Possible turntable upgrade....

Stringreens, The Linn's suspension is not damped at all so the Q is very low. It is very tonearm sensitive. If you put too light a tone arm on it the resonant frequency of the suspension will get high enough to throw the arm right off the record. I made that mistake once. It was terribly sensitive to foot falls and any other disturbance near it. The tone arm board is crap. I made a laminated board for it which weighed more which fixed the problem with the light arm. Compared to the SOTA , SME and the Basis tables the construction quality is second rate. The SOTA is special because it achieves equal performance to the SME with less expensive and far more attractive materials and now has a better bearing than The SME. It is 1/2 the price because it is made in America. They will update any of their turntables and will even take them as trade ins. You can not find a better company to deal with. 

A little more perspective on Linn.

Everything like Linn that has been around a very long time you can be sure things back then were nothing like today. The earliest Linn tables were sold by going store to store demonstrating to disbelieving minds that the table really can make a big difference.

Now think about it. As skeptical as some still are today about the importance of quality power cords, or pick your pet thing you know that others still can't believe actually works, there was a time long ago when that was true for turntables. Linn was the first quality turntable to break through that barrier.

So Linn totally earned and deserves respect. Especially since it really was a good turntable. Is. It still is a really good turntable. 

And paradoxically, the better you understand this the better it is. Because everything mijostyn says is equally true. It is a flimsy poorly built (by modern standards) poc. From the point of view of a guy who wants to be able to actively build and upgrade the best system he can its The Royal Tennenbaums of dysfunction piled on faults covered with problems. But from the point of view of a guy who values not only music but history, tradition, and yes simplicity the Linn is hard to beat. 

Its like this. From one point of view the Linn is crap because you are stuck with Linn everything for now and forevermore. From another point of view though you understand what its all about, give in to the Linn, only pursue Linn upgrades, its just fine. Beyond fine. Which is why so many are happy with them. Love em to death.

You just have to know yourself well enough to know which one you are. Get that straight, its amazing how much that seemed hard just starts falling into place.

Crap, my Linn went on fire. Valhalla, smoke, smell, the lot.

I did have the opportunity recently to thump a SOTA and thump the stand upon where it stood, while it played, and it had no effect, impact, or disturbance upon the music. I've a concrete floor so I know not of the travails of those with bouncy floors. I imagine this SOTA table would be a good one for those.

Thanks millercarbon. For me, it is an emotional decision far more than a logical decision. My first system was the Linn (Basik/K9) with NAD amps, which in those days (in London) were the amp to have if you couldn't afford the Naims or the Quads, and a pair of Rogers LS7's. The system rocked. Then came the CJ tube amp and I entered a whole other world. Everything now is different of course, the Linn is the last of my audio youth. But in trying to put together a system that will please me for the next period of time decisions have to be made... I enjoy this as a hobby but don't have the luxury of permanently switching and trying new gear. I just want to be happy with my system and enjoy great music. OMG... Is it sacrilegious to suggest happiness with a high-end audio system??? I apologize if I offended anyone with such a bizarre suggestion.