I worked at a senior position at Linn for 10 years. The LP12 is a sophisticated system painstakingly developed over 40+ years, where every aspect is carefully considered, listened to and selected. Linn are constantly combing the product for improvements so don’t think for a moment they designed it 40 years ago and forgotten about it. For example the felt mat is there for performance reasons, nothing comes close (Rega also use felt mats…there’s a reason) as is the whole mechanical balance. If something sounded better Linn would have it. For example, think of all the cork mats or record clamps Linn would sell if they were better. People sometimes perceive a change in sound as better. The best thing with this precision instrument is leave it as Linn engineers have meticulously designed it, at whatever version you can afford, find a Linn dealer who understands how to set it up and sit back and enjoy your music and spend your money on records.
This is equivalent to the clowns who tweak car engine E.C.U's to get a bit more horsepower but don't realise (or care!) about the effects on long-term reliability. True example: I had connections with a prestige car manufacturer and we'd see some fool with a laptop and a garden shed remap engine management systems that had been developed in a state of the art research and development department because, presumably, he was a lot smarter than we were. We'd then see, in a few months, transmission failure because the input torques had been exceeded. Totally irresponsible in my view and totally disrespectful to the original designers. I understand there's a very famous painting in the Louvre just crying out for improvement by adding a mustache......
I worked in retail selling Linn Sondeks at the same time as Neil Gaydon was at Linn products and had many enjoyable visits from him and he was present at clinics that we organised to set up customers LP 12's who had bought them second hand or from other sources and were dissatisfied with the performance.All I can say is that the feedback from those people that had experienced a properly set up turntable for the first time was unbelievable and that is all there is to it.In short a properly set up LP 12 will give you so much musical pleasure you will not be thinking of buying anything to degrade its performance but encouraged more to buy more records to enjoy on a properly set up device with nothing added that will make the sound different but definitely not better.
Sorry, but some obvious errors in this build. 1) Heavy platter weights and LP12 don't mix. They counteract what the spring subchassis suspension system is trying to do. 2) the Ittok's "yoke" comprising anti-skate dial and armlift is out of position.... When viewed from above with arm at rest the anti-skate dial should be to the right of the arm. Current position makes access to the armlift lever near impossible (armlift shaft should be at right angles to the arm in rest position) and places the armlift platform on a position where it won't support the arm above the early playing surface of the record. This also means that the right angled armlead connection on the underside of the arm won't be pointing the expected way, and the armlead will be counteracting the suspension. 3) Subchassis isn't remotely close to level... Armboard is a good 4 to 6mm down at the back compared to the front. 4) Motor switch is upside down... LEDs should be closer to the rear of the player, not the front. 5) Ittok counterweight (which is deliberately assymetrical) is on backwards making it more difficult to balance heavier cartridges. Plinth is pretty! Appreciate the enthusiasm for the player, but most of the above will affect performance.😮
Thanks for the feedback Mike. We noticed the weight was too heavy when we did the suspension calibration on the dedicated Linn calibration stand. We are going to omit it from the package.
The turntable that inspired me to get into vinyl was the LP-12 with the Ittok arm and the Asaka cartridge. it was a basic spec, aside from the arm and cartridge but it sounded so good it blew my mind.
I am glad to see recognition of a belt drive suspended design. I think customers forming their buying decisions are easily scared of spring suspensions, so manufacturers don't build them , even though an advantageous design. I know this because I am also enjoying a belt drive spring suspended table that has been proven in the audiophile market decades , a Michell gyro SE. main difference is the Gyro has only a vestigial plinth and the springs have easy to set top adjusters, so no need to mess with a dealer and play wizard , while hoping the set and forget it adjustment doesn't get screwed up on the ride home. All turntables nee to manage spurious energy, both internal and external. I think isolation via a spring suspension is a good solution without costing the world, with such designs noted for good bass and soundstage. I kind of suspected something was up when I saw the cork mat, then, towards the end, it was disclosed this was a sales pitch, I understood it was a cosmetic touch, to compliment the plinth, not performance. that also explains why the springs were not renewed, nor any other work to " next level" the performance was discussed.
Some upgrades I have made to my LP12 (a number of years ago) that will not "break the bank" and will bump up the performance: Linn Lingo Power Supply and move from the Ittok LVII to the LVIII Tone Arm.
