Actually, it's really difficult for me to place a solid % improvement upon those upgrades, talk about subjective, I'd rather just comment saying any given change is either More In Tune or Less In Tune within the context of my system/room and leave it at that. Back in the day I thought the Lingo was huge -as well as Ekos- and then all upgrades after were a little better here & there, yet some others were more out of tune -Cirkus being one- within the context of my system, then I started to come to personal realization that Linns improvements to the LP12 seemed more about getting them to fit/work musically within the context of their newer systems going forward then in my system that I had & couldn't afford to change even if I wanted to .. Right, Linn Axis, that was a good one, not really. ...Think we sold maybe 10, if that many..
And BTW, here in the states the 4.0L GT4 -Boxter layout- took the trophy home this year at the end of season Autocross Nationals Superstock event, so I'll take that "gateway" Porsche, posting faster times than GT3's and Vette Grand Sports which had their day in past Nationals events.
I too think we are aiming for consistent preferences and impressions here, so solid and precise maths is unavailable/ irrelevant. As the more Objectivist here may point out, ears are better at that than at maths.
Also, few can score everything. Many of us regard L1 as a big step, but far fewer have actually tried every Lingo or upgraded R1 to R2 (I haven't). With more cash and time, a good few more of us might find out if we agree with
@david ellwood about the Radikal 2, for example.
I remember listening to Axis versus LP12 with my bro about 30 years ago. The (excellent) dealer had an Axis on dem largely to sell LP12s - which it did.
I should also say that I have nothing against Boxsters - it is a great car of its type, and I was so impressed driving the GTS version that I nearly bought one. However, no matter how good it is, many take the car less seriously than it merits just because it is the brother to a legend (a bit like some people's reaction to Jimmy Vaughan's guitar, if you see what I mean). In addition, lots get sold to people who want to own and be seen in a Porsche sportscar, rather than drive one, so you don't see as many at track days as you do at the gym near me where Pilates instruction is offered daily.
Also, rose-tinted memories of when we were young makes people think fondly of air-cooled 911s, as they do with 1970s Ducatis and 1960s Nortons. Trying them today in just about any context is a shock for most, as you discover just how bad they were in several respects that affect use (but not nostalgia). That does sound to me like the reaction of some to LP12s.
There is still some 70s prog-rock that still sounds a bit strange to me without the original LP12 'honk' added, because that was always how I heard that music at its best. FWIW, I also associate the sound of cars with V12s and no turbos with 'real' F1 (think Lauda or Senna) rather than the sound of cars today, even though they weren't nearly as good at doing the job.
As for the changing sound of the LP12 over the decades, I take your point. On the other hand, my olive Naim kit dates from the 90s, but works well IMHO with an LP12 that has Karousel, Kore and L4, and with NDX2/XPSDR streaming. If I owned a Naim 32 and Linn Kans from the early 80s, I might want all the golden hue and upper-bass bloom I could get, but not now. How far back was your realisation that LP12s were developing away from what you wanted?
