Linn LP12s – Fire away!

[Jodet]

Twenty years ago Linn laid off half their employees and said, in essence, 'from now on we're only going to sell to people who drive Ferrari's'.

They are dead to me.

 

[david ellwood]

Linn aren’t without flaw, but at least they didn’t lay off all their employees and move production to China, like many other manufacturers did.

 

[nobeone]

Do other people make turntables? Why didn't somebody tell me before, all that time piddling about with a Linn and I never realised, wish someone had said something before (wanders off muttering ...)

 

[boon]

I have an LP12, I’ve had it for thirty’ish years, yes it’s been upgraded and updated over this period of time, I also drive a Ford Transit, not a Ferrari, I leave those for the poor people who can’t afford an LP12.
I will never part with the LP12 as it’s so adaptable.

 

[chartz]

Never had an LP12 (I’m French ) but reading all the stuff about it actually makes me want one – not the one with the basic Pro-Ject tonearm please.
I actually use a Valhalla TD160, a B790 and various Technics decks, plus a few Beograms (including the Crown Jewel 4000).

 

[stuwils]

had 2 over the last 36 years, does the job and lets me listen to music, everything else in the system has changed multiple times, what more can you say.
Rgds
Stuart

 

[nobeone]

The LP12 is an iconic design classic, even the genesis story is a classic whichever version you believe

That Linn have kept it up to date with a gentle flow of worthwhile updates is a bonus even if they lost me after Cirkus due to, well, having to feed children and stuff. It was never cheap. I only got one because Naim Sales could do me a deal on a second hand job built of bits dealers had swapped out ...

It is now available in a range of levels and colours to suit all well healed customers, all the way up to those that wish to show how wealthy they are.

It remains British, and proudly Scottish.

It is reliable, more than tollerably repairable (with the probably exception of the later more complex PSU PCBs where I suspect they will just do a PCB swap).

What is not to like?

It is not for those that want to plonk a deck down anywhere and never touch it and expect it to shine.
It is not for those that want the ultimate in pitch stability or value for money.

 

[JezmondTutu]

Like the idea of a specific thread, the.FB group is excellent if you have an account, albeit too many pics of generic albums posted!

My LP12 has been pretty much lifelong as I bought it in 1989, taking the Basik Plus and K9 that was on my Systemdek llx with me. Bought new and acquired in my second year at Brighton Poly! By the end of my final year, I’d bought a black Ittok and a K18.

I’ve not gone mad with upgrades, but got an Aro a few years later, an AT Art1 then an Avondale TAPS psu. Had a couple of Troika’s and an AT33PTG, but have a Dynavector 20XL2 now which is absolutely superb.

Only recently have I fitted a Karousel and subchassis and that really upped the performance of my deck.

 

[Del monaco]

I think LP12s are great. As are Naim. But there are other products with equal merit. My only qualm is the vfm. Always has been for me. I just don’t think they are great enough to merit the expenditure. But this could be said for many products of course.

 

[JoeJoe]

I bought my **** in 1984. I was a full-blooded accolyte of the religion, indoctrinated by a marketing industry which had chosen a path and developed establishment interests. A **** dealer had a more or less parasitic relationship with me in that I paid for upgrades and set-up as a matter of course, and never bothered to find out if my deck could compete against other well-known decks. Finally around 2010 I couldn't afford the upgrades and bought a well-known inferior DJ deck as a stopgap. The scales fell from my eyes as I heard genuine vinyl speed-stability for the first time.

I recognise that speed stability isn't important to many people, and that some people actually like wow. It's difficult to explain to the inexperienced how wow affects music and why they should care. I think the first step towards satisfaction with vinyl is deciding whether you like added wow or not. Once that decision is made, the path which will suit you becomes much clearer.

These days I'm with the turntable producers who have a fanatical dedication to the abolition of wow during playback. I think it's the most important factor in turntable performance when it comes to enjoying melody, harmony and rhythm.

…exactly what happened to me. Direct Drive made me realise my biggest single gripe with my LP12 was pitch instability and that was with a Radikal too!
Even now I feel mugged by the LP12, as the money spent on upgrades brought it in at around double the price of my SL1200G…..

