Linn LP12......That good??

@rossb - I have had two Kuzmas as well; first the Reference, with a Triplanar, which was very easy to set up and run with minimal grief over isolation; then the XL, which was a huge pain to isolate given its mass, but well worth it once I got that sorted. (I now use a Minus K- a somewhat spendy solution, but pretty foolproof). Airline arm- magnificent- though bettered in some respects by other arms in aspects like bass performance, it has an effortlessness that, in combination with the big Kuzma, makes you forget a record is spinning. Downside- having to use an air compressor is added grief. Never had an issue with the arm, now going on 11 years. Air compressors- on my third one.
I remember the Linn shortly after its introduction. It was lively, gave much sparkle and life to the stuff coming off the disc. I never really paid much attention to its evolution. When I lived in Brooklyn Heights, my local hi-fi shop, Innovative, probably sold more Linn stuff than any place in the States. There was a cult around the the product line, the demonstration process, the source first approach, etc. My relations with the dealer were always cordial but I wasn't part of the club. I remember having them retube an old ARC preamp back in the early '80s- I bought NOS Telefunkens to supply them with the tubes- they were a little pissed about that for some reason- mark up on the tubes? But, the sales staff was pretty surprised at how good that old thing sounded when they had it running. 
I take no position on Linn these days-- if someone has one and likes it, fine. If someone is thinking about buying into the product today or upgrading it, I think there are other options. It is incumbent on the buyer to do their due diligence. The hard part is comparing tables and arms in a controlled way as part of the pre-purchase process. I think the owner experience is important though, and what's telling is often the "you didn't set it up right" problem. This seems to be very common with Linn and not a new phenomenon. 
There should be no magic in set-up. Experience, yes. A willingness to go to exacting lengths to get it dialed in. But part of the value of high end gear in my estimation is not only reliability in the general sense, but repeatability. Settings that can be made and pretty much left alone. Whether that is true of Linn I can take no position on- since I never owned one and doubt I ever will at this point in my life. Just out of curiosity, what is the cost of a fully updated Linn deck and arm today? @daveyf ? You should know, right?

whart, the price of a fully updated Linn LP12 is a little difficult to really nail down. The recently released 40th anniv issue with the whisky plinth came in at $40K! A limited edition model, this apparently sold out in days! Nonetheless, the Klimax model comes in at considerably less than that...appx. $20K with the Klimax case Radikal and Urika. ( Which IMO is not that much of an upgrade over the Akurate cased Radikal, but is priced considerably higher--and I would also skip the Urika phono stage).

I remember when I learned of the LP12. It was in the middle of 1974, and the table's retail price was $300! I had a Thorens TD-125 Mk.2 (with an SME 309 Series II Improved) at the time, and almost bought a Linn for myself.

daveyf, do you honestly think I would spend $20k on a turntable and not try to solve its problems? I spent 6 months with my dealer (a very experienced and highly regarded Linn technician) working on it. There was nothing wrong with the Radikal. The problem, as it always has been, is the Linn suspension, which is inherently unstable. Speed stability from any Linn deck is audibly inferior to most others, because the platter is constantly trying to balance itself on top of three compressed springs, while simultaneously resisting the sideways force of the belt. It doesn't matter how good the power supply is because the turntable design itself is fundamentally flawed, and this is audible.

I get that you like your LP12. But that does not mean that people who cannot accepts its undisputed shortcomings are deaf or fundamentally incompetent.

rossb, you think the platter is constantly trying to balance itself on top of three springs, while simultaneously resisting the sideways force of the belt???? Where does this come from???
How on earth do you think a suspended chassis turntable typically works...I guess you don’t believe in suspended chassis designs. To say that the speed stability with the Radikal is poor is just more ’bs’ IMHO.
Kuzma has great speed stability....due to what?? Frank Kuzma believes in a multi layer chassis hoping to do away with outside interference...question is does this really work better than a spring suspension..You tell me?
If you had a problem with speed stability with your LP12, it was simply because you either had it on a non-level surface, or you had no idea as to how to set it up, or both! Luckily with the Kuzma, it’s pretty much plonk it down anywhere and walk away, unfortunately with the LP12 you cannot get away wth that....as you found out!