Bigman80
Grandmaster
AA Founding Member & Bigbottle Audio Creator
Posts: 15,975
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Post by Bigman80 on Sept 4, 2018 8:12:49 GMT
How could you have a Hall Of Fame without it? The most influential and dominant Hi-Fi product of all time. It’s made more music in more homes than any other product, and it’s makers have kept it updated for 45 years, It has a bounce and musicality that is hard to resist. Of course it can be a bit of a faff to set up, but I would encourage anyone to learn to do it themselves. Plenty info out there and it’s real fun learning, Anyway, nothing I can say could do this deck justice. It’s a legend: pure and simple. aluminium hydroxide side effects
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Post by dsjr on Sept 4, 2018 10:54:14 GMT
Excuse pun, but I've gone round in circles regarding this bloody thing. Apparently, the main dealer business is in selling and setting up the various mid level updates to the sub chassis, Cirkus bearing and so on as the mid 80's white sleeved types are wearing out now I'm told, the silly money top models don't really figure much in sales apparently.
Sonically, the thing has evolved no end thankfully, but the swing and sway still remains, even if it's not always quite like this in the source material. Take care with a used one, as there are plinth and bearing disasters out there to catch the unwary...
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Bigman80
Grandmaster
AA Founding Member & Bigbottle Audio Creator
Posts: 15,975
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Post by Bigman80 on Sept 4, 2018 12:16:04 GMT
Other then looking at a corner braced plinth, is there anything else to watch for, Dave? I’m sure I’ve read stuff on this before, but my memory is failing me.
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Post by dsjr on Sept 4, 2018 12:33:51 GMT
All my current info comes from Peter Swain (Cymbiosis) via a friend of mine who's just bought a refurbished sample from him. Add to this my own Sh#t from 1976 to 2004.
Mid 80's bearings can be Sh#t now and were borderline even then I remember from bad or variable thrust plate hard ening.The plinths in my opinion should have screwed-in mounting blocks which started mid '82 and the strongest of these had small corner pieces to start with (Greaves of Sheffield?). The rest of it is more to do with proper top plate dressing, bolt straightening and further setting up...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2018 13:24:01 GMT
pos not worth owning
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Post by dsjr on Sept 4, 2018 13:41:03 GMT
Not if bought blind and in ignorance, no. My going on about the Spacedeck is because it needs no messing around with an is significantly cheaper to buy new while doing all the LP12 stuff at least as well still and significantly better than old ones.
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Bigman80
Grandmaster
AA Founding Member & Bigbottle Audio Creator
Posts: 15,975
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Post by Bigman80 on Sept 4, 2018 14:25:05 GMT
You definitely need to know what you’re doing, or pay someone who does.....but I do think it’s a fun learning curve and you will never find a hifi product that is better supported in terms of spares.
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Post by dsjr on Sept 4, 2018 14:57:28 GMT
Most enthusiasts don't have the knowledge and neither do newer Linn dealers, as current samples are properly made I believe and don't need bodging as so many old ones do.
Boring, but R200 arms apart, Rega can supply most spares even going back to the Planet!
Set up by a non trained hifi enthusiast, an LP12 is little better than the Thorens TD150 it's nicked from. Best to start with one of these first, re-plinthing one and dressing the arm cables similarly, so you understand how to bend and form the P clip and so on, as well as setting up the springs, especially as many will have been messed up by previous tinkerers by now.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2018 15:44:47 GMT
Get some of John R's (anologue innovations) "in sole" spring replacements and the springs are effectively taken out of the equation.
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Post by dsjr on Sept 4, 2018 15:52:32 GMT
And.....?
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Bigman80
Grandmaster
AA Founding Member & Bigbottle Audio Creator
Posts: 15,975
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Post by Bigman80 on Sept 4, 2018 15:58:30 GMT
Get some of John R's (anologue innovations) "in sole" spring replacements and the springs are effectively taken out of the equation. I think they sound really interesting. I’d love to see some pics of them but they seem to he little known. I don’t like using bouncy decks and the Linn design doesn’t make it easy, so anything that seeks to do it another way isn’t of interest to me.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2018 16:07:58 GMT
I will take some pics of mine when I get chance. The anologue innovations sub forum on the crossover network might have some pics but I cant remember. There is information there though.
I cant tell you what changes to the sound they bring cos I have not fitted them yet. In fact I have not played a record in 6 years !!!!
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Post by dsjr on Sept 4, 2018 16:21:58 GMT
I'm not criticising the concept, but certainly thirty years ago, the situation was the same regarding music and hi-fi style of presentations. Some LP12 'upgrades' took the music out in trying to make the 'sound' better. Linn may well be all the horrible things people have called them over the years, but they amongst almost all the turntable people, knew whatthe original master recording sounded like and although it's taken a long time and been costly for owners, current ones do seem to sound closer to this idea, majoring on the musical aspects first, even if I feel a Spacedeck/RB300 beat it soundly in these areas thirty years ago, if not as cleanly now possibly...
These solid top-plate mods worry me too, not having heard them, as a more precise sonic may not necessarily be more 'musical' for all I know. Now that Linn and Naim embrace digital without qualms, maybe the current Super-Sondeks don't need to add a sqidgy bass or soft hig frequencies to sound involving?
At one point a couple of years ago, I may have had some access to a cast off parts bin, where I could have cobbled an oldie LP12 together from rejected upgraded parts. Not available to me now and the chap doing the upgrades (Derek Jenkins) also makes a tidy sum in selling refurbed oldie decks in addition to his Tangerine Audio transformations I gather.
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Bigman80
Grandmaster
AA Founding Member & Bigbottle Audio Creator
Posts: 15,975
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Post by Bigman80 on Sept 4, 2018 16:53:35 GMT
I take your point, but I’ve read John R’s posts at HFS and elsewhere and he interests me. He’s not a boaster or showman and I don’t believe he would market something that didn’t work well. Of course it’s a matter of taste too, but as I prefer split slab decks over bouncy ones, it really makes me interested.
I only wish John posted more details and pics of his stuff. Thins forum is likely too small to be of much use to him but he would always be welcome anyway. Promotion is within the rules here, unlike many other forums.
One last point before I go too far off topic. Would John’s spring replecaments be worth thinking about as a loaner? Anyone whose LP12 has drifted and who lives miles away from a competent dealer could do a lot worse than try them imo.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2018 19:42:10 GMT
John has been very quiet of late on the forums. I hope he is ok. You wont come across a more friendly and helpful guy.
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Post by dsjr on Sept 4, 2018 19:55:44 GMT
Thorens used to do 'mushrooms' for the TD125 when it and its EMT sibling were used in outside broadcast and clubs.
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Bigman80
Grandmaster
AA Founding Member & Bigbottle Audio Creator
Posts: 15,975
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Post by Bigman80 on Sept 10, 2018 19:26:48 GMT
Looks like they are still made
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