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LP 12 the Extreme Phono Way-First Impressions

Well..after weeks of e-mail discussions and sleepless nights, I took the plunge and submitted my LP12 for major surgery at the capable hand of Case Ng (Extreme Phono). My LP12 was a 2 year old table with Lingo and Ekos in great condition, but poorly set-up by a former Linn dealer who shall remain anonymous. The mods effected by Casey consisted of a carbon fiber/aluminum subshassis and armboard, a new silver phono cable of Casey's own design (more on this later), and tweaks to the suspensions (new rubber grommets are the only visible change). I also purchased a pristine second hand Arkiv B from Casey at the same time, which he installed on my table and tweaked for optimum VTA, tracking force, etc. Reproducing his settings was a snap since he provide accurate caliper measurements (accompanied by digital photos of how/where the measurements were taken) to accurately reproduce tonearm height and counterweight position. The patient stayed in residence for about 3 weeks, and returned in good spirits w/ no scars.

Although the cable is still burning in, it is time to post some first imressions after a listening session with four other Audiogoners. For reference, the table sits on a Neuance shelf atop a Phase 4 Mana rack. I listened first with rubber Bump On feet, then placed the table on Aurios MIB bearings (a major pain in the a....!). Phono preamp is the Linn Linto.

Well...there is no comparison. This is hands down the best music reproduction I've ever achieved at home. Every single aspect of the musical presentation improved in spades, solidly trouncing my revious analog set up and my Muse Model 9 signature. Soundstaging, air, bass articulation and depth, top to bottom tonal "integrity", retrieval of detail, micro and macro dynamics, and last (but not least) PRAT were all at a new plateau. What is utterly scary is that the tonearm cable is still a good 30 hours away from break-in..so this can only get better.

Casey's cable is EXTREMELY well constructed (finish is MUCH better than the Grahm IC-30 I owned briefly) with maniacal attention to detail. Like in the Hovland cables, Casey uses very low mass RCA's, though his are made entirely of silver. My only quibble is that my Linto's RCA jacks are a bit too short/thin to provide good ground contact..but this was easily remedied by tightening (slightly deforming) the RCA plus. I will be posting further impressions as the cable burns in, but the investment (to my ears) thus far appears VERY worhtwhile (especially considerng that my loss if I tried to sell my LP12 and purchase a more "modern" table would far exceed the cost of the mods)
128x128alexc
najo
18 posts
 
I have set up many Linns professionally, and I have alot of experience with these tables. Linn comes right out and says in the offical repair manual tha the turntable is basically perfect and if it could be made better they would do it. They then go on to say that they have tried all or most of the Mods and found them to in fact change the table but alas not for the better. what they are in fact saying is you may think it sounds better but it does not.
I am sure the mods you got improve the table, the linn is bacially a copy of many turntables that came befor it, and it has many problems areas, that if you drop the cult crap and address them with some basic engineering improvement will be made. On a bet , I made a Valhalla Linn sound as good (3out of 5 people said better) than a fully loaded Lingo, just by redesigning the plinth and structure that holds the suspension. Escentially opening up the table on 4 legs and isolateing the motor on its own lead filled tower. Go ahead Mess with your Linns! They are not perfect.
alexc's avatar
alexc OP
265 posts
 
Tim - You can reach Extreme Phono at their website (www.extremephono.com). The prices for the mods are listed. Excluding the cartride, the total was $ 1200, of which $ 400 plus (I forget the exact amount) was for the cable. This total includes $ 200 for labor, a worthwhile incestment considering I paid $ 150 to a locla, former Linn dealer to set up my unmodified table when I moved back to the US..and he did a crappy job. For $ 200, Case literally took the table apart, put in a new subchassis and armboard, installed a new cable, corrected the speed (poorly set up by Linn dealer, was running slow!), and determined the best tracking force/VTA.

Don - I own a Mobie, but have no idea how to connect the cable to it, since it is terminated with a DIN plug on one end!. Regarding cable burn in, I got an interesting tip from Casey on burning in power cables..by making an adpater that allows you to hook them up to a vacuum cleaner. I made one for about $ 15 using Schurter plugs and a plastic junction box from Lowe's, and the difference on a CPC Top Gun was amazing after 20 minutes of vacuuming!
gladstone
296 posts
 
I'm going to have my Linn modified by a local fellow in DC with same setup; after buying better speakers, they clearly, all too clearly, revealed the shortcomings of the Linn. Modify it--after all, Linn has made successive upgrades over the years, and those upgrades have changed the sound every time. If it was perfect, they would never have changed it.
extremephono
123 posts
 
Do you like what you hear ? I am curious, as the Mana board is solely used for 'reflective' energy to enhance and tune the effect of glass.

I found that the 'ting' of the Mana glass nearly = 440 Hz A tone. This can only be achieved with the proper thickness of 11mm glass. Perhaps that's where the 'magic' lies.

To get an idea, try placing/suspending A tuning fork somewhere in the middle of two speakers, make sure it is allow to resonate (i.e. not put it on a shelf there by damping its resonance).

BTW, the tonearm cable Alexc installed is NOT the hot-rod tonearm wire I pictured in extremephono.com. The hot-rod wire sounds very cohesive and smooth, but subject to EMI pick-up because it has no shielding. It also have less soundstage definition, since without a rigidly defined structure, the timing information cannot be well preserved. However, it remains heads and shoulders above most tonearm cable for under $100 DIY cost.
alexc's avatar
alexc OP
265 posts
 
Casey - I still prefer the Neuance over the stock Mana glass shelf. It is not about "better" but about "different" in a way that, to my ears, is more pleasant. I find describing neuances (no pun intended) in sound as difficult as as finding the proper descriptors for a wine's bouquet and flavor. The Mana is more dynamic and "in your face", but the Neunace (to me) is more coherent and has more natural, realistic pace. Then again..what is "reality" when it comes to PRAT?. To be sure, if I did not own the Neuance the stock Mana would be very nice also....(same reaction I had comparing Nordost Quattrofils to AQ Diamond in my system. I could live w/ either, but the Diamond X3's were more balance throughout the range and, though less detailed on top, more pleasant/less fatiguing to my ears).
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