While it looks nice, there is NO WAY the person who set that Linn up would be allowed in the same room as mine. Mike Burns did a very good job identifying the gross errors in construction and setup. The Mose/Hercules2 is $439 from Mober, not $600. And what on earth is that mat? Whoever did it has no understanding of how an LP12 is engineered and works.
Thanks for the feedback Tom. We noticed the weight was too heavy when we did the suspension calibration on the dedicated Linn calibration stand. We are going to omit it from the package.
@@SkyFiAudio then why is the weight in your current listing? And why in the world is the cue lever between the arm tube and platter? This is a bizarre LP12 build
The Linn calibration stand is called a jig! 😂 if Skyfi is selling Linn turntables it would be worth someone doing proper set-up training, it should be available from the US distributors. Otherwise you're just selling substandard gear that won't sound right and potentially damage Linn and your reputations.
@@NateEll If you read the listing carefully the weight has been removed. Didnt want to have to take new pics so we just made a mention. Lift cue has also been sorted. Thanks for the feedback.
@@SkyFiAudio I did read your listing carefully- it says the COUNTERWEIGHT was removed. A counterweight goes on the tonearm. I think you need to be a whole lot more careful with your listing wording and maybe leave Lp12s to the pros
Hi Fernando, thanks for sharing this stunning LP12, the plinth is really gorgeous. I've a LP12 with the Mose and Ittok LVII tonearm myself and it's a fantastic spinner. I must admit I'd be a bit hesitant of using such a heavy weight over the platter and the bearing on my LP12, I'd have concerns about the strain it might be imposing on the motor and the bearing over time. By the way I love the channel and the work you guys do at SkyFi Audio. Cheers from 🇦🇺
Two schools of thought on dust covers. 1. A closed dustcover helps block airborne vibration to the cartridge. 2. As expressed by our man here a perspex cover is a vibration magnet. Original Linn dustcovers were designed so the lid would easily slip off the hinges so you could use it either way so best of both worlds. Pop it back and your cartridge is safe from the cat. Yet another example of the amount of thought and care that went into the ORIGINAL design
I think your point 1 is negligable, even a meter away from a subwoofer at moderate volume is hardly felt besides that arm will have a fairly high resonant frequency, so low frequencies have less chance of exciting it, I would say the lid/collector does far more damage to the sound.
@@engjds You may well be right! The great thing is it's an easy and free experiment to try it both ways and see which (if any) you prefer. Have a great day and thanks for your interest .0)
Small point but I don't follow the point about 45 RPM being a higher fidelity data rate. Given the analogue nature of vinyl it seems plausible that 45 could still hypothetically store data at effectively lossless levels, and 45 only offers 36% more track distance per unit of time. Could you clarify?
I second Mike below. You made a major mistake. The platter has to be concave. In other words the platter needs to be slightly dished to help facilitate flattening out the record with a weight.
I don't really own much in the way of vinyl, but I loved this vid and that plinth is sublime. I liked spending my time in hi-fi shops (in the UK) in the 80s & 90s. Have you seen the new NAIM turntable?
Ivor Tiefenbrun always warned against record weights with a Linn as it would encourage the bearing to drill through itself. What did he know; he only designed it......... This video should carry a public health warning - Keep this man well socially distanced from your turntable!!
I just stumbled on this video now. I'm one and a half minutes into it and everything is screaming "no" at me. Cork mat. Use felt, it's much better. The suspension is woefully set up. Wear out your bearing by placing a very heavy platter weight on it. That doesn't seem to me to be a "light oak" plinth - looks more like sycamore to me (can't comment on the sound, but it's just not accurate) . Who knows what else is going on underneath. Avoid.
Love the quality but really that $600 external power supply is SO overkill in both size and cost given what can be had with todays modern electronis. It could easily be half that size and cost and still be more than good enough as long as quality is maintained.b To a large degree were being sold high hype fashion boutique product, think apple phones for instance and I cant beleive for the high cost of this thing cork is the best they can manage for a platter material - come on guys really-???
I agree about the PSU, overpriced and over sized, its little more than a 2 phase invertor run by a crystal, Linn and the rest certainly know how to rip off the audiophile.
At what price point in turntable design is it enough to be able to play back an LP that is supposed to be the "perfect format"? Now this never ends as we have turntables over $100K and up, even, that are supposed to be the be all, end all of LP playback. This turntable nonsense is getting old. I can't believe that anyone with a stock Linn feels like they made a mistake and needs to fix it. All of these after-market fixes have just become a cottage industry for neurotic audiophiles. If one cannot get off this merry go round of spending money you will never truly enjoy what you own. Something that sounds different is not always better.
