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Upgrade my older Linn Sondek or move on?

Hi All,

I have a 1984 Linn Sondek that is still as it came new with a couple of exceptions. I did rebuild my Valhalla board as I was having some issues. Still has the Basic LV X arm, but I added an XTC counterweight as the stock counterweight bushing turned to mush. I am running a Nagaoka MP-200 cartridge. 

Question is do I drop the money to upgrade the arm, bearing, and power supply or move on to a new or used table? Looking at used parts to upgrade the Linn I can easily spend $2k. I can sell the Linn and that puts me in the $3.5k budget range for a different table. 

I have been looking at Well Tempered and VPI. Any thoughts on these or other recommendations? Better sound quality and ease of set up / use would be the objectives. The rest of the system: Quicksilver M135 mono amps, Fisher CX-2 preamp, and Magnepan LRS+ speakers.

thermionicemission
jimmyblues1959
115 posts
 

FWIW,  I chose a different tack for a lot less money and it's a nice affordable turntable.

I bought an old SYSTEMDEK IIX (the poor man's LP12) in good working order,  ordered a NOS Jelco 370 oil damped  tone arm  from 1984 (period correct for the circa 1984 llX).  I'm going to find a phono cartridge  commensurate to the rest of this TT and hopefully be set for many years. 

Just some food for thought. 

lewm
12,507 posts
 

So that’s what you’re supposed to do with a TT!!!

Put a seismometer on it. No one ‘splained that before.

thermionicemission OP
16 posts
 

Just to toss this in…my local Clearaudio dealer has a couple of demo tables for sale:

Concept with Satisfy arm $1200 with some entry level Clearaudio cartridge 

Performance DC Wood with Tracer arm $4200 no cartridge

Thoughts?

 

 

musicfan2349's avatar
musicfan2349
205 posts
 

I’m the current caretaker of what was my pop’s LP12 with the Valhalla mod and Rabco straight line tracking tonearm. I completely retuned, leveled, lubed and rebelted it a couple of years ago and it sounds lovely. 

I liken it to my ‘93 Ducati also known as “the world’s greatest kit bike”; You could enjoy it as is from the factory or heap time and money at it with all sorts of modifications! LOL

Really there is no wrong answer though now I’m thinking of unpacking his old SOTA Sapphire and getting THAT going again  

 

Happy listening  

 

 

daveyf's avatar
daveyf
2,835 posts
 

To be clear, I do NOT think the LP12 is in any way inferior to the tables mentioned above, including the table( a Technics) I would recommend IF one cannot get the Linn set up professionally. On the contrary, I think the LP12 with its ongoing ability to be upgraded is superior to the others mentioned!! With the proviso that a tech is able to do the set up. I once owned a SOTA, and while it is a nice table, it really is not in the same league as today's LP12 Akurate or Klimax version. YMMV.

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