Linn LP12......That good??

I drank the Linn koolaid for years. I built a state of the art LP 12
with a keel, Radikal, Cirkus bearing. Then upgraded the Ekos Se to an Audio Origami PU 7 tonearm and finally a Tangerine Audio Stiletto solid aluminum plinth and skorpion base plate. This set up is as good as the LP 12 can get and noticibly better than a stock LP12.
But.......
It is still a wonky design quite antiquated relying on three crappy springs fighting against each other. The LP12 requires periodic adjustments as the sprung suspension behaves differently depending on atmospheric conditions, tonerarm cable flexibility and tension. Even trained Linn techs have to fidget with these things.
After all the money spent (over 16K) there are many superior reference tables that do everything that an Lp12 does lght years better. I know this is true as I have a Spiral Groove and a Tw Acustic each for comparable money and they blow away the LP12.

Varyvat,

I fitted them myself. I am also trained by a longtime Linn tech.
The Stiletto fitting is way easier than a stock Linn as it does not have 
a sprung/curved top plate to deal with. The stainless top plate requires proper fitting and is an artform in itself. If installed incorrectly, the suspension bolts are very difficult to get properly aligned for a correct bounce.
The stilletto does away with all of that hassle as it it is one piece precision and the suspension bolts are precision machined. I will repeat what I said earlier, the antiquated spring and gromet design is what makes the whole system a pain. Non concentic wire springs that are adjusted to conteract each other for a vertical bounce definately takes practice and experience to get it right. The fact this still exists today with better technology is a shame especially for the prices they cahrge and making most customers reliant on a set up technician. For a turntable with a storied history, Linn customers deserve better. Linn could of course correct this but they clearly are concerned with marketing other areas of their product line.