Cool.
I own a near Klimax LP12. If I had been a lifelong LP12 devotee and was thinking of upgrading… I would go for it. if you want the absolutely best performance for the money… this is probably not it.
I am retired, and following decades of 70+ hour weeks and incredible stress… why not enjoy the fruits of my labor. Sure, you are paying extra for the cashe…. But for most audiophiles, we are the only ones that will see them… and enjoy. I have a leather bound book about climbing Everest, signed by Sir Edmund Hillary. It makes me feel connected.
For most of my life I have owned high performance, butt-ugly speakers, used cars, and bought Scott TP. I now own two beautiful speakers (that also sound great). Sometimes, it is great to just splurge.
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Yep with design help from ex Apple guy Jonathan Ive.
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That is just plain ridiculous, but it will sell for sure. There's a long sentimental history for many with that turntable.
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Linn might as well jump on the massive-profit Nouveau Aristocracy bandwagon—which is increasingly prevalent in the audio biz.
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Bummer.
I own a near Klimax LP12
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If Linn utilize the new design aesthetic across the whole LP12 line, I think this is actually a very nice update. Hopefully ,the price of a new plinth with rounded corners will not be ridiculous; but knowing Linn's marketing....:0(
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When will we see it on the cover of Stereophile?
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The greatest benefit of a free market is that if you don’t see the value, you don’t have to buy it. Good luck Linn.
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If you can’t afford one, go for it.
To me, there is nothing appealing about this TT that can justifies its tag price of $60K even if I have money to burn! IMHO, there are much better options out there in $60K range or below that are primed for bragging rights 😊
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@lalitk +1
Where Linn get the idea that their Anniversary 50th LP12 equates to a $60K price tag is beyond me?
However, like always, they probably figure that there are folk with money to burn who will pony up for this model. This kind of segue ways into my thread in the speaker section wherein I asked, is there a price that a manufacturer can ask that will be too much, resulting in zero sales...seems that there is not???
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A couple comments. The nouveau riche would not buy a $60K Linn… they wouldn’t get it. They would buy something flashy.
The Linn 50th, is say $15K for nostalgia. There are folks for which this makes sense.
Yes, arbitrarily marking up an high end item has a limit. Let’s say you marked it up to $100K… it would get trashed in the professional journals, and they might sell one or two. Loosing money on the effort, and jeopardizing their reputation. Companies that have stood the test of time do so by being careful and making sure the performance / cost ratio remains positive.
I have had the privilege of buying some “luxury goods”, and the thing I walked away with was that the performance / cost ratio was always much greater than I expected. This is the key to pricing items. For instance I had to decide between another Toyota Avalon or a Lexus. I chose the Lexus. Holy cow, the benefits so outweighed the $10K it wasn’t funny. Luxury goods that do not outperform die… except for watches for some reason.
And then there are the @noromance types that have old stuff and think it doesn’t get better. We all have our journeys. My experience had been that audio components have improved leaps and bounds over the last fifty years. And Linn has put in the engineering effort to bring that to their sound quality. A friend of mine is restoring an old Garrard. I am looking forward to hearing it. My experience to date has been that newer stuff of audiophile quality sounds better.
Who knows, maybe I will be talked into buying an old 1960’s turquoise clock radio because of it;s great sound.
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@ghdprentice Your post makes sense, except it might assume that there is no direct competition for the Linn 50th at its asking price. Problem is, at least IME, there is competition at and slightly above this price point that will put the Linn to shame. On another forum, i mentioned that I recently heard a super nice Basis Inspiration with the Superarm 9 arm...similar piece point ( albeit the Basis was slightly higher, but not that much) and the Basis was in an entirely different league to any LP12 I have ever heard. The new SME 60 also is at this LP12's price point, I know which one i would entertain, and it is NOT the LP12.
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I don't like the new rounded style - it looks cheap.
They should go back to the original classic scandi look - square edges and fluted plinth of yore.
My new Apple M2 is probably better built and likely sounds better.
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OP,
I think you are correct… in that at the $60K price point, you can get a better sounding table. Different league ? Well, that would have to be determined in a real intimate comparison with both of us in the same room comparing our preferences and listening.
I guess I was talking in two different ways / observations. My guess is that the 50th anniversary Linn will perform at the ~$45K performance level (judging by the fact that my $35K Linn analog leg performs at that level) … if it performed at the +$45K that would be great. Anyone buying one, would be excited to have this special TT… knowing that they are paying for that. So, plus or minus $15K would not be an important difference. So, if I were in the market for the very best $60K TT… I would know this is not it. But adding in the nostalgia, it would be a good deal.
So, how you look at this is really a question of you value of money, audio and performance. But, I don;t think for someone that really appreciates Linn this is a stretch.
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This makes Naim's Nait 50 look like a bargain.
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What is the functional and practical difference between a $45K TT and a $60K TT? To my mind, at those price points emotion alone governs choice, or should do. If there are measurable differences, the inferior unit has no business costing even $45K.
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Same price as an SME Model 60. If I had to choose between those two, I think the Linn would lose.
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The Linn 50th, is say $15K for nostalgia.
And then there are the @noromance types that have old stuff and think it doesn’t get better.
@ghdprentice You kill me! I hope you have the V6 Lexus and not that awful new 4 pot turbo. The white LP12-50 looks like an iMac.
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@noromance
V6 👍 😊
Honestly, I don’t know what the 50th anniversary edition sounds like. So, this is all complete speculation.
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Now the LP12 has gone from junk to really stupidly expensive junk. There is a sucker born every minute.
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Not junk, but also, at least for the LP12 50th Anniversary, hard to assign that price to value.
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That’s a freaking down payment on a house! Who in the he$$ can afford this stuff?? Not me....
You can go to Thomman USA and buy yourself a brand new Thorens TD 1500 for what amounts to $1850 US dollars! ($2999 if bought in US). It is a suspended turntable that commemorates the original Thorens TD 150. I bet it sounds just as good as that LP12...
I own it and it's a fabulous turntable for the money.
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While the Thorens is a good table, I do think the Linn is probably better. However, is it 10-30 times better, that i seriously doubt!
Interesting thing is that there are apparently 120 of the 250 tables released already accounted for! That would seem to indicate that there are a ton of consumers who think nothing of dropping sixty large! I guess when you are worth $200+ million, what is sixty large......
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The Scotsman likes money. Period.
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@ghdprentice Speaking of automobiles, you can get a new Lexus RX350 or Volvo XC90 for the price of that turntable. We both know what is value for money and what isn't. The beauty of my well-fettled vintage gear is in the maximal bang for the buck achieved. That I can put together a great-sounding system for less than the nostalgia tax you may be willing to pay on that Linn gives me great satisfaction. I'm well aware that it can be bettered, but I prefer to allocate my funds on other endeavors, and not by lining the pockets of the likes of Mr. Tiefenbrun.
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It is still just a Linn but with more trick components. However much is spent it will never overcome the flaws in the original design
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Digital designer doesn‘t J.Ive (jive) with analogue. Gratuitous gounging of the unsuspecting
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Linn has been working to improve on a design they ripped off the Ariston RD11 for decades now.
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@perkri
not sure I‘d call those cosmetics even ‘working’
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@perkri +1! I have the pre-Linn Ariston RD and the later Ariston RD11S in my TT collection, along with an LP12. Ivor did indeed copy Stuart Hamish’s Ariston. In fact Ivor had Stuart build the first year’s LP12 production at the Ariston factory in Scotland. Both the Ariston and Linn are excellent belt-drive TT’s derived from the much-earlier Acoustic Research (AR) TT from Edgar Vilchur (half a million sold!).
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Two years ago we had the $35K LP12 on the cover of Stereophile. So even more now for the 50th Anniversary edition! This is a ’statement’ product to anchor Linn’s place in the top-tier of High End audio - like those $375K mono amps from DarTZeel in Switzerland!
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So half the production already sold? Good news for Linn! There will always be some really expensive shiny new toy to catch the eye of some new dot.com millionaire! Too bad it can't be worn on the wrist!
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For $65K here on Agon you can buy a Caliburn Continuum DD TT with Cobra arm and Castellon stand. A way better choice than the new LP12!
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It's a lot to pay for Linn's interpretation of a Panzerholz plinth and a fancy button and hinges.
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$60k for an LP12? Well that’s fine by me, I’m just curious as to how long it will take Ivor to offer expensive ’upgrades’ to this TT.
BTW: My 39 year old Heybrook TT2 has metal hinges.
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So that this is not taken in the wrong light, I am a fan of the LP12 table, and I own one.
However, I fail to understand the value of new hinges and a new shaped button or logo? I never use my lid for anything but a dust cover to be used only when the table is NOT in use. To add $30k for the benefit of a different plinth ( assuming there is even a benefit) and for the different shape of the sub chassis and power button, plus the “exclusive “ badging, makes zero sense to me.
The crazy thing is, Linn has apparently sold 120 of these 50th Anniv models already, which tells me that there are quite a few ‘unaware’ folk out there…with more money than sense, imho.
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I own a LP12. I am retired. Let’s say my net worth was three times what it is. I spend three hours a day listening to my system. The extra cost is no big deal to me. I have always loved Linn turntables. Why not. It is not only about performance any more. There are a lot of folks that have earned a lot of money. This isn’t for those of us that are budget constrained… it is for those that are not. Also, if you’re young and can afford it… in fifty years it will be a collectors item.
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I would seriously not think twice about it (high end audio gear I know nothing about) but the John Ive, LoveFrom BS is sooo painful.
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I own a LP12 Klimax, and run a Lyra Etna. My sentimental side led me to a suspension TT. I think many people (including me) get surprised by its sensitivity to vibration/footfall. I expect the 50th anniversary edition is no different. Sure, I have buyer's remorse knowing I could have purchased better SQ with a "newer design" TT. Linn gear is overpriced across the board (IMO) but people will buy it without looking "under the kilt"
Short answer, no, it's not worth it to me.
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Apparently, all 250 LP12 50th Anniv tables are now sold!
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Apparently, all 250 LP12 50th Anniv tables are now sold!
Obviously they priced it too low.
Ivor must be devastated.
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Until they release another batch. The speculators will be ticked off.
Apparently, all 250 LP12 50th Anniv tables are now sold!
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I'm just going to reiterate what I said elsewhere; You're paying for an industrial artist's work, not improved performance. I never heard of him until this new Linn turntable and I'm not an Apple person. Frankly it looks cheap in the photos. You know, if Banksy designed and signed an Ion or Crosley table it could sell for a hundred grand and they all would sell.
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So, Linn is closing on Oracle?
Now, Oracle Delphi is only 633 times better than the Linn!
Lectronjh50
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Dear @daveyf : As people say here in my country:
" Achieve fame and go to " sleep " "
Lamm is other example and nothing wrong with because manufacturers stay in the audio market for busines$$ as more the better always that been/be audiophiles to pay their audio items. It's a well defined market game, especially in audio " high end " niche.
Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.
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60k for an airpax motor turntable… if it were
milled from titanium it still won’t be worth that with a markup. The LP12 is a fine deck and deserves its place in audio history. The best LP12’s I have heard are by The Funk Firm and Vinyl Passion and they come out waaaaaayyyyyyy less than £60k. It’s this idiocy that leads to the gradual demise of the audio industry
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@rauliruegas
" Lamm is other example and nothing wrong with because manufacturers stay in the audio market for busines$$ as more the better always that been/be audiophiles to pay their audio items. It’s a well defined market game, especially in audio " high end " niche."
Can you explain what that means? I’m not understanding what you said.
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60k for an airpax motor turntable… if it were
milled from titanium it still won’t be worth that with a markup. The LP12 is a fine deck and deserves its place in audio history. The best LP12’s I have heard are by The Funk Firm and Vinyl Passion and they come out waaaaaayyyyyyy less than £60k. It’s this idiocy that leads to the gradual demise of the audio industry
And yet Linn has sold all 250 of these in just a few weeks! One could argue that they priced them way too low!!!
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