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New Bearing for LP12--The Karousel

paulski said:
I think those flats are just to give somewhere for a spanner to resist the whole thing spinning once it’s loose enough for the three ‘studs’ to have disengaged. Also to resist the twisting force against the sub chassis holes when tightening / initially loosening. Maybe.
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Oneandtwo said:
If you look on Cymbiosis web page it shows one stripped down to component form with bottom unscrewed
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Ha, indeed - I claim my £5.00 ;) :

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All the best decks have a detachable thrust plate!

PS I wonder if Linn can get it to leak some oil like a proper deck?!
 
paulski said:
I see some pics here but not a stripped version. The first pic shows a long length of exposed thread which is the top without the ‘cap’ fitted.
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Yes, and a short bit of exposed thread which is the bottom without the ‘Kap’ that holds the thrust pad.

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You’ll now be able to replace the thrust pad when it wears out..... ;).
 
nitrous said:
Yes standard now, but no price increase on decks..
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So why does the bearing kit cost £260 more than the Cirkus one? If the price of the deck has not changed, that would suggest the new bearing costs much the same as the old one to make. If it costs significantly more to make, which would justify the £750 price, then it means there was so much margin on the old one they can absorb the cost easily. Doesn't matter how you cut it, Linn are shafting somebody somewhere.

And, if it's true that the cost of fitting of the new bearing is not included it's worse than £260 as fitting was included in the price of the Cirkus kit. So the real price difference is what, about £400 ish?
 
paulski said:
Ah yes, interesting. I wonder if the thrust pad is easier to manufacture as a separate piece?
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Well, the thrust pad always was a separate piece but now it appears to be removable. It’s possible the SS of the body doesn’t lend itself to the previous entrapment method the Cirkus bearing used - I will think on...
 
paulski said:
The Cirkus bearing kit (including inner platter) was / is £490 not £260.
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No, £260 is the difference between the current price of the Cirkus kit and price of the new bearing kit. Except that, as far as I am aware, the Cirkus price included fitting and the new bearing price does not.
 
Mr Pig said:
No, £260 is the difference between the current price of the Cirkus kit and price of the new bearing kit. Except that, as far as I am aware, the Cirkus price included fitting and the new bearing price does not.
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My bad, you are correct. However your whittering in about the price is utterly pointless. Things cost what they cost and life is unfair. End of.
 
Mr Pig said:
No, £260 is the difference between the current price of the Cirkus kit and price of the new bearing kit. Except that, as far as I am aware, the Cirkus price included fitting and the new bearing price does not.
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According to Cymbiosis, cost includes fitting.
 
Paul Mc said:
According to Cymbiosis, cost includes fitting.
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It always does with Linn, and swapping a full subchassis assembly and then setting up is quite a lengthy process. I’d have thought you’d be paying for two hours time there if you expected it to be done well (i.e. getting a perfectly parallel arm-board, nice even vertical bounce bounce etc).
 
david ellwood said:
Is this a product you are interested in hearing/buying or are you just here to poke it with a stick?
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In other words, if you are not Linn fanboy you have no right to be here?

Sorry, free speech doesn't work that way. Besides, I used an LP12 and Linn speakers for over thirty years, still use Isobariks, which I think gives me the right to take an interest in what Linn do. I am unaware of any law stating that you cannot comment on a product if you do not own, or want to own it.

I'm sure this bearing is fine. I don't see why it wouldn't be as it's fundamentally similar to bearings other manufacturers have been using for decades but I gulp when I look at Linn's pricing structure. No wonder Linn dealers are keen to get you on the LP12 ladder when the top of that ladder costs nearly twenty thousand pounds! Ok, so we live in a world where you can spend that sort of money on a handbag, and if you want to then fine, it's your money, but I also want to live in a world where we are free to point the finger and say, really?

To reiterate my initial point. I don't care how much it costs, I'm not buying it, but I do dislike the clinical way Linn milk their customers. As the new bearing is now standard on new turntables, and is retrofittable, let's see how long it is before Linn withdraw the Cirkus kit leaving LP12 owners with £750 plus fitting as the only option for a new bearing.
 
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For a price comparison here’s the Schopper main bearing in my TD-124 (link). Ok, its a much bigger and heavier bearing assembly and maybe a more specialist/niche marketplace (though not by much), but the price does not include a platter, subchassis, springs or a couple of hours of dealer fitting time. As boutique audio kit goes I honestly don’t think the Linn price is bad. When I first saw this thread I was expecting a price of £1.5k!

PS Mine is a slightly earlier version without the bronze thrust plate, but the price was very similar. I have actually got a thrust plate like that, but haven’t bothered to fit it as I’m trying to keep my deck as stock as possible and the original Thorens bottom plate was pressed steel.
 
roman said:
I've just fitted a new cistern flush lever that looked remarkably similar.
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No direct relevance but the other day I bought a toilet siphon in Screwfix. It cost £3.35, including VAT! I then noticed it was made in the UK!! I find it amazing that modern efficiencies in production allow things to be manufactured to cheaply.
 
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