Linn Sondek LP12 impressions

Owned one for many years, great table in its own way. Sondek LP12/Ekos/Lingo/Linto/Akiva. Fuzzy to set up and maintain. Overall great sound but falling behind with outdated technology and steep price. Got tired of adjusting the springs every time I swapped carts. My personal opinion and not trying to persuade others otherwise.

Glad you are enjoying your upgraded LP12 Daveyf. I'm pretty sure that the improvements are not subtle. As I said, nothig wrong with the Sondek just extremely expensive IMHO and, like any other suspended TT, finicky and sensitive as descibed by Suteetat. I prefer the simplicity of the RP10 for a fraction of the cost. Again, just a matter of preference.

Daveyf,
I really admire your passion for the LP12. That said, not every audiophile enthusiast has $20,000.00+ to spare on a fully upgraded Sondek. I have to agree with Banerjba; my early LP12 was notorious for going out of tune. Maybe the experts at Precision Audio didn't know how to set it up properly (I would like to think they did after spending all that money).

The LP12 was a revelation in my early days! Ivor Tiefenbrun's philosophy made me a believer; the source being the most important component in the audio chain.

The Sondek LP12 itself may well be the most significant turntable of all times. However, and IMHO, many other TT manufacturers have caught up with the Sondek's strengths for less money.

Still a contender? Absolutely! The cream of the crop? Not in my book.

Let's be honest, the $4,200.00 Sondek Majik LP12 now has to compete with the likes of Townshend Rock 7 ($3,500.00), Well Tempered Amadeus ($2,800.00), Acoustic Signature Wow XL ($2,300.00 w/out arm), Clearaudio Performance ($3,000.00), VPI Classic 1 ($3,000.00), just to name a few.

A fully upgraded LP12 may be in another league, but an entry level or outdated LP12 face many outstanding competitors.

Just my honest opinion.

I have to disagree with you on this one Daveyf. Let's take the Rock 7 for example:

The TT in itself is an engineering marvel of the modern audiophile world at an extremely affordable price ($3200.00).

I don't own one so there is no bias here. That said, I am fortunate to be close friends with Larry Weinstein who owns Hollywood Sound (Hollywood, FL) where we spend coutless hours listening to different analog set-up configurations.

Like the Sondek, the Rock 7 is a TT suspended by springs that incorporates a unique approach to arm-damping, involving viscous damping at the front end of the arm, right next to the cartridge, using a damping trough.

The trough-damping gives a solidity to the sound that one seldom otherwise encounters in vinyl playback. Best part, the front-end damping can be added to any arm (the “paddle” is attached via the cartridge mounting screws, so any tonearm can be used on the Rock 7).

The upgradealbe path?
Tonearm of your liking, cartridge of your liking, power supply of your liking, phono pre of your liking, etc.

Extremely finicky to set up properly. Once set up correctly (like the LP12) nothing short of sublime!

By the way, the same upgradeable principle could be applied to some of the other tables I mentioned before.

I can honestly tell you that, to my ears, no other table has sounded better than the Rock 7/Lyra Etna combo driven by top of the line Rogue Audio (HeraII/Apollo/Ares).

I'm sure that the LP12 with a much better arm than the carbon cc9 (not a big fan of Pro-ject at all) and a better cart than the Adikt (entry level cart) will definitely compete with many other tables out there that share the same price tag.

I'm just enjoying the simplicity and musicality of my set up and that's what this hobby should be all about; being happy with what you have and not worrying about what other people own.

In the end there is no right or wrong, just a matter of preference DaveyF.

Happy listening!

I guess we are both missing the point DaveyF.

In many cases "BASIC TTs" don't require chasis/motor changes nor extremely expensive "upgrades" because they are simply good enough to compete with the best of the best.

Your point, start with an entry level LP12 and build all the way up as funds allow by changing parts to optimize sound. We can both agree that this is a very expensive upgradeable path; from $4,200.00 to $20,000.00+

My point, start with something more substantial than an already quite expensive entry level turntable like the Majik LP12 and optimize sound by changing ancillary equipment such as tonearm, cart, external power supply, etc.

Not many manufacturers offer an upgradeable path like Linn. However, they do offer different models with noticeable cost effective improvements moving up the line.

Rega for example:
Compare the entry level RP3 to the top of the line RP10. Similar in many ways but EVERY component is vastly improved moving up the line; upgraded plinth, sub-platter, platter, feet, pulley, belt, power supply, tonearm, etc.
From $895.00 to $5,995.00

Don't get me wrong Daveyf, I have always praised the Sondek LP12 because it is a darn good turntable. Still considered one of the top turntables by many audiophiles. Ranked Stereophile Class A analog component.

What I cannot do is justify spending $20,000.00+ on a Sondek LP12 when I could buy a state of the art turntable for a fraction of the cost.

Anyway YMMV.

But I agree with you Daveyf.

I trully believe that a fully upgraded Klimax LP12 is in another league facing very few competitors.

I'm a huge fan of Rega (simplicity/cost effective/musicality) but I also have to agree with you that the top of the line RP10 is not in the same league as a top flight Klimax LP12. That said, it comes really close to the Akurate LP12 at half the price.

Get my point? If your idea is to keep the same TT for life then the entry level Majik LP12 (or any used Sondek LP12 in pristine condition) makes sense because of its upgradeable path as funds allow.

However, if your idea is to go with something great but more affordable, then there are many options out there; Sota, VPI, Acostic Signature, Rega, Clearaudio, Thoresns, Townshend, just to name a few.

You also hit the nail when you expressed that the LP12 was more "to your liking" when compared to the Palmer. You mentioned you got "burned" at the Linn vs Sota blog, correct? It's hard to persuade others to agree with your own opinions.

That's exactly the beauty of this hobby. Put together a nice system that will satisfy your ears based on your budget. Heck, my entire analog system falls under $15,000.00 and I'm pretty sure that many analog lovers are on the same boat.

In the end Daveyf, there is no right or wrong, just a matter of preference.

I can honestly tell you that, to my ears, my current fully tweaked Rega/DV P-75/Delos driven by Rogue Audio sounds far more to my liking that my late Linn LP12/Lingo/Linto driven by Linn.

The thread started with the following question "I was wondering if someone still uses this old designed turntables" Obviously the answer is "YES", many people still love this old design. But there is no doubt in my mind that many analog lovers (including me) would prefer to spend $2k-$4k on a newly designed TT instead.

No hard feelings, just my opinion.