Linn LP-12 still competitive with the very best?

Wow, interesting stories about "big brother Linn".

How is it that I see high end shops these days carrying the Linn line as almost entry level high end products aside many other competing even more highly touted lines?

Also I recall the dealer I bought my Axis from back in the 80s also carried Rega, in fact I bought the Rega Planar 2 first and then went to the Linn because I didn't think the Rega was any better than the Dual I had before that or the Philips 312 I had before that.

That dealer must have been one valiant sole to dare resist the Linn police and sell another line.

Mapman: are you still using a Linn as your prime analog source,and if yes why?

Schipo,

Yes.

Why:

- It's the best table I have ever owned

- It's been extremely reliable (20+ years and still going with no down time)

- in its current location on carpeted solid concrete foundation and massively heavy wood table, I have absolutely no issues ever with noise or feedback.

- Despite having a large record collection and growing and liking the sound, I only listen to vinyl maybe 20-30% of the time. My digital has always been competitive sound wise and when I have time to listen, I do not want to spend time manipulating vinyl. Since adding a music server, this is more the case than ever.

- when I do play records these days, it sounds even better than ever with other recent upgrades including DL103R cartridge and ARC tube pre-amp with phono section.

Basically, as long as it keeps working, the Linn is a non-issue for me. It sounds fantastic and nothing else I hear really sounds any better to my ears.

Basically, if it ain't broke, I ain't looking to fix it.

If the Linn does go up someday, I would most likely consider a different table mainly for just a change of scenery after all these years and mainly to perhaps provide a higher mass tonearm option for the low compliance DL103R cartridge, because I think that might work even better.

Yeah, but you should have seen the analog shi* hit the fan when I picked up SOTA a couple of years later.
They could abide my carrying Rega and a couple of 'lower fish' along with the Linn, but wow, it wasn't pretty.
Of course I'll never forget what a jerk the guy at SOTA was when I first called. I'll quote him, or at least paraphrase.
"Send me the price of two tables, I'll massage it for a while, (I swear to God he actually said this) and then call you when we're ready to ship."
Now, at the time, I guess, at least in the US market Linn was IT. Sota was maybe the first to take a serious pot shot at them. Oracle, I don't think was established yet, or at least I hadn't heard of them, and names like Thorens didn't compete. The 'Walker', not sure, came along about '85, and I sold a few. But SOTA hit the ground hard and posed at least a minor threat.
But don't get me wrong, in my neck of the woods, virtually every manufacturer was overly protective of its dealer base and took it personally if you took on a competitor of thiers.
Ready for this??
I hosted a coctail reception at my store in 1985/6 and had just taken on the SHURE surround sound processor, the first one I'm aware of...and I had it playing in one of my demo rooms. A speaker manufacturer came into the room and quietly said, "Turn that off", I didn't come here to compete with a Television."
They were slow to take on the marriage of audio/video, but have, and now market many successful ceiling, front, center etc speakers.
Wow, 24 years is a LOOOOONG time, and it changes practically everything.

Mapman..well I am glad that to your ears it's sounds the best. But when placed side by side next to the Goldmund there was no contest. I will admit I wished Goldmund would have used the JVC motor from inception but it still is to my ears a better design all around. Now that was over 20yrs ago and I beleive their are now many better tables then the Linn.