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Radikal Linn LP12 or Palmer 2.5?

The motor of my 25 year old LP12 just conked out and I was planning to use this as an opportunity to get it keeled and radikalized, until I recently went to an audio show and heard a Palmer 2.5 with an Origami arm that sounded fabulous.  I’ve never heard a fully upgraded LP12, but I’ve been living with my Cirkus/Ekos/Linto/Lingo version for some time.  After hearing the Palmer, I thought it might be time for a new direction, but I understand the Linn upgrades to be quite dramatic. I probably won’t be able to do a A/B comparison, so if anyone out there has has a chance to directly compare the two, I would love to hear your thoughts.  This is going to be a big expenditure for me either way and it will likely be my last turntable, so thanks in advance for any insights you may be willing to share.
latenitecity
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daveyf's avatar
daveyf
2,920 posts
 
 @astewart8944   Your post brings up a very good point. I just noticed that the OP had listened to the top of the line AMG Viella...versus the little Giro, what the OP said with regards to his findings would make some sense if he was talking about the Giro...but not the Viella, imo. Yet, when we notice the cartridge in use on the Viella, that begins to make some sense. Same with the SQ from the Linn and Kandid. The Kandid is not broken in yet, the Ortofon...elicits the kind of sound that the OP heard, but not necessarily the table and arm!
It’s the old saying, a chain is only as strong as it’s weakest link!
daveyf's avatar
daveyf
2,920 posts
 
 @viridian  I see your point, but I don’t really look at it that way. Instead, I believe that once the Linn is set up correctly, it really is play ready without fuss for extended periods of time. ( so you really don’t need to be visiting your dealer on a regular basis) One doesn’t need to upgrade the table, unless one wants to...and then the upgrades are there. Unlike the nice new Rega Planar 8, wherein what you see is what you get...with no future upgrade ability... unless you completely change the original platform.
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latenitecity OP
19 posts
 
Hi astewart8944. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the Viella V12. I’m glad you enjoyed it so much. It sounds like you had the kind of reaction I expected to have, but didn’t. As I said, I thought it sounded very good but, for whatever reason, it just didn’t engage me as much as I thought it would - the way the Palmer and the Woodpecker did. 

To daveyf’s point, I don’t think this was entirely due to the Ortofon cartridge, since it’s the very same cartridge that drew me in on the Woodpecker. I just think the Woodpecker managed to tap into the emotional core of the music whereas the Viella, while impressive, seemed to be more detail oriented and analytical - and I don’t mean that in a negative way. It’s just not what I’m looking for, apparently.

What I find particularly interesting and also want to share is that the demos of the two turntables I have fallen in love with (the Palmer and the Woodpecker) had one thing in common:  Both were played through Harbeth 40.2 speakers.  So maybe that’s the secret sauce!
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