Linn are nice, but rip off prices. £600 for power supplies is ridic, when they cost under £20 to make, its not like the electronics is that sophisticated, not even on the Lingo etc.
The camera work of this video is a joke! On the rare occasions that the camera was in focus, the obect somehow drifted way off-camera, THEN, as the camera operator finally managed to get the camera-lens aimed back at the object the narrator was trying to describe - the focus now became a hopeless blurr! If this team of reviewers are so incompetent when it comes to operating camera equipment, how can we seriously rely on them to have installed, adjusted, and operated high-end analog-audio equipment?
I worked at a senior position at Linn for 10 years. The LP12 is a sophisticated system painstakingly developed over 40+ years, where every aspect is carefully considered, listened to and selected. Linn are constantly combing the product for improvements so don’t think for a moment they designed it 40 years ago and forgotten about it. For example the felt mat is there for performance reasons, nothing comes close (Rega also use felt mats…there’s a reason) as is the whole mechanical balance. If something sounded better Linn would have it. For example, think of all the cork mats or record clamps Linn would sell if they were better. People sometimes perceive a change in sound as better. The best thing with this precision instrument is leave it as Linn engineers have meticulously designed it, at whatever version you can afford, find a Linn dealer who understands how to set it up and sit back and enjoy your music and spend your money on records.
Totally agree with you.
This is equivalent to the clowns who tweak car engine E.C.U's to get a bit more horsepower but don't realise (or care!) about the effects on long-term reliability. True example: I had connections with a prestige car manufacturer and we'd see some fool with a laptop and a garden shed remap engine management systems that had been developed in a state of the art research and development department because, presumably, he was a lot smarter than we were. We'd then see, in a few months, transmission failure because the input torques had been exceeded. Totally irresponsible in my view and totally disrespectful to the original designers. I understand there's a very famous painting in the Louvre just crying out for improvement by adding a mustache......
I dont trust some of the claims, like 5um tolerance on the sub platter, you would have to constantly check tooling.
except it's a blatant rip off of an old ariston deck , tbh a technics sl 1200g wipes the floor with this pos
@@flappospammo Yawn…
I worked in retail selling Linn Sondeks at the same time as Neil Gaydon was at Linn products and had many enjoyable visits from him and he was present at clinics that we organised to set up customers LP 12's who had bought them second hand or from other sources and were dissatisfied with the performance.All I can say is that the feedback from those people that had experienced a properly set up turntable for the first time was unbelievable and that is all there is to it.In short a properly set up LP 12 will give you so much musical pleasure you will not be thinking of buying anything to degrade its performance but encouraged more to buy more records to enjoy on a properly set up device with nothing added that will make the sound different but definitely not better.
Nice to meet Elliott today. Thanks for letting us check out your shop. Awesome place
Thanks for coming and great to meet you too Rob!
Sorry, but some obvious errors in this build.
1) Heavy platter weights and LP12 don't mix. They counteract what the spring subchassis suspension system is trying to do.
2) the Ittok's "yoke" comprising anti-skate dial and armlift is out of position.... When viewed from above with arm at rest the anti-skate dial should be to the right of the arm. Current position makes access to the armlift lever near impossible (armlift shaft should be at right angles to the arm in rest position) and places the armlift platform on a position where it won't support the arm above the early playing surface of the record.
This also means that the right angled armlead connection on the underside of the arm won't be pointing the expected way, and the armlead will be counteracting the suspension.
3) Subchassis isn't remotely close to level... Armboard is a good 4 to 6mm down at the back compared to the front.
4) Motor switch is upside down... LEDs should be closer to the rear of the player, not the front.
5) Ittok counterweight (which is deliberately assymetrical) is on backwards making it more difficult to balance heavier cartridges.
Plinth is pretty!
Appreciate the enthusiasm for the player, but most of the above will affect performance.😮
Basically a totally botched build
Thanks for the feedback Mike. We noticed the weight was too heavy when we did the suspension calibration on the dedicated Linn calibration stand. We are going to omit it from the package.
Totally agree and... too high! Seems a lot of space between the platter and top plate + think mat... what about vta?
lol ,this guy is hiliariously bad
That heavy weight puts the bearing under more pressure as well. Oracle tables use a screw down centre clamp. Lots of great advice from comments. 🙏
Now thats a beautiful turntable. That plinth is gorgeous
The turntable that inspired me to get into vinyl was the LP-12 with the Ittok arm and the Asaka cartridge. it was a basic spec, aside from the arm and cartridge but it sounded so good it blew my mind.
