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.
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.