Linn LP 12 vs Well Tempered TT

make sure you get the lingo power supply upgrade if you go with Linn - it adds what seems like an entire octave to the bass - it's a no-brainer!

Well Tempered has many admirers and few, if any, detractors. I own a Linn LP12 w/ Basik Plus arm and Valhalla power supply. The unshielded Grado Gold cartridge causes some hum the closer it gets to the Val P/S or center of the LP. Otherwise, it's built like a tank and sounds great. However, the surrounding equipment will influence your sound (cartridge, speakers, pre/amp, etc.) just like anything else. There are many who like the sound better without all of the upgrades. You don't state what, if any, upgrades the LP12 has. One last thing, I also replaced the felt mat with a Ringmat with significant positive results. It's doubtful you'll be disappointed woth either. Enjoy.

I have owned both. Obviously the Linn has been through many updates and I'm not sure of the specifics of the TT you are looking at. I am not critical of the Linn and appreciate what they did to create "turntable consciousness" but am not its biggest fan. I always experienced the linn as a little lacking in dynamics, deep bass and mildly thin sounding. However, this was not one of their completely updated versions.

I personally enjoy the WTT more than the Linn. Once the arm is properly setup, I find it to have a wonderful rich and musical quality. I agree with the critics who report a somewhat muted extreme high frequency quality, but overall find it to be enjoyable. I'm sure part of what I and others find relaxing and stable about the WTT is related to its spindle bearing. It is hard to talk about the WTT without thinking of it as a package, while I'm not sure what arm you are planning to use on the linn. Just my 2 cents.