Geoch,
I can assure you , at the time the LP12 was superior sounding to my lenco ( 77), there were no internet, so we had no collective knowledge nor ignorance as we have today. Equipment were bought and sold after many shootout's and the lesser was then disregarded, nothing was ever purchased on impulse as most seem to do today and almost everyone i knew back then was into hi-fi(there was nothing else really) so most decisions were never blind and the Lenco lost out to the LP12 at the time....
Now today it seems you either follow internet folklore or you are considered stupid, well i have been around this game along time, more than just a casual player and what has become obvious to me is that no topology has a lock on good sound there is no magic wand in tubes,SS,Digital or analog, the real change for me over the last 35 yrs is the "tone" when one disagrees with the flock.
Shout the merits of ID, the condescension to BD or DD TT is not necessary nor warranted.
Regards,
PS: Maybe in 20 yrs some upstart TT guru will be on the Gon proclaiming how great his LP12 sounds after certain Home depot mods..... :)