I have listened to the LP12 many various times at both friends and dealers and I find this turntable to be MUSICAL compared to many of the other acrylic plattered ones,which usually have a mechanical sound to them.Used with a Grado Sig. cartridge this is one GREAT turntable(hard to setup-but worth the effort).The only other one in it's class is the Townshend MkIII.I'm trying to do an A-B test with both of them.VINYL IS BACK!

My Linn is a ten year old with the Valhalla suspension and Ittok tonearm.Currently it's fitted with a Grado Platinum cartridge.

Suporting system is a Conrad Johnson PV-9. two Audio Research D70 MkII
amps, a biwired/biamp'd pair of Acoustic Energy AE-1 on Target stands
and a pair of self amplified Entec woofers. Wiring is by Van Der Hul
and Kimber Kable.

The turntable sits on top of a Target TT5 Rack.

When Martin Colloms spoke about rhythm is his Stereophile column years
ago, he must have been thinking about the LP12. Deep bass is not as
subterranean as the a vacuum assisted Sota, instead the bass is taut and
'fast'. Organ lovers and special effect freaks may not like this table
but orchestral underpinnings are served very well with a very convincing
sense of space which I just did not 'get' in my listening to other tables.

Foot tapping along with this turntable is a given.

The Mid Range is of course this tables forte. Mine is paired with tubes
so it's quite stellar. In those rare times that I have hooked up this
table to the preamp in my Home Theater system (an NAD monitor series of
some model number I can't seem to care to remember) the sound sort of
falls flat. The rhythm is there but the soundstaging goes out the window.

That said, this table excels when driven into a great pre ampliflier.
The table is quiet and its ability to extract low level information from the
grooves as well as rocking along at full tilt boogie are its strengths
IMHO. The choice of cartridge affect the sound, but the table provides
and excellent support system.

I did notice a huge change in the sound of the table when I moved it from
a pretty heavy piece of furniture to the dedicated Target stand with its
spiked top shelf and bottom feet. At first I thought some one has stolen
the bass (remember that column by Anthony Cordesman?) but soon I realized
that muddy distortions had been removed and the extension had increased.

Resolution also went way up. The midrange was cleaner. The noise floor
dropped to where it was almost inaudible in most recordings. ( I use
a VPI record vacuuming machine). Highs now shimmer with a very natural decay.
The whole presentation is very natural with seemingly no distortion being
added to 'enhance' the music.

All in all, I love this table and strongly recommend it to anyone insterested
in grooving/booging/swaying along with the music. Also I strongly recommend
a dedicated, spiked stand. The sound cleans up dramatically.

I have also heard the Lingo Power Supply and I'm interested in getting it,
but at 1200 it's a bit of a strech. I may look into the used market to
see if I can get a Lingo'd table with the newer suspension and better
tonearm.

I would give my own table four stars, the Lingo upgrade (which I have
listened to at length) pops it into the five star rating).

By reference, I would give a Vacuum hold down Sota four stars, a Thorens 120
three stars and the ever present Technics SP12 two stars.

I haven't heard the Forsell nor the latest VPI.

Tony

PS: Note that I don't have a CD player in my audio only system. I have had
them in and out over the years, but the Linn simply trounces them
every time.

reliable,good sounding machine,good value if second hand

setup

A good sounding machine (LP12,Valhalla,Akito,K9), not really better then a Rega Planar 3,Rb300,Elys. Still a MM setup.
I do not think that setup is so critical. I agree that the LP 12 has to be positioned correctly.
I think that the real difference comes with Ekos and Mc but at what price!
So buy a good second hand LP12 and you will have the same satisfaction as driving a sound old english car. Value for money,tradition, good performances (sometimes), and you can talk a lot with your friends.
Sound? Good, very good but not the only one.

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Rega Planar 3

Sweet, Musical, and always sounds "pleasant"

Thick Bass without real extension, Far too Colored Sound especially in the midrange. (Like looking into the music with pink glasses!)

