Thoughts on the Linn LP12 turntable


I don’t see many discussions that include the Linn Sondek LP12 turntable and was wondering why? They’ve been around since the late 70’s and other then power supply and a few other minor changes (IMO) are relatively unchanged. I had one in the early 80’s and another in the late 90’s. They are somewhat finicky to get setup correct and once you do, they sound great. That being said I know there have been a lot better designs to come out since the LP12’s hey-day. Are they worth considering  anymore or has the LP12 just become another audio vintage collectors item?

markcooperstein

@garylb   +1.

One thing we always hear from the naysayers and denigrators of the Linn is when asked to name another table that has the ability to be updated over time is this...dead silence! LOL.

There are many TT's that can be upgraded, it is a matter of how the upgrade is looked at.

Plinth Materials that are offering a improvement in comparison to the original selected material, where the improvement in stability of the alternative plinth material is much improved across different environments. It is quite common to see such items offered for sale.

A Tonearm or Cartridge is a simple and effective upgrade for a TT with these  ancillaries that are limited in their function.

Improved Synchronised Motors are commonly seen available, with a function that offers a very tight tolerance for speed stability.

There are rethinks on Platter Spindle Bearings as well, where a different bearing assembly can be exchanged to replace a original design.

In some cases even the Platter Material is offered in an alternative material to the originals design.

Linn have excelled at offering their own Branded Add On Ancillaries, steering their customers away from considering the comparative devices on offer from competitors.

There are options to upgrade most TT's, the search for the method will be a little broader that selecting a sale item offered by a Brand to be used with their own Brand TT.         

@pindac  An ongoing upgrade path of the original design and by the same manufacturer??

Its best to Google the Upgrade options for the LP 12 the subject matter keeps the Google Pages well informed of the variety of options that are on offer from third party services.

The Linn marketing strategy has made this viable, as the ambition of the average Linn Deck user, is that a upgrade is a must, talk about the power of marketing on a psyche.

Has not Linn in the past produced an inferior base deck ??,  to enable a so called upgrade path purchase to have a recognisable influence on the presentation.

If I were to offer a host of items as a route to a upgrade I certainly would need to consider what is required in the base model to make these exchanges seem a viable route to an improvement.