Interesting post Mr P.
It's not a question of whether or not you like the results, but whether the product takes away from the fundamentals of what the LP12 is. I think the Aro is a good tonearm, all uni-pivots sound nice, but I don't want one. I gave away the blue belt too but these products don't alter the way the LP12 works.
Agreed. I have no interest in an Aro, either.
The Linn dealer who sold me my LP12 in about 1979 put a DV505 arm on it (which he had modified) - as he thought that it was the best arm available at the time.
So I used that for about 20 years ... but then hankered for VTA-on-the-fly ... so bought a Graham 2.2. Then I fell in love with a 12" 'GoldenAge Audio Univector' - so bought that. (This forced me to design my own version of an LP12 - my 'SkeletaLinn' - which could take a 12" arm ... and sell my LP12.)
Two relevant points about the above story:
1. when someone (who owned an LP12) came round for a listen to the SkeletaLinn ... he said "
amazing - it really does sound like an LP12"!
and
2. I'd put the Univector up against an Aro any day; unfortunately, its designer "
left the building" several years ago - so these wonderful arms are no more.
Most of the people I've seen love their RP10s but I think they sound wrong. It's all just personal preference and if you're happy with the way your record player sounds then that's great but I think it's silly to suggest that an LP12 without the suspension is still essentially an LP12.
Then again, I have read comments by those who I would call "
Linnie fundamentalists" ... who say the Cirkus bearing was the first "upgrade" that started the downhill slide of the ol' fruitbox to "
just another TT".
In fact I think you could probably argue that Linn's direction hasn't been the same for the last twenty years.
You mean since Ivor handed over the reins?