With the various arms, subchassis, bearings, power supplies, top plates, bottom plates and even plinths, LP12's are not all the same. Those upgraded to the highest levels are very good and compete with other expensive turntables. In my experience, I preferred my upgraded Linn to a significantly more expensive turntable that I owned simultaneously and compared using identical cartridges. I am sure that there are better turntables out there but I believe that the various iterations of LP12 compete with other turntables of comparable, and sometimes higher, price.
Linns benefit from careful set up and it is not easy to do competent LP12 set up without some experience. If you don't have a good dealer or are not comfortable setting up an LP12, it may not be a good choice. Linn proponents are quick to dismiss comparisons between LP12's and other turntables when LP12's lose. They often claim that incompetent set up of the LP12 disadvantaged it. Or they will just say that those with preferences for other tables are wrong. Ivor Tiefenbrun, the LP12's inventor, has been a very combative guy and while probably right more than wrong during the last 40 some years, he seems never to doubt his own opinion.
There are more than 150,000 LP12's that have been made. The popularity of the Linn reflects clever and aggressive marketing to be sure, but it also reflects a product that, when set up well and given reasonable care, sounds very good. It's worth a listen if you have a chance.
Linns benefit from careful set up and it is not easy to do competent LP12 set up without some experience. If you don't have a good dealer or are not comfortable setting up an LP12, it may not be a good choice. Linn proponents are quick to dismiss comparisons between LP12's and other turntables when LP12's lose. They often claim that incompetent set up of the LP12 disadvantaged it. Or they will just say that those with preferences for other tables are wrong. Ivor Tiefenbrun, the LP12's inventor, has been a very combative guy and while probably right more than wrong during the last 40 some years, he seems never to doubt his own opinion.
There are more than 150,000 LP12's that have been made. The popularity of the Linn reflects clever and aggressive marketing to be sure, but it also reflects a product that, when set up well and given reasonable care, sounds very good. It's worth a listen if you have a chance.