Love the turn table! FYI those are not dovetails. That is a mitered joint with splines to reinforce. Looks great!
Indeed, thanks Chris. Need to lean my joints :-)
@@SkyFiAudioWhere are Linn made, what country are they from.
I am glad to see recognition of a belt drive suspended design. I think customers forming their buying decisions are easily scared of spring suspensions, so manufacturers don't build them , even though an advantageous design. I know this because I am also enjoying a belt drive spring suspended table that has been proven in the audiophile market decades , a Michell gyro SE. main difference is the Gyro has only a vestigial plinth and the springs have easy to set top adjusters, so no need to mess with a dealer and play wizard , while hoping the set and forget it adjustment doesn't get screwed up on the ride home.
All turntables nee to manage spurious energy, both internal and external. I think isolation via a spring suspension is a good solution without costing the world, with such designs noted for good bass and soundstage.
I kind of suspected something was up when I saw the cork mat, then, towards the end, it was disclosed this was a sales pitch, I understood it was a cosmetic touch, to compliment the plinth, not performance. that also explains why the springs were not renewed, nor any other work to " next level" the performance was discussed.
Some upgrades I have made to my LP12 (a number of years ago) that will not "break the bank" and will bump up the performance: Linn Lingo Power Supply and move from the Ittok LVII to the LVIII Tone Arm.
While it looks nice, there is NO WAY the person who set that Linn up would be allowed in the same room as mine. Mike Burns did a very good job identifying the gross errors in construction and setup. The Mose/Hercules2 is $439 from Mober, not $600. And what on earth is that mat? Whoever did it has no understanding of how an LP12 is engineered and works.
Thanks for the feedback Tom. We noticed the weight was too heavy when we did the suspension calibration on the dedicated Linn calibration stand. We are going to omit it from the package.
@@SkyFiAudio then why is the weight in your current listing? And why in the world is the cue lever between the arm tube and platter? This is a bizarre LP12 build
The Linn calibration stand is called a jig! 😂 if Skyfi is selling Linn turntables it would be worth someone doing proper set-up training, it should be available from the US distributors. Otherwise you're just selling substandard gear that won't sound right and potentially damage Linn and your reputations.
@@NateEll If you read the listing carefully the weight has been removed. Didnt want to have to take new pics so we just made a mention. Lift cue has also been sorted.
Thanks for the feedback.
@@SkyFiAudio I did read your listing carefully- it says the COUNTERWEIGHT was removed. A counterweight goes on the tonearm. I think you need to be a whole lot more careful with your listing wording and maybe leave Lp12s to the pros
Hi Fernando, thanks for sharing this stunning LP12, the plinth is really gorgeous. I've a LP12 with the Mose and Ittok LVII tonearm myself and it's a fantastic spinner. I must admit I'd be a bit hesitant of using such a heavy weight over the platter and the bearing on my LP12, I'd have concerns about the strain it might be imposing on the motor and the bearing over time. By the way I love the channel and the work you guys do at SkyFi Audio. Cheers from 🇦🇺
Does the Moses power supply allow you to wander through the wilderness of your record collection for 40 years.?
@@gotham61 😂 good one 👍🏼
It's sooo beautiful 😍❤! I wish I could afford it, but I'm lucky to have what I have!
Very beautiful!
Two schools of thought on dust covers. 1. A closed dustcover helps block airborne vibration to the cartridge. 2. As expressed by our man here a perspex cover is a vibration magnet. Original Linn dustcovers were designed so the lid would easily slip off the hinges so you could use it either way so best of both worlds. Pop it back and your cartridge is safe from the cat. Yet another example of the amount of thought and care that went into the ORIGINAL design
I think your point 1 is negligable, even a meter away from a subwoofer at moderate volume is hardly felt besides that arm will have a fairly high resonant frequency, so low frequencies have less chance of exciting it, I would say the lid/collector does far more damage to the sound.
@@engjds You may well be right! The great thing is it's an easy and free experiment to try it both ways and see which (if any) you prefer. Have a great day and thanks for your interest .0)
@@russputin6294 Yes, like anything else, try it and see, unless its crack.
@@engjds 😂Have a great evening my friend!
Love your work, as always. Great job.
looking great
Looks awesome, but the plinth ist not oak, it's Maple.
