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New Bearing for LP12--The Karousel

The correct answer is...

The Linn should do better, what with its broken hinges preventing the lid from staying up.
 
I kid you not, Wylton, I have a spare never installed pair of Linn hinges here that are starting to poke through.
 
Shame that the Linn forum has gone - years ago I posted a simple way (with photographs) to improve the hinge longevity.

Unfortunately, I no longer have the photographs. Just cut a bit of metal strip (I think that I used zinc) to slide between the spring end and the plastic casing to spread the force.
 
Craig B said:
Yes Hans, after-all, how many machine shops are so altruistic as to steal a turntable design from a bloke who walks in the door looking to get a few bits turned out, these days.

It isn't as if Ariston Audio Ltd. were going to make a go of it on their own, now is it?
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Why don't you give it a rest FFS? That story is as old as the hills and it's still a steaming pile of sh*t.
 
guydarryl said:
Just cut a bit of metal strip (I think that I used zinc) to slide between the spring end and the plastic casing to spread the force.
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I did a similar thing. It seemed such a simple solution that I couldn't understand why the hinge hasn't been improved.

I did once get a set of free hinges as the dealer said there had been a batch of weak ones. The plastic didn't fail, the spring did.
 
2ManyBoxes said:
Why don't you give it a rest FFS? That story is as old as the hills and it's still a steaming pile of sh*t.
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There is documented evidence within the UK Patent Courts case files. As well, the whole debacle was reported in the mainstream hi-fi press of the time. This including a witness statement to the effect that a then young Ivor T. was seen crying to one Hamish Robertson that they could both make the turntable; this after Mr. Robertson had presented to the court as evidence that Castle Precision Engineering had threatened suit should Hamish have the deck built elsewhere.

I can proffer a Hi-Fi New & Record Review syllabus, if you'd care to put your rose tinted specs aside and don your clear readers.

In the meantime, try a google image search for 'Ariston RD11'. They all predate Linn Sondek LP12 by one year; Airpax motor date codes prove so.
 
Craig B said:
There is documented evidence within the UK Patent Courts case files. As well, the whole debacle was reported in the mainstream hi-fi press of the time. This including a witness statement to the effect that a then young Ivor T. was seen crying to one Hamish Robertson that they could both make the turntable; this after Mr. Robertson had presented to the court as evidence that Castle Precision Engineering had threatened suit should Hamish have the deck built elsewhere.

I can proffer a Hi-Fi New & Record Review syllabus, if you'd care to put your rose tinted specs aside and don your clear readers.

In the meantime, try a google image search for 'Ariston RD11'. They all predate Linn Sondek LP12 by one year; Airpax motor date codes prove so.
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Given this, cables, reclockers, and grounding boxes, hifi certainly isn't dull, is it.
 
If you read my 'strongly held opinions' thread you'll find a new entry for the Linn / Ariston thing. My own personal opinion happens to be the middle one.

But then actual opinion isn't what you're about, is it? You just like stirring sh*t

Flushing out a few tonight
 
If anyone wants to read the Hi-Fi News coverage of the patent hearing then it is here. Thanks to Rob Holt for the scan of the later article.


https://postimg.cc/image/rhott93yt/

https://postimg.cc/image/7abe0ye79/

https://postimg.cc/image/4g88nirgl/

https://postimg.cc/image/e0rvae92t/

The crying incident is disputed and there is a claim by Russ Andrews that Hamish Robertson's witness could not support his story. The Hearing Officer was not able to decide who to believe though at least one person must have been telling porkies.

What is apparent from the coverage is that Hamish Robertson in his written submission must have conceded that the RD11 started out as a prototype turntable developed by Ivor Tiefenbrun. Someone would probably have to access the patent hearing documentation likely held at the British Library to fully verify this. However based on my research I have no doubt that the whole thing evolved from Ivor developing his own version of a TD150 using facilities at Castle and with assistance from the Castle staff and Hamish did not offer up an alternative story to claim otherwise.

It is clear that the Tiefenbrun's conceded that Hamish was responsible for the RD11 styling. This was probably more than just the arm board logo and would have likely involved choice of plinth and dust cover (both likely sourced from Lenco) and a change to the platter appearance (similar to XA).

The bearing design was contested and the coverage does not provide a clear steer. It would have been Jack Tiefenbrun's area of expertise and I have seen a comment on another forum that leads me to believe it was designed by Jack. At the hearing the decision about who designed it defaulted to Jack as per patent law but the Hearing Officer was not fully convinced about the merits of the patent.
 
2ManyBoxes said:
If you read my 'strongly held opinions' thread you'll find a new entry for the Linn / Ariston thing. My own personal opinion happens to be the middle one.

But then actual opinion isn't what you're about, is it? You just like stirring sh*t

Flushing out a few tonight
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FIFY...
2ManyBoxes said:
Another one I should really have remembered:

Linn nicked the LP12 design from Ariston and this must be so because Castle Engineering did some work for Ariston, a company that existed before Linn Products Ltd. did / Linn changed and tweaked an already existing design enough to make it a new, although derivative, design / Before the LP12 turntables did not play music

I think only Ivor would truly espouse the last one and Believe It:)
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Read the label...
1927849-ariston-rd11-the-classic-original-linn-lp12.jpg
 
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