The LP12 can’t hold a a candle to the Technics, which is the most rewarding and finely engineered piece of HiFi I have ever purchased in my 30 years of audiophillia…

 

[Paul Hindle]

Like any product that has been around for over 50yrs people either love it, hate it or wonder what all the fuss is all about. It’s only still around because of its history and the fact it’s upgradable and Linn have continued to develop upgrades. Yes it sounds good but so do many other tts. If you want to hear one, go and have a demo at a dealer, but don’t let anyone tell you it’s the best thing since sliced bread. It’s just one of them. There is so much more choice now that there’s bound to be another tt that blows you away in the same way as the LP12 did for me in 1984. It’s just that when your mate tells everyone his Rega is the best, it won’t get up nearly as many peoples noses as if it was an LP12.

…..rewind and repeat the above replacing references to Linn or LP12 etc. with the equivalent Naim….

 

[linnfomaniac83]

Like any product that has been around for over 50yrs people either love it, hate it or wonder what all the fuss is all about. It’s only still around because of its history and the fact it’s upgradable and Linn have continued to develop upgrades. Yes it sounds good but so do many other tts. If you want to hear one, go and have a demo at a dealer, but don’t let anyone tell you it’s the best thing since sliced bread. It’s just one of them. There is so much more choice now that there’s bound to be another tt that blows you away in the same way as the LP12 did for me in 1984. It’s just that when your mate tells everyone his Rega is the best, it won’t get up nearly as many peoples noses as if it was an LP12.

…..rewind and repeat the above replacing references to Linn or LP12 etc. with the equivalent Naim….

I have to be honest, when I bought my LP12 last year, it was up against a Rega P10 and a Technics SL1200G (or whichever the top model is), also briefly auditioned were an Orbe and a Xerxes… they were all really excellent, the LP12 only won because it was an LP12 and I missed having one, and the rest of the system is all Linn. My deck isn’t the best all round against the above mentioned list by any stretch of the imagination. I was also really impressed by the Technics, sounded fantastic, it was just the looks which put me off, it’s just a bit too industrial looking for me… I actually loved the look of the Rega P10, and that too sounded superb, possibly a little more accurate than my Linn, but a little less involving.

 

[paulbysea]

I have owned my LP12 for over 40 years now. It has had many updates over the years which I think is a much more sustainable approach than replacing the whole turntable. I suspect I will keep it until I no longer want to own a TT and it will no doubt have further updates, likely when I get a new cartridge.
Why have I stuck with it? Because I enjoy listening to music on my Linn, Naim and ATC system, so why change it?
I have heard many other TTs and liked them in many ways but never enough to make me consider selling my LP12 and getting one.

 

[Charlie_1]

I actually loved the look of the Rega P10, and that too sounded superb, possibly a little more accurate than my Linn, but a little less involving.

I came to the same conclusion after comparing at home for a few days. I did enjoy the Rega though and never say 'never'

I'm not sure a linear forum thread is ever gonna satisfy the OPs wish to cover so many LP12 topics. I think individual threads work better, although they all tend to descend into vendor bashing.

 

[tenpercenter]

For me the very thing that people slate the LP12 for - the upgrades - are what makes it a keeper in the long term. To improve most turntables you have it sell them and buy another one. With the LP12 you have the manufacturer supporting it and the option to make improvements at a fraction of the cost of a new TT. In the scheme of things is it really a big issue if something equivalent can be bought a bit cheaper when to do so takes days of time trawling round dealers? I bought and kept mine because I've enjoyed the way it sounds for 36 years, the rest are an irrelevance to me as I'm sure the LP12 is to those who have found something else they like as much. After years of musical enjoyment together I couldn't part with it anyway.

This assumes that all Linn upgrades sound better and are worth getting.

