Thoughts on the Linn LP12 turntable

@no_regrets As can be seen in this thread, member mijostyn has some very absolute thoughts about the Linn LP12. The ONLY thing that I think we can take away from all of his posts that are in fact 'Absolute' is the fact that he has a) never heard a current LP12, even from a decade ago, never mind current.2) Is besotted with his SOTA, which while not a bad table, has nowhere near the resolving power of a current LP12 and 3) has ABSOLUTELY no problem putting his uniformed 2 cents worth into another Linn thread...IMO...:0)

ah…yes…TT Wars, 2022 edition…

Fact is, i have heard many magical immersive system / room combinations over 40 years of doing this to know there are at least 20 superb tables out there….including both Linn and SOTA.

Both have been significantly improved over the years. How wonderful it is for us music lovers that we have both ( and more ) to choose from.

I don’t typically learn much sorting thru ownership bias…

Jim

Lot of interesting and valid comments in this thread.

As the owner of a circa 1985 LP12 (Akito arm, dynavector DV-20x2 cart) as well as a 2013 40th Anniversary Klimax, I’d highlight a few points.

Choosing a high end TT (and all other gear) tends to be a personal decision, frequently biased by many years of experience.  While presumably sonic performance rates near the top of the determining factors, in many cases it isn’t.  A whole host of other considerations apply and for good reason.  For many aesthetics weight heavily on choice, and the aesthetics run a wide range from minimal, to very large and heavy, conservative to wildly complex.  Material choices run a similar span from wood to space-age exotic metals and composites. User friendliness is another factor.  Some have relatively straight forward operation while others require expert tutorial.  And for nearly everyone, price has some bearing including for those who want to spend more!  Of course, there’s the whole other matter of what it’s connected to and all of the factors that went into the other component’s selection, many of which may bias the TT choice.

In this context, the LP12 is actually quite unusual having been in continuous production for 50 years.  As others have noted, the early and current versions share essentially a name, as all of the main components have gone thru many changes and upgrades including the plinth.  So it’s really invalid to compare LP12s from differing decades, never mind several decades.  And for those who haven’t heard a relatively current and we’ll set up Klimax, your opinion while perhaps well intended is uninformed.  The gap in performance on my two is simply night and day, and the early one is pretty good (until you hear the newer one).

For me, the appeal is that with the exception of very few high end TTs, the LP12 is a known entity.  This means it’s operation is well understood, it’s easily serviceable, no shortage of set-up expertise, and despite what some have said, I set up my Klimax in one house, drove it to another 100 miles away and hooked it up and it’s played perfectly for 2 years (and counting).

Also important for me is that it’s not a physical commitment.  Its relative modest size and weight make it “agreeable” in the room, as does its conservative/classic styling.  On this point to each his own, but like it or not the LP12 is a TT icon.

As for performance, it makes me tap my foot which is ultimately what these things are meant to do.  I remain stunned how much information it’s capable of extracting off the vinyl, and while by nature no component can be everyone’s favorite, the LP12 with its long history, upgradability, serviceability, reliability, sonic performance, build quality, and yes, in such cases where resale is not unimportant, that too.  It’s a short list of high end TTs that have all of these attributes and brand awareness that makes ownership both accessible and to a large extent, recoverable (relatively speaking).

So yes, I am planning to get a current Klimax as the latest Ekstatik cart is yet another material improvement.

@ajhsu2 , No turning a sows ear into a silk purse. The current LP12 is just as antiquated as the one from decades ago. It does not even rate a class B in Stereophile terms. It's mystique was created in the mid 70s when (defective as it was) it was the best sounding turntable you could buy for reasonable money. I bought LP12 # 1 IN 1977 and held on to it for a year when frustrated with it's incompetent suspension I sold it for a Micro Seiki only to discover that I prefered the sound of the Linn so, in 1979 I bought LP12 # 2 and suffered with it for two years when I sold it for a SOTA Sapphire, a breath of fresh air to say the least. Not only did it sound better than the Linn but it was a delight to use and unlike the Linn nothing bothered it. Today there are several tables that surpass the LP12 in performance and are a better value, the Thorens TD 1600 to mention one. 

LOL, this thread has a new life!
The usual suspect is naysaying again, and par for the course has his facts…wrong!!

In the latest Stereophile component ranks, on page 36, the Linn LP12 Klimax model is ranked in class A.
So, @mijostyn …what era of Stereophile are you reading, Lol.