Yes, I think there is something in this.I think the last LP12 sound that everyone new was the black liner bearing with any arm combination.
It had that classic LP12 sound.
Around that time I think Linn started moving away from what you might consider the classic LP12 sound. The Lingo 1 and Cirkus introduced a cleaner, less airy sound. You were gaining something but losing something as well. I got the Cirkus just after it came out and disliked it enough that I removed it and went back to a pre-Cirkus.
I have two decks and one has a Cirkus and one is pre-Cirkus. They are different but I like both. The Cirkus starts to make sense once the rest of the deck is tightened up a bit. The bottom line is that an LP12 of any vintage should sound very musical and enjoyable but context is everything. The deck can sound wrong, even horrible, as easily as it can sound good.