Linn Bedrok LP12 Plinth Upgrade

@lewm Presumably you are talking about the Booplinth? You ask some great questions, why no bracing etc.,

There have been a number of aftermarket plinth makers, some involving all metal plinths, various wood combo’s etc., none of these have been that successful from a SQ perspective.

Also, there is certainly a premium attached to a plinth that comes from Linn themselves, even if they are re-badging the product. I suspect that Linn did not want a bamboo plinth, as they would be in direct competition with the Booplinth, and they knew that they needed to exceed the ability of that product. Apparently, this has been accomplished with the new Bedrok...at a price!

Yes, I guess I was thinking of the Booplinth, when I referred to bamboo, not the Bedrock. But my subsequent wondering about this and that applies to both. Why no cross-bracing? And why no attempt to create a plinth that fills in the void under the platform that supports everything else with sculpted wood or other material, sculpted to accommodate the workings that hang down, so as to eliminate the potentially resonant air chamber? That approach has been successful with idler drives (Garrard and Lenco aftermarket plinths) and with direct drive (see PBN Audio plinth for DP80). Since I approach the question from a position of complete naivete’, I wonder whether it has been done and was not so successful. No devoted Lenco-ite would be caught listening with the OEM Lenco plinth, which was hollow inside.

Linn do machining of Klimax cases out of solid blocks of aluminium. So I guess the machining of the Bedrok is not beyond them, it must just suit them to outsource it.

The Bedrok has been sculpted out to the extent necessary to accommodate the sub chassis, Urika, etc. It comes with a top plate already attached.

Here’s what Linn say on their website. Make of it what hou will.

Bedrok™ for LP12 is the first-ever, plinth performance upgrade from Linn. Formed of orthogonal layers of beech placed under extreme pressure and heat to create an entirely new, solid and massive material, this engineered, ultra-dense wood has negligible resonance and superior acoustic isolation.

Rock solid

The LP12 plinth affects everything. Everything is mounted to it, and every component depends on its stability, mass, and resonance characteristics. With more than double the density of a standard LP12 plinth, Bedrok™ is uniformly solid, heavy, and ultra-low resonance.

Reach beneath the surface

Bedrok™ technology makes each component the plinth houses perform better. It’s an holistic upgrade which improves every aspect of your LP12 – more pace, tighter bass, greater insight, and greater enjoyment!

@daveyf

There’s just one more thing in relation to what you say above.

It’s not a straight choice between upgrading a Klimax LP12 to Bedrok or selling it to buy another brand of turntable. I would suggest that a far more likely option for most owners is merely to stick with the Klimax LP12.

Anyone who’s actually heard the current Klimax LP12, particularly with the synergy it has in an appropriate Linn Exakt system, would be aware that this is bound to be the default position.

Whatever the competition may be, this is still an amazing sounding turntable. Miles better than it was even a few years ago before Karousel, etc.

People don’t just became dissatisfied with their turntables overnight because a new upgrade has become available.

In any case, selling it to buy another brand of turntable is unlikely to be a cost effective option.

@newton_john Again, your post is not really my point. I’m sure you are correct that if a LP12 Klimax owner is currently happy with his table, he won’t be selling it, and certainly not at a loss. Plus, like you mention, the Klimax LP12 is an excellent table. But for those who are looking at the upgrade path, as the expense of upgrades increases to the point where the competition looks better and better, then my point is that a consumer who is well educated on what the competition offers and on the turntable market in general, will certainly look elsewhere. Whether that consumer will pull the trigger on an alternate option is the chance that Linn is apparently willing to take. Personally, and I think I have mentioned this before, at the price of the Bedrok upgrade, plus the cost I have already attributed to my Linn, I would be shopping the used market...and maybe even the new market at higher prices. I do feel that the Linn LP12 Majik has a very good appeal to the new buyer who is looking for an entry point into the high end market of tables. BUT, at $40K plus for the LP12 Klimax with Bedrok..or even at the $60K that is/was being asked for the LP12 50th, then as a consumer,if those prices are affordable, I would also most likely not have an affordability issue with a table that was say $100K. This brings into question a factor that I question whether Linn’s marketing arm has anticipated??