Now the dust has settled - the Karousel
- Thread starter Thorn
- Start date
Fair enough, I'm not arguing with anyone who prefers the sound of the LP12, or any other turntable, to the sound of a Rega. They don't sound the same and yes, it's a question of taste.
What I'm talking about is level of performance on offer for the money, new or used. An RP10 has a much lower noise floor, is more dynamic, has much better speed/pitch stability, is far less coloured and far more detailed than an LP12 you could buy for similar money. There is no question that technically, it is a better turntable.
No, that isn't all that matters. Something can be much more musically satisfying despite being technically less good and that's important. But the LP12 isn't made of fairy dust, it isn't the only musical turntable in the world and, nice as it is, it's turning into a poor value option.
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Miss Ariel
pfm Member
Concur Mr Pig with all your last postings about how expensive Linn upgrades have become and how the RP10 with a superb arm is miles better VFM.
I have only heard a Rega 3 but heavily tweeked with power supply - arm rewire - new counter weight that a friend had been doing up and was superb.
I found the deck in my system with familiar recordings really snapped into focus.I was seriously impressed.
Just ordered a Karousel and will need a Majik sub chassis for it to work so in for £ 1050.
As you say it's alot of dosh.But get loads of pleasure from my Linn and with no holiday with all the lockdowns the last year,I thought why not.
I know there are much better turntables out there and so many I haven't heard but the LP12 has a musicality rightness to my ears in my system.
I have only heard a Rega 3 but heavily tweeked with power supply - arm rewire - new counter weight that a friend had been doing up and was superb.
I found the deck in my system with familiar recordings really snapped into focus.I was seriously impressed.
Just ordered a Karousel and will need a Majik sub chassis for it to work so in for £ 1050.
As you say it's alot of dosh.But get loads of pleasure from my Linn and with no holiday with all the lockdowns the last year,I thought why not.
I know there are much better turntables out there and so many I haven't heard but the LP12 has a musicality rightness to my ears in my system.
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Which I think if the most important thing. If I hadn't been dissatisfied with my LP12 I would not even have looked at other turntables. I still think it was better than the Rega in some respects. Ultimately, if you love your records that's all that matters.
Kevinfromexeter
KJC
My 2017 supplied (i.e. pretty new) Cirkus gave me audible rumble which has disappeared since fitting Karousel a year ago. Concurrently, as part of the £3k spend deal I bought a Urika1 and Krystal as well as changed my Roksan Nima for a Roksan Sara. Am I enjoying it more ? It’s more impressive, but the musical experience is not better. Possible that it’s worse. Wondering if one of those upgraded elements is grating. I don’t see how it could be the Karousel tbh. So, Urika? Krystal? The combo of the 2?
The danger in changing multiple things at the same time. You've upset the balance and who knows where.
In what way do you think it's worse? If you can even identify it.
joe9407
actress/activist
Chiming in from the bleachers here... A nice, unmolested older LP12 with an ARO and Armageddon sounds like a great thing to run alongside your RP10. Cheap? No, but you'll never lose money on it.
david ellwood
Kirabosi Kognoscente
Mr Pig, have you heard the Karousel demonstrated?
wiresandmore
pfm Member
The other thing about the LP12 is that in the UK you generally have local access to a great dealer network so getting it set up well is relatively easy. This is important as the LP12 really benefits from great setup - when I had one I took it (on the ferry!) from Ireland to Cymbiosis for Peter to work his magic. RP10 (and other decks) are far more user serviceable and easier to tell if you have them set up well.
I'd certainly like a sound more in that direction. I often wonder what a unipivot would sound like on the RP10. No one ever seems to do stuff like that. Rega decks, more than most others, tend to be seen as a package and kept stock. Apart from old Planar3s which no one can leave alone! ;0)
The deck you describe would cost more than an RP10. It would be interesting to hear them side by side though.
Well, I might debate that. I decided to learn how to set them up myself because I got fed up with Linn dealers mucking my turntable up. Maybe it's better today but years ago there was no guarantee that letting a dealer set up your deck was a good idea.
Also, the idea that this is a benefit is flawed logic. You own a Rega, you don't need it set up!
I don't understand what you mean? The Linn is harder to use than most other turntables. Not a big deal for me, I don't find it a problem, but how could a turntable that doesn't bounce be harder to use than a Linn?
Only way I can think of is the skeletal ones, like the P10, Avid etc, as I like having a plinth to steady my hand against.
Funny. But not very fair ;0) People who think I blindly promote one brand and bash others out of some kind of political allegiance really aren't paying attention. Or they have a religious following of their own they feel is threatened.
I just try to be honest and say what I see, good or bad. Yip, Rega are a really, really good Hi-Fi company and we're very lucky to have them but I'm still thinking about getting rid of the RP10 as there are aspects of its sound I don't like. And I am considering another LP12. Things you would know, if you were paying attention.
david ellwood
Kirabosi Kognoscente
I’ll take that as a no.
Quite.
wiresandmore
pfm Member
Perhaps I wasn't clear: I wasn't saying it as a major benefit - it's more that the extensive Linn dealer network in the UK offsets the fact that most people can't set it up themselves. The Rega (and other decks) are far more plug and play and more universally applicable and you can be confident it's right with minimal dealer interaction.
Technically, in what sense?
From a design/engineering point of view, the LP12 suspension makes not one bit of sense whatsoever. But the deck plays records extremely well even so.
I must put an arm on my LP12 and refresh my memory...................
The things you could measure. There is no bearing noise, very love grove noise. At normal listening levels it's effectively silent. The speed stability is much better than my LP12/Norton. There is more detail. I'm using the deck with an Exact MM and the clarity and level of information is much better than any MC I had on an LP12. It's a big step up and sounds as you imagine a hi-end turntable should.
Where is looses to the Linn is the sense of emotional connection. With the LP12 you're more likely to forget you're listening to a recording and feel there is a real person there somewhere. So in terms of musical involvement, on good records the LP12 wins. The rub is that more records sound good on the Rega while the Linn only sounds really good on the ones it likes.
What I want to know is how the Karousel effects this. Does it retain this level of involvement but apply it to more records or is it the other way? Do you lose some involvement but gain more even handedness?
david ellwood
Kirabosi Kognoscente
Mr pig, can I suggest you just go and listen to one and having heard it you’ll probably buy one because it really is that good. However once you’ve got one please don’t feel compelled to fit a third-party modification like the Norton because you’ll end up back in dissatisfaction land complaining about set up and how Linn have somehow done you wrong.