runforfree69
Spinning vinyl
I’ve been fortunate to hear more than most and Turntables to me are just like people ; some warm, cold, uninterested, eager to please, fascinating, charming, closed, quiet, loud, boisterous. For example cold would be I’ve found lightweight plastic types, warm and eager to please would be early LP12’s, boisterous are all Roksan Xerxes and I found the Raven GT charming and informative.
My first one was falling to bits and the settings were all over the place but even so I could hear a signature which was enjoyable in a wrong kind of way. There wasn’t much coming through, details I knew were present on recordings were missing or faint and it had a big fat single note bass.
The lp12 does need set up properly which can be tricky so first off I’d say judge it once set up by someone who understands the workings. You can’t just assume a suspended deck with a belt will perform to its potential like a direct drive turntable.
I went from 1970’s iteration all the way up to Klimax level and I believe during that period I did find the sweet spot. Ultimately though, even at Klimax level I’d heard other turntables I connected with more in enjoyment (what it’s all about after all). For me Akurate level with a Kore, Mose Hercules/Lingo and say an Audio Origami pu7 was the sweet spot. I did install Keel & Radikal which ended up nothing like the original LP12 I’d heard and more like master tape and therefore like most other high level turntables (shame). At Klimax for me, it lost its soul. Sure it still had that analogue golden hue, but don’t all turntables have that to a certain extent as soon as the diamond meets vinyl.
I’ve had dozens of turntables now … most I’ve given 60 seconds before realising I don’t like the sound, most are behind me for good. Right now Im all for direct drives. Why DD’s? Well for me I adore measured speed stability, no surprise accuracy always leads to better music and instruments sounding in pitch terms how they are supposed to sound. More importantly I can set up a DD turntable easily, repeatedly and concisely by myself. I won’t go back to belt driven turntables because DD’s to me sound more propulsive and energetic … as if the turntable is eager to please.
Finally on the LP12 lovers report it as more musical with what they call PRAT. I’m not going to critique their vague terms, I understand what they mean. My Klimax LP12 made Johnny Cash’ voice more realistic than I’ve ever heard and as such I connected with the emotion he was feeling as he sang. I owned a Raven GT and AMG Giro, they couldn’t recreate that emotion but they could play numerous different layers of symphonic orchestra all at once in every detail and be understood.
I once got pilloried for saying the Lp12 was the BigMac of turntables but I stick by that analogy. The LP12 is so popular with so many because it appeals to the tastes of how so many like to hear their music in so far as ingredients all together are undoubtedly coloured but magical.
My first one was falling to bits and the settings were all over the place but even so I could hear a signature which was enjoyable in a wrong kind of way. There wasn’t much coming through, details I knew were present on recordings were missing or faint and it had a big fat single note bass.
The lp12 does need set up properly which can be tricky so first off I’d say judge it once set up by someone who understands the workings. You can’t just assume a suspended deck with a belt will perform to its potential like a direct drive turntable.
I went from 1970’s iteration all the way up to Klimax level and I believe during that period I did find the sweet spot. Ultimately though, even at Klimax level I’d heard other turntables I connected with more in enjoyment (what it’s all about after all). For me Akurate level with a Kore, Mose Hercules/Lingo and say an Audio Origami pu7 was the sweet spot. I did install Keel & Radikal which ended up nothing like the original LP12 I’d heard and more like master tape and therefore like most other high level turntables (shame). At Klimax for me, it lost its soul. Sure it still had that analogue golden hue, but don’t all turntables have that to a certain extent as soon as the diamond meets vinyl.
I’ve had dozens of turntables now … most I’ve given 60 seconds before realising I don’t like the sound, most are behind me for good. Right now Im all for direct drives. Why DD’s? Well for me I adore measured speed stability, no surprise accuracy always leads to better music and instruments sounding in pitch terms how they are supposed to sound. More importantly I can set up a DD turntable easily, repeatedly and concisely by myself. I won’t go back to belt driven turntables because DD’s to me sound more propulsive and energetic … as if the turntable is eager to please.
Finally on the LP12 lovers report it as more musical with what they call PRAT. I’m not going to critique their vague terms, I understand what they mean. My Klimax LP12 made Johnny Cash’ voice more realistic than I’ve ever heard and as such I connected with the emotion he was feeling as he sang. I owned a Raven GT and AMG Giro, they couldn’t recreate that emotion but they could play numerous different layers of symphonic orchestra all at once in every detail and be understood.
I once got pilloried for saying the Lp12 was the BigMac of turntables but I stick by that analogy. The LP12 is so popular with so many because it appeals to the tastes of how so many like to hear their music in so far as ingredients all together are undoubtedly coloured but magical.