This is a very over-rated product.
There is no arqument that it produces a rich and full soundstage, and that it makes almost all kinds of music and recordings sound "Nice".
But this is also it's greatest flaw. The sound balance is extremely colored and far from flat, so in effect the Sondek's sonic character always spices up all kinds of Music.
Listening to the AMAZINGLY trasparent and uncolored Pink Triangle Anniversary makes you realize that what comes out of the Pink is far more close to what the original mastertape sounded than what the Sondek manages to do.
I could only recommend this product to people who don't really care about real accuracy and transparency but only want a warm and sweet sounding turntable to listen and relax.
However if you really want to listen to the music like the recording engineers intended then go for a Pink Triangle.

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clear reproduction

expensive

Excellent unit that produces a clear approximation of the
real sound source. Trebles are clear, with good string tone
trumpet is also excellent. Woodwind are produced with a
natural attribute. I use an SME tonearm that I prefer with
this unit.

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ar thorens vpi

Musicality, availibility of upgrades and modifications.

Needs the right stand to really perform. I prefer the Sound Orginization ZO28.

After owining several Linn LP12's I must say that all LP12's are not created equally. My best sounding LP12 was the cheapest with just a regular base, Cirkus, Akito tonearm, K9 cartridge, basic power supply, on a Sound Org zo28. My worst sounding LP 12 was a used Lingo, Ekos, Archive, tramplin, cirkus. Be careful about buying used Linn componants - even from a Linn dealor. I purchased a dealors own personal fully loaded LP12 from his home and got totally ripped off!. The turntable was much older than he said and the Ekos' diamond was not correctly fastened to the cantilever. Check your serial numbers of all Linn parts through the Linn web site before you buy. I also do not like the tramplin base and prefer the original solid base on a good stand. Always use Linn wires when using Linn equipment. I have tried several other high quality brands and have always gone back to the Linn wires with Linn equipment. I have also seen others judge Linn equipment when improperly mixed with other name componants and firmly believe that Linn equipment works and sounds best as a total system. I have had many problems mixing and matching and have always gone back to Linn. The one exception to this is the LP12 which matchs best with a Linto, but can mix into other systems. I do not really care for the Kairn phono section myself. I used to be an audiophile, but now consider mysef an entheusiast because I do not disect the music anymore. I just listen and enjoy. When the LP12 is set up right and on the right stand it is indeed one of the best turntables on the market.

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Denon, Roksan, Sota, Thorens

Involving sound, naturalness of timbre and that famous pace.
You can configure this table a zillion ways. Still supported.

Setup is a bi#@#$. More sensistive to vibration than is ideal. Not for everyone.

When everything is right, this table seems to eliminate the barrier between you and the music. I am a classically trained musician and long time audio enthusiast, and can honestly say a good recording on the Linn makes even expensive CD players sound pathetically artificial on anything involving, for example, the human voice. I actually heard a CD/LP comparison on the same system of Pavarotti and thought the CD was a snooze. Then, I noticed that Lucianno had taken up residence in the store when the LP12 was cranked up.
Are there other just-as-good (or better) tables? Yes, if you want to shell out for a Goldmund, Rockport, Basis,or the like.
If you are looking around $ 2K, the Linn may not be your table but is a must audition.
I have sold/traded many components over the last 28 years since I started, and the Linn has been in mys system the longest.

My humble setup:

Linn LP12 w/Ittok and K-9 cartridge(I know, cartridge is just OK). No Cirkus/trampolin mods, basic power supply, and it still rocks!
Arrici turntable stand.
NAD front end, Vandersteen speaks.
Pioneer Elite PDF-19 301-CD changer.(Not worth spending big $$ on rapidly changing and grossly imperfect format.)The Vandy's make even this mass market source sound good on, say, Jewel's latest well recorded disc. Hell, I don't even own 301 CD's!
Tributary silver speaker cables. ($ 5.50/ft bargain.)
Large collection of great LP's. Decent, but smaller collection of CD's.

If you don't mind the setup challenges or have competent help, you can achieve some real magic. Not a 'steal' but not overpriced for the potential to see hear into the original event. IMHO, details of the recording are not obscured or overly coloured, the sound is enjoyable but not overly sweet. One may want to check associated equipment if your sound is rolled off or coloured.On the NAD/Tributary/Vandersteen combination, the balance was breathtaking. Carmina Burana, a highly complex piece if there ever was one, with full orchestra and male, female, and children's choir all hitting the opening notes, was well served, limitations coming from the rest of the system.

