linn sondek tt

@tzh21y   What was the rest of the system when you heard the LP12 ..and with what cartridge? What arm was on the LP12 and mounted on the VPI? Same cartridge on both tables?

the arm was an Ekos 2 and the system was top of the line Linn.  The scout had a unipivot arm on it and that may attribute to the difference as it has a more wide open sound, not as accurate as the ekos but different.

the cartridge was an old Linn cart, I think it was made by Lyra for Linn

 @tzh21y  The old Linn cartridge would go a long way to explain why you heard what you did. Scantech made Linn cartridges years ago...and currently make their Kandid cartridge ( which is a very nice cartridge). Unfortunately, the old models from decades ago, leave a lot to be desired. 
Also, I am no fan of the Linn speakers and amps, they are typically veiled and not that resolving. Therefore, the end result would probably be like you described;but I can tell you, with the table and arm set up correctly, plus a great cartridge, like a current Lyra, the table sounds nothing like you described...and easily betters the VPI and the Technics. IMHO, there really is no contest.
The context is very important here, and unfortunately what you heard is not what a top of the line LP12klimax truly sounds like.

Unipivots have their own unique strengths .. I went from an Ittok to the Aro.. I was quite shocked at the differences of the 2 arms.. The Aro/unipivot was musical, relaxed music flow was excellent.. But the very low bass was somewhat missing and not so punchy.. Ideally I'm love to combine the best of both. Yes, tonearms do affect the overall sound,  so take note when comparing unipivot vs non-unipivot tonearm systems.