Hi guys,

A friend bought a LP12 SE complete with Lingo, Linto, Ekos SE, Akyva.
About 15000 euros in France.
I listened to it with various records during about 2 hours.
Clearly the best source I ever heard.
Planning to buy one next year, I was just wondering if :
- Are there some owners of it on AK ?
- Did you have a chance to compare it with other high end TT ( Verdier, VPI etc...) of about the same price ? I really don't see ( no matter the price...) how a LP could sound better than what I heard at my friend's home....

Many Thanks in advance

I don't own the LP12 SE, however I do own LP12, Lingo, Naim Aro and it is very nice. At the time of buying the Naim ARO, it was better sounding than the Ekos.

It does come a comfortable 3rd out of the 3 TT's I own.

It would be very interesting to hear how the LP12SE competes with the current high end tables.

I don't own the LP12 SE, however I do own LP12, Lingo, Naim Aro and it is very nice. At the time of buying the Naim ARO, it was better sounding than the Ekos.

It does come a comfortable 3rd out of the 3 TT's I own.

It would be very interesting to hear how the LP12SE competes with the current high end tables.

Yes, I think it would be interesting for you to compare it with your Raven for example. I think the LP12 se beats everything eslse, no matter the price. I heard one the Goldmund Reference which retails for much more than 15000 euros ( about 100000 if I remember well...) and it did not impress me as the LP12 se. It is simply exceptionnal. So exceptionnal that, not being rich, I will surely spend the 15000 euros next year to get one, even if I have only 130 LP's at this time.....

Best wishes,

Yes, I think it would be interesting for you to compare it with your Raven for example. I think the LP12 se beats everything eslse, no matter the price. I heard one the Goldmund Reference which retails for much more than 15000 euros ( about 100000 if I remember well...) and it did not impress me as the LP12 se. It is simply exceptionnal. So exceptionnal that, not being rich, I will surely spend the 15000 euros next year to get one, even if I have only 130 LP's at this time.....

Best wishes,

Don't worry Jerome, the better the table the quicker you buy more vinyl.

cheers

The Old ones aren't that bad either. The upgrade path is open too. I haven't bought a CD since buying the LP12.

Mine started off, Circa 1978 with an Akito arm, and Linn's upgraded wire. Now it has the Valhalla board (essentially new), Ittok and a Lyra Dorian. It was set up by someone very knowledgeable, I just let it play it's stuff. Came an inch away of buying the Lingo.

Shane, what do you think of your 834P, it's been the best thing I've bought for my record player so far.

You'll find many owners of the LP12 here; in fact, there is a thread for owners on this website in the Linn forum. I'm more a fan of the "upgrade path" rather than ditching my rig, so my comments are in that vein.

I started out with the Basik tonearm and the Valhalla power supply. I've since upgraded to the Ittok LVII arm and Hercules power supply. To me the most important upgrade from what you currently have would be the arm/cartridge combination (not cheap).

There are some intriguing alternatives some Linn upgrades. I'm intrigued by the Keel subchassis, but it is very expensive; I have bought (but have not yet installed) the Cetech carbon fiber subchassis. The Cetech is a fraction of the cost of the Keel.

On the power supply front, I've heard that the Lingo makes a real difference, however the Hercules power supply made a tangible difference over the Valhalla in my system, again for a fraction of the price of the Linn upgrade.

There are other alternative to Keel and Cetech subchasis.

I haven't heard it but there is an aftermarket subchasis called the Sole. ( it's about 10% of the Keel price ) This one, unlike the Keel, is said to be multi-layered.

You'll find many owners of the LP12 here; in fact, there is a thread for owners on this website in the Linn forum. I'm more a fan of the "upgrade path" rather than ditching my rig, so my comments are in that vein.

I started out with the Basik tonearm and the Valhalla power supply. I've since upgraded to the Ittok LVII arm and Hercules power supply. To me the most important upgrade from what you currently have would be the arm/cartridge combination (not cheap).

There are some intriguing alternatives some Linn upgrades. I'm intrigued by the Keel subchassis, but it is very expensive; I have bought (but have not yet installed) the Cetech carbon fiber subchassis. The Cetech is a fraction of the cost of the Keel.

On the power supply front, I've heard that the Lingo makes a real difference, however the Hercules power supply made a tangible difference over the Valhalla in my system, again for a fraction of the price of the Linn upgrade.

I have to agree with the comments about the Hercules PSU. Real easy to fit and for only 150.00 UK pounds (back in 2006). Noticeably more energetic sound with the advantage of electronically switched 45rpm. No clumsy second box either as it fits in the footprint of the old valhalla - just need to swap boards and switches and you're good to go.

Phil.

Hi guys,

A friend bought a LP12 SE complete with Lingo, Linto, Ekos SE, Akyva.
About 15000 euros in France.
I listened to it with various records during about 2 hours.
Clearly the best source I ever heard.
Planning to buy one next year, I was just wondering if :
- Are there some owners of it on AK ?
- Did you have a chance to compare it with other high end TT ( Verdier, VPI etc...) of about the same price ? I really don't see ( no matter the price...) how a LP could sound better than what I heard at my friend's home....

Many Thanks in advance

When you say "Complete" does this rig have the Keel sub-chassis? My recommendation, and if you haven't read Art Dudley's 2007 Stereophile review of the SE upgrades, it would be helpful. Art has spent nearly two decades with the Sondek LP12 and most of its permutations.

http://www.stereophile.com/tonearms/1007linn/index.html

I pretty much agree with Art's line of thinking and it seems to me that the Keel upgrade should come before the SE Ekos arm. It's not only a value consideration but, taking a look at it from the point of view of hierarchy, it is the best improvement. I currently have both a vintage LP12 (pre SE) otherwise loaded and mount an (Akiva) on a Ittok LVII, with excellent results, and also an Avid Acutus TT with a SME V arm, for now. This brings up my second point to assist you in your analogue journey. When I looked at the SE upgrades and the caveats that come with it, my conclusion is that Linn has priced themselves in a position where there are far too many alternatives with their obvious advantages. I for one find the Avid Acutus to have all the liveliness of the Linn LP12 and dynamics and weight that the old shoe box doesn't produce. See also my comments on the auditions of the SE upgrades thread in this forum, it expands on a few ideas that are relevant.

This is a big step both price and performance wise... take your time and look and listen to as much as you can. It will be time well invested.

Happy (analogue) Listening! :beatnik: