I tried the 'Advanced' speed control box/motor back when I owned an LP-12 (we're going back well over 10 years) and was unimpressed. The DC motor was decent enough, but the speed drifted like crazy since it was/is an open-loop controller, without any platter/motor feedback to the controller. DC motors need some type of rigid feedback system (whether at the platter or in the gearhead itself) to provide constant, real-time feedback to the controller - I've never heard an open-loop DC controller for a brushed DC motor that was worth a damn (though Mark Kelly came close).
The Linn 'sound' is in part predicated around a synchronous AC motor (at least up until the Radikal). It is, IMO, part of what makes the LP-12 an enjoyable (albeit inaccurate) transcriber. You'd be better off with a used Lingo.
The Linn 'sound' is in part predicated around a synchronous AC motor (at least up until the Radikal). It is, IMO, part of what makes the LP-12 an enjoyable (albeit inaccurate) transcriber. You'd be better off with a used Lingo.