I guess you also have the choice of not getting any upgrades…..which is also an advantage in that the owner has a choice

 

[Cote Dazur]

I have owned and played my LP12 for almost 40 years. did a few upgrades at the beginning but haven't done any for 20 years, same with arm and cartridge. It is my record playback TT and I am glad I have it. Is it the ultimate? How would I know?
One thing I can say, is that around me, non LP12 user have mostly moved on to listen to digital files, LP12 user much less.
40 years ago there was a large consensus that the LP12 was a TT you could get great music from, no other TT had a larger consensus, in 2022, it is still the same, no other TT has a larger group of people still listening to LP's on one.
It stands the test of time like no other, not many other products had the same longevity, all field of products considered.
Other TT might do one aspect of reproducing music better than a LP12, and you might have become obsess with that aspect, but if you are listening to music as a whole, the LP12, for a lot of people, is still today, a favorite, providing hours after hours of very satisfying music listening on LP's.

At the end of the day, it is just a TT to play records, among many other choices. The personal satisfaction I get from owning one and using one is probably disproportionate, but, you know what, I wish more of the things I bough and use would also give that disproportionate amount of satisfaction, and that alone is no small feat.

 

[NickofWimbledon]

I came to the same conclusion after comparing at home for a few days. I did enjoy the Rega though and never say 'never'

I'm not sure a linear forum thread is ever gonna satisfy the OPs wish to cover so many LP12 topics. I think individual threads work better, although they all tend to descend into vendor bashing.

That's absolutely fair @Charlie_1 . If all we get on the thread is commentary on what people do & don't like, it may be useful for newbies rather than the old lags among us. However, given how often other threads get interrupted by someone 'explaining' that all LP12s are dreadful and only bought because we get fooled or as furniture, this thread will do its job if we can simply redirect anyone taking that line on other threads to this one, confident that anyone wanting an actual discussion or exchange of information/ views will be able to find a proper place for it here.

 

[nobeone]

... this thread will do its job if we can simply redirect anyone taking that line on other threads to this one, confident that anyone wanting an actual discussion or exchange of information/ views will be able to find a proper place for it here.

Nick I admire your effort, but I can't help feeling you are a little like King Canute and the tide, I wish you all the best of luck, I really do.

 

[per-Sony-fied]

I have had my LP12 since the late 80's if I remember correctly. It was not my first TT but may well be my last simply because changing it for something else could well cost me dearly. As I remember back then the only TT I owned was a Rotel RP1500. At that time I had lodgings in a mates house. One day he had some spare cash in his wallet & went out to buy some hi-fi. After a period of time he came back with a Linn Sondek some Naim gear & a a pair of EPOS ES14 speakers. After listening to his system I was quite jealous of the way it sounded. Way above what I had, which wasn't much lol!

So as time went buy I hankered after a LP12 but I just could not afford one despite the relative low cost they were back then. So I scrimped & scrapped some money together over a few months & bought a Linn Axis instead as this came in budget. Feeling quite chuffed at the time but ultimately this wore off as it didn't sound like my mates LP12.So many months later I sold this to another mate & put the funds towards a LP12 albeit at slightly lower spec than his as I could not afford an Ittok & a MC cartridge let alone as good a phono stage, but it was a start in the right? direction.

This is the only reason I have a Sondek today is because my mate bought one & I heard it. I never seriously compared it to other decks I just did not have that in mind but I do remember listening to a Rega planer 3 somewhere around this era where it sound was quite engaging & involving but it never came off the dealers shelf.

Since it's purchase tho' it has moved ahead of my mates in various upgrades, the latest of just a couple of months ago of the Karousel bearing & John R's Sole subchassis. However in the past I think my mate was still happy as he often commented how the LP12 had more boogie & charm factor with the original bearing & it's silence to snap crackle & pops! I think we know why that is tho'?

Whilst today there are so many alternatives, one comes to mind to me is a TT I heard I believe at the recent North west show in a room demonstrated by the dealer Reference audio. Had a parallel tracking arm & a air bearing & cost in the region of 11k. I thought this was outstanding. Extremely clear sounding & made old vinyl recordings sound so open & fresh. Only problem is beyond my pocket right now & so don't have a reference to what it was . The dealer tho' had just happened to setup in my town & I said I'd pop down but with an empty pocket lol However despite direction at the time I could not find it* So at the moment I can only dream, so until then it's upgrades (on the cheap(ish)) for me.

*Since back then I've found the place but yet to visit

 

[windhoek]

I think ideally I would like both decks, the Technics and a pre-Cirkus LP12 for its classic sound and the reasons given above...

I endorse this - why have the one when you can have the two!