The Linn is not superior in any way. I have owned two of them. There was a time when it was the best turntable you could buy. It developed a following and the mythology blossomed around it. None of it is deserved. All it is is an upgrade AR XA. Ed Villchur should get all the credit for the design. It is old hat in a big way. The "upgrades" are beyond silly but, Linn made a pile off the LP12 and jumpstarted an entire company off it. Good for them.
The Thorens is just as good and a much better value.
The Thorens is just as good and a much better value.