Linn LP12 setup guide

Why? Linn worked bloody hard on getting the springs true and consistent and any slight bounce imbalance is tuned with different grommets The main issue is dynamic wow with lower compliance mc cartridges and maybe this is better now. The motor area fourth bolt helped sink remaining motor vibration into the plinth and away from the sub-chassis and the Tangerine Audio (I think) top plate removes this at a stroke by not being springy as the standard plate is.

All these mods are very expensive and as I said a few times today here and on HFS, a Spacedeck is better in all the LP12 strength areas in my opinion still. Despite the latest improvements, a stock LP12 is still slightly soft-focus - I haven't heard the mega-priced versions though in which case I'd look first at an NAS Dias which is a Spacedeck but larger and with quieter backgrounds amongst other refinements...

I think he is too. I remember him from Infidelity days.

It's when they don't cooperate that it all goes wrong. That's when an expert comes in... I used to be good, but it's a long time ago now...

1, Later grommets were harder compound and the springs sat fine in the ones I set up and checked years later

2, Can't argue that one. It's all Thorens fault for doing the TD150 this way and Hamish Robertson's for specifying such a massy platter system when he stole the basic TD150 concept to beef up. Latest outer platters have had some mass shaved away I'm told.

3, Who says so? PT's Arthur with a mod kit to sell?

4, The springs are in compression so no stretching. The supposed issue here is the very heavy platter on top wants to up-end itself, dynamically I understand like a Porsche 911 tail wagging the rear wheels out on hard cornering, which Porsche minimised with later thick-tyred versions.

5, Thank Gawd for that, as numpties would wreck it! Later samples with harder grommets don't usually sag more than a mm or so initially and stay where they are in my experience.

6, Jimmy H used Zetas with no difficulty, although the suspension needed to be dropped a bit so the arm just cleared the lid. This is where the skill of an experienced setter-upper comes in

7, Making a more positive arm-board fixing - at the time - wrecked the sound - we tried it! Maybe today it's different and with the newer sub-chassis designs, but not back then!

8, The glued sub chassis doesn't ring with the arm board on it and earlier attempts to make the coupling more solid were awful musically, but since everything's been changed now, things may be very different today. The main weakness was the main bearing fixings (Martin Colloms did a successful mod in the late 80's by gluing a drilled Perspex block around the bearing housing and to the sub chassis, once an article in HFN) and the full Cirkus kit took it further by allowing the revised bearing housing to bolt solidly to both laminates of the old sub chassis rather than just one. The bass waywardness was significantly reduced albeit with a generally 'dark' tone, but I even began to like the ARO after the Cirkus came out and the Ekos sounded increasingly 'clanky' to me (wash my mouth out!!!).


Why I'm defending the effing thing I don't know, but my living and reputation was made on setting these things up until 2004, so I have to spout forth here, sorry! Thing is, I can get a vintage Technics SL1500 with minor removable tweaks to sound as good or better with careful cartridge, mat, exit wiring and headshell as well as removing the lid, so why bother with an overpriced LP12 apart from old times and it's endearing appearance?

P.S. I had an old colleague/friend who was working back at KJ part time until early last year. KJ now once again sell Naim (Statement Amp too!) and Linn as well as D'Agostino and ARC brands and associated Top End confections now out of my league. Derek Jenkins (Tangerine Audio mods?) does a lot of work there on a freelance basis I was told and I harboured ideas of trying to collect some cast off bits and hobbling an LP12 together. I then found he does this himself (as does Peter Swain in Leicester) and can make a tidy profit on such cobbled decks, so that idea went out of the window.

So much better out there now. A £600 Rega 3 today, lacks the bass warmth colouration, but the mid and top are excellent now and with careful cartridge choice I think (2M Bronze is a favourite) it cam sound very 'right' with vinyl, if not as charming as a good fruitbox can be.

John (Analogue Innovations) thinks he's sorted out the spring problem with his bobbins.

I've said too much really but shall close with this - as far as I can see and hear, the current RB330 arm is rather 'free-er' than the original RB300. Not something you could easily pin down possibly, but every little helps I think.

Here's a link to a thread on The Crossover Network, and you will see a link to John's website at the bottom of his posts. The website does not mention the bobbins unfortunately.
thecrossovernetwork.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?7868-Sub-chassis-isolation-bobbins

Cheers, Stu. I've always thougt springs were the wrong solution. It's great to know someone else who actually knows somethig thougt the same!

From what I know and have seen of John R. He seems a top bloke and never promotes his stuff. Presumably his gear does he talking for him.

I have a pl71 as well dave

Off topic a bit, but have you heard the Sony PS-X9 Dave. I've picked one up but it will be some time before I actually get hands on with it.

Ive wanted to try one for ages. The seller (rightly) won't ship so I am relying on a distant relative to collect for me when they are next in that part of the world. It does look nice in an industrial,sort of way,

I had a PS-6750 which was initially a significant step down from my Xerxes/Xenon MCS (both running AT33s). Putting an Origin Live mat in place of the Sony's gel mat closed the gap to were I wouldn't have been able to tell the two apart. I've never heard two decks sound so similar, yet the technologies couldn't have been farther apart.

I kept the Sony because it was a pleasure to use, less fussy about siting and far cheaper than the Xerxes. As good as it was, I hardly used it, I just enjoyed the look and feel of the Xerxes more. I've had a few over the years and I'm kinda emotionally attached to the deck.

Yeah it's very "up-front". I'd say it tends to favour leading edges and it has a very propulsive bass. It starts and stops as well as any deck I've ever heard and this makes it a good contrast to the bounce of the LP12. Some very clever engineering went into the Xerxes and I feel it shows in the sound, I've always found its pitch stability to be excellent too. It was indistinguishable from the Sony DD in this respect.