What to look for in a LP12?

[Claus]

Hey friends,
I am contemplating investing in a LP12 from either Cloney or Lyric up in Belfast. Michael in Lyric has one coming in this week with an Ittok arm but other than that I don't know much about it. I also see a few for sale on the Cloney site.

Is there anything I should look out for when buying these in terms of what they should have to be a good upgrade to my old Planar 3? I find all the terminology surrounding these turntables a bit confusing so if you could help it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Claus

[james]

A good place to start ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linn_Sondek_LP12

There have been various power supplies over the years ..

[fergus]

Hi Claus,
All turntables are obviously mechanical and obviously have many moving parts. The first thing that I would do if buying a new TT is to hear it playing. The second thing is then to ensure that all of those moving parts actually work. Specific things that I would look out for are....

1) Bring your eye level with the revolving platter with LP loaded and make sure that it is spinning true with no undulations during playback

2) There is a small spring loaded lever which when raised holds the arm up while you position it over the LP and when you release this lever the arm is then lowered in a slow and controlled way. Make sure that this is working properly

3) The platter on a Linn should be very "springy" when you touch it on the centre spindle


I would also try to get one with the Ittok arm; it made quite a difference when I put one on mine. I know that there are quite a few vinyl experts on this board and I am sure that they will have more guidelines to give you. As I have said to you before, if you want to have a look and a listen to mine to get a feel for it you are very welcome to come over. Best of luck with it Claus!

[cybot]

Just use your common sense Claus and you'll be fine! I used to own a Rega 3. The upgrade to the Linn with it's basic S shaped arm was a revelation! I'd be inclined to stick with Cloney Audio as Noel really knows his stuff and wouldn't lead you astray. I see they have a 'refurbished' Linn with Ittok for sale. Find out who did the refurbishment and take it from there. Have a good listen and especially listen out for speed anomalies and 'funny' noises etc etc. As Fergus rightly points out make sure there is a good bounce and that it is even and not skewed. When I was last up with Noel he was demonstrating a refurbished Linn upstairs. I only had a very quick listen. However when I checked the bounce it was fairly static.I never got a chance to ask why? Maybe the arm cable clip needed to adjusted? Still it looked fabulous but I cannot remember the name of the chap who did it. He has an impeccable reputation I hear....By the way Claus, why a Linn? Anything more to add? Let's see....No! As I said at the beginning use your common sense and don't be torturing yourself over all the different versions of the Linn and it's power supplies and not to mention springs, grommets and oil :) Finally, a good support table for the Linn is mandatory....Best of luck!

[Modest]

Finally, a good support table for the Linn is mandatory....Best of luck!

No need if you add

The Trampolin 2


Designed to provide additional isolation for Sondek LP12 turntables, the Trampolin 2 is manufactured from high quality aluminium. The main body is attached directly to the wooden plinth of the turntable using a total ten screw fixings so there is virtually no movement between the plinth and base. It is also earthed to the chassis.

Featuring acoustic dampening material diaphragm between it and its four feet to minimise interference and provide even better audio performance on a wide range of surfaces.

So, you can see that use of the Keel sub-chassis is only possible because of the improvements that were made with the Cirkus bearing.

The Trampolin 2 can therefore now be soundly recommended for use with the LP12 in pretty much most situations and with most supports.

Every upgrade what you could buy for LP12 is big step further in sound terms ... Cirkus bearing and subchassis.power supplies Lingo MKI/MKII or III ... Ittok LVII arm is better than basik big time ...but from Ittok LVIII / Linn Ekos 1 /Ekos II Lp12 is totally different league .... and of course the price would be wild before you get everything for it ......
I think the only TT on the market having so much upgrades????? :my cry:
Why not to look at Michell Engineering GyroDec or Avid Diva II or new Rega RP 8 (some say it's the best TT at the moment for money ??) :)

[Fran]

You've obviously thought about what table to buy, so I won't go there other than to say there are lots of choices.

I think with the LP12 set up is key, so I would make sure that whatever one you settle on would need to be set up and fettled by someone who knew what they were at. Bod on this forum is a good example..... worth a few bob if it doesn't come already set up. Likewise if you need to fit a cart, if you don't have a decent alignment gaude, it would be worth the few bob to get it done properly. Saves mucho heartache later on. I would imagine that the likes of Cloneys or Lyric would be safe places for this.

I have still an Ariston RD80 which was a poor mans LP12. I made my own armageddon PSU for it and on that deck I thought it made a large difference.

I think there was one on adverts here a while back......

You do know that this is a very slippery slope?! More than one of us slid down it and remain slumped at the bottom.

Fran

[Claus]

Thanks for your well considered thoughts guys!

I can't say that I settled 100% on a Linn. It was just a TT with a sound that I have always liked. :)

But I have been tempted to go with a simpler new RP8 or various other TT for sale in Denmark at good prices at the moment. My reason for going with a LP12 would be that I know I can get good support if I buy from Cloney or Lyric in case I need setup/repair etc.

[fergus]

I do not know Lyric but I second what the lads are saying about after sales care and set up and you are quite correct to give that some attention Claus. Noel Cloney certainly knows his LP12s!

[patrick]

hi. i have enjoyed a linn lp12 for 20 years approx and trouble free . As it has a suspended chassis , setup on level surface and arm set up is critical. While I can recommend the lp12 for reliability and enjoyable sound . It also can be upgraded from bog standard with a large amount of upgrades . My friend Mick who is a member of the Forum has had a Linn for as long as I can remember and has made many upgrades . He is very knowledgeable on the Linn and has got Cloney engineers to service and upgrade his deck many times . So contact Mick or he may see this post. Finally my only advice is there is no one more knowledgeable about record decks than Noel Cloney .

[Ivor]

Finally my only advice is there is no one more knowledgeable about record decks than Noel Cloney .

Yeah, the guys in Lyric are good but Noel is a whole 'nudder level when it comes to vinyl playback and he's never happier than when he's tweaking a turntable. He'd be my only source for a good TT (if going retail) and especially with an LP12