Linn lp 12 upgrade or new TT ? please help.

You may want to upgrade first to an Ittok LV II and go to a MC Cart like a Dynavector 10x5 high out put. I had the Basik LV X w/ the K18II before I switched, and it made a nice improvement. I may try a Lingo power supply at a later date. The Sondek LP 12's are nice turn tables. Also the Sumiko Blue point Special will have a sound less bright or softer than the Dynavector. Good luck.

the linn is a nice TT. the issue I had when faced with the sames question was...do I want to depend on someone else to do my upgrades and setups? I went to an AVID/SME turntable. Very happy. BTW the new DIVA II is out and is 2K without arm. I believe you could use your Akito. You can also look at a rega p5 with the upgraded PSU. There you are kinda loccked into rega cardridges (not a bad thing) or need to deal with VTA.

Had the exact same set up (with a Klyde cartridge) and like you was faced with the same dilemma. The thing with any Sondek is that you have to spend really serious money to get it up to current standards, only to realize that there still is a long way to go. As an example, the Hercules is a worthwhile upgrade (way better than the Nirvana IMO) but it is not in the same league as the Lingo, which itself is now way behind the latest Linn offerings. The same applies for any of their tonearms or suspensions. I appreciate the flexibility but you end up spending thousands on what is essentially a 40 year old design on steroids. Not to mention the notorious setting up/tuning out problems and the occasional suspect reliability problems. Bottom line: go for a newer design and marvel at the trouble free good sound it can offer. The Avid II is a great table (and you can still use your Akito) - a lightly used VPI is always a solid choice - while a Clearaudio or a Pro-ject are also solid bets.