How can you be sure? plained wood is really hard to identify especially that having no real grain.
@@engjds it's Hard Maple with american walnut finger joints , I now it for sure because it's made by me : woodoosound
@@oscarduran6559 Ahh ok, thanks for letting me know.
Small point but I don't follow the point about 45 RPM being a higher fidelity data rate. Given the analogue nature of vinyl it seems plausible that 45 could still hypothetically store data at effectively lossless levels, and 45 only offers 36% more track distance per unit of time. Could you clarify?
How can you improve something that has evovled over decades by Linn themselves. You know better than they do ?
😮 I WANT IT! I know I’m a year late to this video but can it be custom reordered?
Very nice
Build looks fantastic with all of the upgrades.
Oh too... that's not oak. It's curly maple
looks pretty straight to me! :)
You are right. It's maple.
I second Mike below. You made a major mistake. The platter has to be concave. In other words the platter needs to be slightly dished to help facilitate flattening out the record with a weight.
That sure looks like a maple plinth to me..
I don't really own much in the way of vinyl, but I loved this vid and that plinth is sublime. I liked spending my time in hi-fi shops (in the UK) in the 80s & 90s. Have you seen the new NAIM turntable?
its not taken to the next level , its just had the sound changed , its not an imporovement , its just a change
Ivor Tiefenbrun always warned against record weights with a Linn as it would encourage the bearing to drill through itself. What did he know; he only designed it......... This video should carry a public health warning - Keep this man well socially distanced from your turntable!!
Where are Linn made, what country are they from.
Scotland
@@garysutton7553 ok thanks, I live in Houston, TX and I would love to know where the nearest dealer is.
nice video with good info. But can you please, please don't move the camera around so much?
A fixed camera would be better.
@@fnd111 Just got a new camera, next one will be better. Thanks for the feedback
i have a remastered brothers in arms album that runs at 45 RPM sound great
GREAT test album.
I'm already envying the person who will buy this. Looks better than the current one.
I just stumbled on this video now. I'm one and a half minutes into it and everything is screaming "no" at me. Cork mat. Use felt, it's much better. The suspension is woefully set up. Wear out your bearing by placing a very heavy platter weight on it. That doesn't seem to me to be a "light oak" plinth - looks more like sycamore to me (can't comment on the sound, but it's just not accurate) . Who knows what else is going on underneath. Avoid.
Doesn’t look like Dovetail joint to me!
Maybe level the suspension before making a video?
Love the quality but really that $600 external power supply is SO overkill in both size and cost given what can be had with todays modern electronis. It could easily be half that size and cost and still be more than good enough as long as quality is maintained.b To a large degree were being sold high hype fashion boutique product, think apple phones for instance and I cant beleive for the high cost of this thing cork is the best they can manage for a platter material - come on guys really-???
I agree about the PSU, overpriced and over sized, its little more than a 2 phase invertor run by a crystal, Linn and the rest certainly know how to rip off the audiophile.
And buy an sa-cd /dvd-a player
At what price point in turntable design is it enough to be able to play back an LP that is supposed to be the "perfect format"? Now this never ends as we have turntables over $100K and up, even, that are supposed to be the be all, end all of LP playback. This turntable nonsense is getting old. I can't believe that anyone with a stock Linn feels like they made a mistake and needs to fix it. All of these after-market fixes have just become a cottage industry for neurotic audiophiles. If one cannot get off this merry go round of spending money you will never truly enjoy what you own. Something that sounds different is not always better.
ALL manufacturers cut corners on price, if Linn didnt they would be using Beryllium platters and Chassis.
A great turntable spoilt by non- standered parts. Set up could be better too! Pity the poor soul who buys this deck, it won't last long.
Some random place "remaking" a Linn LP12 is beyond preposterous.....
Linn are nice, but rip off prices. £600 for power supplies is ridic, when they cost under £20 to make, its not like the electronics is that sophisticated, not even on the Lingo etc.
Don't use a weight on this turntable !
And buy a technics
The camera work of this video is a joke! On the rare occasions that the camera was in focus, the obect somehow drifted way off-camera, THEN, as the camera operator finally managed to get the camera-lens aimed back at the object the narrator was trying to describe - the focus now became a hopeless blurr! If this team of reviewers are so incompetent when it comes to operating camera equipment, how can we seriously rely on them to have installed, adjusted, and operated high-end analog-audio equipment?
Ģreat turntable plinth makes it look cheap and nasty ruined a great turntable