Enjoy!

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Warm Musical Lifelike sound

Just the price

My second Linn Lp-12 this one includes the Ittok LVII arm and the Lingo / Cirkus upgrade. I read all the audio publications and tend to think sometimes they go overboard with the hype. But after owning an Lp-12 with out the Lingo etc. I can hear the difference. This table sounds fuller , richer and the base is deeper. Its a lot of fun listening to the new expensive heavy vinyl reisses , but even more fun to pull out the well recorded lps from my closet and listening to them for the " First time" . My Linn addiction started when I got the DD Dennon and was getting feedback. No feedback with the linn it rocks ! While it does not look like a $ 2,000- $ 5,000 turntable it does sound like one .

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Superior ability to follow the pace, rhythm, drive and tune of music. Reproduces outstanding musical tone, as well.

Bass reproduction, while wholly adequate, is on the light side. Careful arm and cartridge matching is required. Careful placement is also required. Suspension and screws must be periodically checked and adjusted/tightened.

I have owned three LP-12s (and used countless others), all Valhalla version (pre- outboard power supply), fitted with various types of arms ranging from Grace 707s to Ittoks to Eminent Technology ET-2s, and have always been impressed with its ability, above all the abovementioned units, to follow the music's "feeling" and "emotion." The Linn also reproduces a more accurate musical "tone" than the other units, the only one coming close being the Goldmund. While some of the other units do specific things better (The SOTAs have a fuller bass; the Goldmund images better and is more even on the frequency extremes; the Well Tempered is more neutral), none of them have the Linn's uncanny ability to convey the essence of the music, in other words, its "soul." When I play a record on a Linn, I enjoy the "music," not just the "sound." On the other tables, I enjoy the "sound," not necessarily the "music." That alone makes it possible for me to overlook the "audiophile" flaws that the table has: lightweight low bass, overly warm midbass, slightly bright treble (this brightness is a byproduct of the new laminated armboard; the older wooden board is more natural), compressed image and a finicky suspension that requires periodic adjustments. If high end audio is about enjoying the music, as opposed to salivating over the equipment, the Linn Sondek LP-12 remains a true "best buy" in a world of diminishing returns. Although a new deck is expensive by today's standards ($2000+), the Linn remains an outstanding buy on the used market ($400+, depending on condition). For those of you that grew up on CDs, DATs and DVDs, you owe it to yourself to listen to a Linn and see why those of us who love music bother with records, expensive cartridges with fragile stylus' and high priced outboard phono preamplifiers. You will be pleasantly suprised.

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It has a soul

it has a soul

I have tried with Linn Arms: very good in hi-fi terms
with SME: don't wast your money. They are not made for each other.
With an old Grace: why not. I liked it.
With a Naim Aro: it's the combination I prefer. The Aro seems to go in the same direction of the Linn. It could sound a little closed in hi-fi terms but at the end is more fluid, more expressive and natural. Most of all is very, very coherent.
It's a good match with dynavector cartridge, koetsu, if you can't spend too much Goldring and derivated. I didn't like with grados. Not enough dynamic contrast.
As far as concern the alim. : I have the Lingo and I have the Naim Armageddon.
The Lingo makes the LP12 more like an other good turntable.
More complex, more organized less coloration. The soundstage
gets wider, larger. More bass. Darker. Different timing. Fast, yes, but less ritmic.
The Armageddon: not as wide and not so much bass as the Lingo. Soundstage is higher and more compact. More simple in the presentation of contrasts. More ritmic.
Which I prefer? It depends on my mood and system. This means that are on the same level. If I have to keep only one? Maybe the Armageddon.

Is the LP12 worthed the money, or it is over rated?
If you want an hi-fi to talk about and to impress is not for you. It can be too easily criticated.
If you love music, if you listen to it with your heart and not with your brain than it could be for you.
The other turntable I have they are all very good, in some aspects better than the Linn, but they are also more insignificant.

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