Experience With Linear Tracking Turntables


Ever since the advent of the Bang & Olufson linear tracking turntables of the 70's & 80's I have always wondered about their sound, function and longevity.  If you own a linear tracking turntable, I would appreciate your thoughts compared to standard pivot tonearm turntables.

Was looking at the Bergmann Magne Turntable & Tonearm "system".

Would appreciate some first hand experiences.  Do these turntables and associated tonearms function without many issues?  Does the arm track without friction?  And so on.

Your experiences would be appreciated.

Thanks and Happy Listening.
pgaulke60
Walker Proscenium, Rockport Sirius, Kuzma Airline, Forsell Air Reference, Air Tangent all represent top tier linear tracking tonearms. I know there are very good pivot arms too, but a good air bearing type linear arm is great. I happen to own the Maplenoll Apollo and Ariadne which are air bearing arms. I would not trade my turntable for any other table. 
I only recently came to appreciate the B&O MI cartridge, MMC1.  It weighs only a few grams, and tracks at 1.0g with very high compliance. On my Dynavector DV505 tonearm with a very light headshell on my Lenco, it sounded divine driving my Beveridge system.  Now on my Triplanar tonearm into my Sound Lab ESL system, it also sounds fantastic.  I purchased the MMC1 NOS several years ago, but it sat in its container for quite a few years before I decided to listen to it, rather than to sell it without having heard it.  Now I rank it among the top 3 or so that I have ever heard in either of my two systems.  So this makes me wonder how this cartridge might sound in one of the original B&O SL tonearms on a B&O turntable.  B&O made quality components but with a nod to interior design of that era, which probably is why they were largely ignored by true audiophile cognoscenti.  Too chic.
Also, I am now very favorably disposed to SoundSmith MI type cartridges, since Ledermann is a big fan of the B&O cartridges and started his business as a repairer of them.
If I recall, the B&O LT turntables moved the arm mechanically by detecting slight changes to the geometry of the arm.  In other words, they used tracking error measurements to correct the position of the arm.  

I remember hearing them back in the day.  I wasn't terribly impressed.  Especially with slightly off center records.

The Mitsubishi LT-20 (or LT-22) linear trackers are excellent. They allow VTA adjustment, and they accept a standard SME headshell. This table with a moving coil micro linear stylus will absolutely wipe the floor with 99.9% of the turntables on the used and new market. 

I owned a couple of the B&O tables with linear tracking arms in the past (3300 and 8002) as well as the Technics SL-10. While I was very happy with all 3 tables, I kept going back to my direct drive tables with pivot tonearms, but like @lewm I came to really appreciate the B&O cartridges of which I have the MMC1 and 2, as well as a Soundsmith Carmen II. Now I use a PTP Audio table with two pivot tonearms mounted on it, and while I am still intrigued with linear tracking options, I don't see the need to revisit them.