Linn LP12 turntable

@mylogic - they built a lot of beautiful ships in Glasgow but, I suppose riveting large sheets of steel together is somewhat different to building a tonearm.

@daveyf - yes, on one level an LP12s ability to be upgraded is a plus, but a lot of the upgrades are aimed at fixing flaws in the original design and engineering.

Its a bit like the restomod phenomenon in cars - yes you can replace and upgrade a lot of the parts but you will still be limited by the original design. And you will spend the price or more of a ground up modern design.

There are other modern designs that offer upgrades - for example, you can upgrade a Clearaudio Innovation to Master Innovation. And in that case you are adding additional new parts and not junking pieces of the existing turntable.

Even where a turntable cannot be upgraded, the economics of trading in the TT for a better model are not necessarily worse than the cost of purchasing parts upgrades. If you do a full set of Linn sanctioned upgrades on, say an 80's LP12, you have almost nothing of the original left except the plinth, platter and top plate.

yoyoyaya

totally agree!

Sometimes it’s advisable to think outside of the box (and cover) !!

’You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete’ Buckmaster Fuller.

Begs the question, why have Linn never produced another model turntable? Money pit?

l have said before (as an example)

Car dealerships make more money servicing, selling extended warranties and finance than selling you a new car.

@yoyoyaya   I don't think the upgrades are as you say..'fixing flaws in the original design and engineering'. Instead, I think the upgrades are exactly that..upgrades. Brought about by evolution of the design and fresh thinking as time has gone by. 

Any older product could be labeled as insufficient if compared to what has come since, and evolved. For just one example, one could say that cars from the past were flawed in their designs and engineering compared to today's vehicle...but i think that would be a disingenuous statement.

@mylogic   You ask would it be more economical to sell your early Nirvana model LP12 and buy a second hand or new model with all of the upgrades. The answer to that is possibly, but not always. It would depend on what upgrades are required and the ability to budget for a 'once and done' move ( which is not feasible for most folks). The benefit to the LP12 is that one can incrementally upgrade upwards...'as budget allows'. This aspect seems to be overlooked by the many detractors. But, I believe it is a very important one and one that has significant value. 

Short answer: Buy it. It is a quality classic turntable. With those upgrades, $2400 is a value. And, a safe investment - it is unlikely that it will ever be worth significantly less than $2400..