Thoughts on the Linn LP12 turntable

This thread reminds me of many Leica camera threads.

I have been a long time Nikon owner since the 70’s. Top of the line stuff for that last 20 years. I bought a Leica M10.

The Leica M series often reputed as the best camera of its format. Forums posts endlessly claiming them over priced anachronism/ best camera in the world. Much about “The Leica Look”. Often described as the analog look.

I shot my M10 for over a year as I worked on figuring out exactly what made it different. At long last I was able to describe exactly what it was about its rendering that was unique and exceptional. Folks with decades of experience with Leica generally agreed with me.

There is no question most of the very best photos I have ever taken are with that camera. It results in superior output to Nikon and Canon for many purposes (general photography / with aesthetics as the objective). The Leica lenses and M10 is a marvelous and exceptional camera. Linn LP12 reminds me of this. It gets a lot of criticism often from folks that have had incidental or not optimal exposure. But what propels the brand is its exceptional performance. My LP12 performs much like my Leica M10.

@ghdprentice +1

I think one of the issues that Linn has to deal with is the same as what Leica has to deal with, that is they are an old brand that has been lauded for many years. As such, there are folks who, like you stated, have limited experience with the product but at some point in time had a little exposure. These folks are now convinced that the limited experience with the product makes them cognoscenti and able to state denigrating remarks.

I have been impressed with the Linn LP12 since I acquired mine, back in the 80’s. What I have not done is try to compare my original 80’s model with an upgraded model from the present. Instead, I have taken the opportunity to avail myself of the upgrades as they came into budget and realized that these were indeed--upgrades.

Is the Linn LP12 the best table at any price, no i do not think so! I believe Linn’s insistence on attempting to combine an arm of their design with the table (this arm has grown way past its sale by date), has resulted in it being passed over by more advanced arm designs and a few other tables. Albeit, all of the competing designs that i believe are superior are also considerably more expensive.

The basic Linn LP12 platform still holds excellent value and great potential, I am just hoping that Linn can see their way to replace the old war horse Ekos-SE design with something far more SOTA.

@pindac 

"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."

The Cult of Linn was at its Zenith in the 1980s.

Nowadays there's just a few diehard cultists left.

Everyone else has long jumped ship for a better value, more fuss free, more long term consistent and less bullshit hyped turntable.

Thankfully even Linn have abandoned their once notorious brand of advertising.

That kind of nonsense just won't wash these days.

If it wasn't for the innumerably bewildering, endlessly milkable upgrade options I suspect even Linn would have dropped the LP12.

Just for the record, has anyone bothered to compare the original basis LP12 to the top of the range 2022 model in order to assess exactly what a gazillion bottomless moneypit upgrades have actually achieved?

I wouldn't be surprised if many Linn owners found a decent non Linn arm and stuck with that. The harshness of the Ittok was one of the reasons I sold mine.

It was either that or cough up even more cash for an Ekos or the even better but more fiddly Naim Aro.

A unipivot on a 3 point suspended turntable is not for everyone.

@cd318 Seems very obvious that you yourself have not bothered to answer the question that you ask in your third paragraph...namely: ’has anyone bothered to compare the original LP12 to the top of the range 2022 model in order to assess exactly what a gazillion bottomless money pit upgrades have actually achieved?’...

because IF you had done this you would not be posting the drivel that you do!

@daveyf 

+1