes definitely as fast versatile arm - I have the Unipivot (UP-4) mounted with a Denon DL-103. I might try to upgrade to a Lyra Dorian at some point - but content for now.