advertisement


Best VFM LP12 configuration

Value for money is subjective but you're certainly running out of road before hitting the Linn 4-figure upgrades, so perhaps it's nearly time to call it a day, if you can :)

I'm not familiar with your Rega arm so can't comment on that. I'm a Linnie though and love the look (and sound) of the Ittok and Ekos arms so that's what I'd be going next.

If your Lingo 1 has never been serviced then I recommend you get it done. Darran at Class A is very good and will do a proper job.

Incidentally, do you use a Naim amp?
 
I genuinely considered if it would be helpful to post this. However because of the VFM focus I thought I would.

So I had an LP12 for 20 years and really enjoyed it, I followed all the upgrades and ended up pretty much maxed out and spent a lot. It was fun. Then a now departed ex member posted a bit about Japanese DD turntables. Out of curiosity and as they were cheap as chips I bought a Sony on Ebay for about £100 perched it on a chair next to a mana ref mounted LP12 with a cart 20 times the price of the whole Sony turntable and guess what? It wasn't as good. The LP12 was perhaps 20 to 25% better.

That made me look outside the bubble. I believed I had the best turntable in the world. So first and by accident, auditioning speakers, I heard a used SME and for the first time heard the rooms on Exile OMS (the space in which the tracks were recorded) Then I head a new WT Amadeus GTA With a Lyra Dorian side by side with my LP12/Akiva and there was not a lot in it.

That helped because the sonic signature of the WT wasn't much different to the LP12. The WT was just a bit more neutral at the dem.
But for me here was the clincher, at home with a Cadenza Blue on the WT (Half the cost of an Akiva at the time) suddenly I was listening to a wider selection of my records.

For me the test is this: do you ever put stuff on because it sounds good rather than it is what you would like to listen to most? If you never do that enjoy the LP12 trip if you do have a listen to other turntables.
 
You really can spend a lot on TTs but on the other hand you can get great results with not a huge outlay. A stock LP12 still sound great if well set up.

I don't listen to that much vinyl these days as most of the new music I buy is on CD as it is a lot cheaper. Vinyl still has that certain magic but I don't get too bogged down in it any more.
 
Binn the Rega arm and buy something better, wide choice. Binn the Lingo and buy or build an Armageddon Clone.
 
"Binn the Lingo and buy or build an Armageddon Clone" - can you explain your reasoning why I would do this? I have always understood that the lingo simply makes the platter rotate and find it hard to understand how moving from it to another Lingo variant or another make of power supply can have anything other than a tiny SQ change? Remember I am more interested in the sweet spot for reasonable money for a final build to aspire to.
 
"Binn the Lingo and buy or build an Armageddon Clone" - can you explain your reasoning why I would do this? I have always understood that the lingo simply makes the platter rotate and find it hard to understand how moving from it to another Lingo variant or another make of power supply can have anything other than a tiny SQ change? Remember I am more interested in the sweet spot for reasonable money for a final build to aspire to.
I'd say that if you are looking for vfm, then selling the Lingo will net £450 and a diy geddon is yours for £50 and an afternoon. Or pay a man and have one for 100. Fancy case extra. Some people prefer the geddon and you can now buy a nice cart, or a roksan nima, or whatever you want.
 
There's some good input on this thread, and I don't intend by my comments to take anyway thing away from those who've written above. For me, the best upgrade to an lp12 is to buy more records. Buy more records. It's already good enough to enjoy it.
 
I'd say that if you are looking for vfm, then selling the Lingo will net £450 and a diy geddon is yours for £50 and an afternoon. Or pay a man and have one for 100. Fancy case extra. Some people prefer the geddon and you can now buy a nice cart, or a roksan nima, or whatever you want.
And buy a 45 rpm adaptor and muck about everytime you want to play a 45 ... :p
 
I very rarely use 45 rpm, however, I do have the classic records KOB 2 diisc set & 'Curtains' by Tundersticks which require it. Both albums are rather good so I am keen to play them.
 
I´ve got the 25th anniversary Tamla singles box which, with my Norton AirPower PSU I have never played and doubt I ever will - I ju7st read the booklet etc.. Must get round to flogging it.
 
Sole subchassis (first prototype, so I got it cheap) was biggest upgrade I’ve done to my 77 LP12 (still pre-cirkus) - removes one note bass, without removing texture. I’m sure other subchassis upgrades do similar.
 
I´ve got the 25th anniversary Tamla singles box which, with my Norton AirPower PSU I have never played and doubt I ever will - I ju7st read the booklet etc.. Must get round to flogging it.

Want to sell the Norton? :)
 
No, I meant flogging the box of 25 singles. The Norton is going nowhere. It’s too heavy to move. If you can source a suitable transformer, it´s a doddle to build one (just a case, a capacitor, a switch/relay and some cable) and with full permission of its designer, Leigh Norton
 
Last edited:
I would find a second hand Avondale Audio Taps II for the psu. Don't bother with the cirkus unless you're bearing is shagged. Get the motor moved to the 7 O'clock position. Remove the base board.

If you want a better sub chassis then the best value for money choice is without doubt the Anologue Innovations sole. They are excellent by the way. As an owner of the "in soles" spring replacements i would recommend them too, they sound fantastic to me and much better than the springs. If you don't like what they do then i would think they are easily sold on and they cost very little to start with.
 
Bin the arm, leave the rest.

I'd agree with this, except that I'm not sure what phono stage you have. I highly recommend the Longdog MCJ3, having tried most of the usual suspects up to a bit over £2K, and some far more expensive ones too. It should be a great match with your cart, but I would have thought that cart needs a better arm to shine.
 
I owned , during my LP12 ownership period of about 30 years, 4 different LP12s . By far the nicest was an unmodded pre Cirkus one with Rega arm ( much underrated) and AT OC9 cartridge .

I’m intrigued to know in what way people think the Cirkus decks sound better?
 
I owned , during my LP12 ownership period of about 30 years, 4 different LP12s . By far the nicest was an unmodded pre Cirkus one with Rega arm ( much underrated) and AT OC9 cartridge .

I’m intrigued to know in what way people think the Cirkus decks sound better?

Probably the bass can be a bit too much/flabby, I've not heard a Cirkus deck but this is what folks seem to mention when doing the switch.
 


advertisement


Back
Top