AMG V12

Hi Theo,

Thank you for the kind words. I'm sure your Birdseye Maple looks very beautiful as well.

Oh, you were correct. Those are my Dunlavy SCIV Signatures. I've had them since the mid 90's and love them to death. I can't ever imagine getting rid of them.

I'm curious as you've actually been able to listen to the AMG, what is it about the AMGs sound that you prefer over that of your LP12?

No-regrets, first off I don't blame you for hanging on to the Dunlavys, I used to spend a lot of time listening at the dealers showroom. A sad day indeed when they closed their doors. My LP12 vs. the V12, first off I think the delicate nature of the Lyra house sound is more freely expressed. The vocals seemed to be more accurate in timbre, akin to a live acoustic natural sound. We listened to Patricia Barber, Dusty Springfield and Chris Issac mostly, and when I came home and played the same albums, I realized that the information had less depth than at the store. I do feel the bass is pretty much on par between the two, with the exception of the speakers capability to deliver. But the overall nature in sound of the V12, to me seemed to let me relax my ears more when listening for certain passages than I get with my table. That said, I must provide weight to the overall system at the dealers vs. mine. Speakers, phono stage, Atlas vs. Kleos, but I still contend the overall "audio picture" of the V12 defined the ceiling of limitations of my LP12 unless I tweak mine at great expense, or choose to invest in the future a vinyl playback. The other notes I want to add is I think the AMG bearing design is a major contributor but would raise concern on isolation. I believe it would be a crucial ingredient in obtaining the maximum performance. Also I think the 12" arm vs. the Ekos adds to the ease of tracking allowing the cartridge to more freely track the groove. All personal opinion of course.

Dear Theo, I confess I must have been confused by your words: "I would confess the fully tricked out LP12 does outperform the V12 in bass response as well as minute extraction of details, but at an additional $12k it should. My LP12 is well equipped and adjusted with a Kleos but the V12 with a Atlas still leaves a noticeable margin in improvement over mine."

Here you mention some specific ways in which the LP12 outperformed the V12, but you conclude, it seems, that the V12 (with the much more expensive Atlas cartridge compared to Kleos) outperformed the LP12, overall. And then somehow I got the message that the V12 was more expensive than the LP12, when the case is quite the opposite, as you now say. Sorry for my confusion on all levels.

Hi Theo,

Thanks for the reply. Yes, Mr. Dunlavy was quite a gentleman and is dearly missed.

I'm really looking forward to being able to hear the AMG V12. From everything I've read from others as well as from yourself, I think I might be in for a real treat.

So it sounds as though your biggest concern with the AMG is possibly it's lack of a suspension? Do you find it to be susceptible to foot falls, or maybe airborne vibrations from the music? What was your dealer using for isolation? I've got my LP12 up on a wall shelf as my music room has suspended hardwood floors that tended to wreak havoc on the LP12. Now, my wife and I can dance to the music and the stylus stays steady in the grooves…do you think this would be sufficient for the AMG?

Lewm, no concerns, I have a tendency to confuse people with my writing skills (or lack there of) It seems it makes sense while typing because I know what I trying to say. I truley appreciate your follow up comments.

No regrets, I may have mis stated my concerns. They are based on my paranoia from my LP12 ownership. Even though I have my floor reinforced under the cabinet and am using Aurios, my table skips with very little provication. A wall shelf would be the solution, but I keep putting it off for future plans that may never happen. As far as the V12, my dealer has it on an HRS stand and his floor, though second floor is rock solid and I never experienced any skipping in his showroom. With a a wall shelf just delete any comments I made concerning this issue. I am very confident that you and the misses will have many many dances with out skipping (records that is) you may skip around the room when you get your new AMG. :)