Linn Buyers Guide

Whilst many other brands have their diehard followers, talk to the majority of
audiophiles, with a relaxed budget, and they will probably mention the Linn
Sondek LP12 as being one of the best turntables that you can buy. But why?
There are undoubtedly better turntables out there and there have certainly
been more expensive, more technically advanced offerings available.

The reasons that it has such a cult following, I believe, fall into 3 main
categories. What you can hear, what you read about it and thirdly, the
‘modularity’ that was built into it, which meant that key components could be
changed / upgraded almost endlessly to your hearts content.

In terms of what you can hear, it is true to say that the first time that you hear
a Linn LP12 of virtually any specification, if it is set up correctly, it is
impossible not to come away with the impression that ‘that is good’. It just
sounds different to virtually anything else. If you like it, you will be a convert
for life, if you don’t – well, maybe you weren’t listening properly! Joking.

Between its birth in 1973 until the CD age took over in the late 80s/early 90s,
the HiFi press never stopped saying nice things about it and it was the stock
recommendation to just about everybody in the readers letters advice
sections. Cynics might opine that this was due to the fact that Linn were quite
generous with its demo decks and the fact that the ‘larger than life’ owner
would tour the country himself, ‘promoting’ his deck into the early hours. But,
again, if you took the time to go and listen to one, you would realise that
whatever hype and praise was heaped on the deck in the press – the deck
delivered, when it mattered most, in the listening.

The modular nature of the deck, I suspect happened by accident, but it has
defined the brand over its 50 years of manufacture, the fact that most
components are interchangeable throughout the production run, meaning that
updating or upgrading couldn’t be easier, avoiding the need to keep starting
again. Indeed many LP12s are like the proverbial ‘Trigger’s Broom’.

And, it should be said, that a Linn Sondek was never cheap. I can remember
that a base deck, cheap arm and cartridge would have set you back about
£600 at the beginning of the 1980s, when I first became aware of them. This
was when the average wage in the UK was probably about £10 000 a year!
So, they were always reassuringly expensive, but that is also, thankfully, the
main reason that so many of them survive today, because nobody who bought
one would ever willingly or knowingly throw one away!

Fast forward to the present day and although they have undoubtedly evolved,
they are still principally hand made (and so still reassuringly expensive). Are
they worth it? Oh yes. Come and hear one.

A well set up Linn Sondek of any vintage (and pretty much any specification)
is a pleasure to behold and listen to. Modern and current decks are technically
much more advanced in the way that they get the platter to spin the record at
an accurate speed, but the basic set up is the same : a suspended chassis on
springs, set level and ‘tuned’ to a perfect bounce, Arms and Cartridges
perfectly positioned and perfectly aligned to enable optimum conditions for the
gathering of information from the medium – the record. Are they still good.
Absolutely.

Opinions are divided on this. It was designed – before computers – by trial and
error. It was not as technically advanced as many of its competitors –
especially those arriving from Japan. It was not as well made as many of its
competitors, but it had solidity and clever design in its corner.

Some people point to the suspension system. Some point to the bearing –
which has always been massively overengineered for its purpose. Different
people would point to the clever arm designs and high specification
cartridges. Other factors are the power supplies and the construction of the
body (the plinth) and top plate.

My opinion is that there are two parts to it. Firstly, everything that has been
mentioned above, but mainly, I believe that it is the secondary ‘construction’ –
the set up – which was designed, perfected, described and noted with
obsessive zeal by the manufacturer – from all of the trial and error of the many
years of practice. It is still the same today. If it isn’t set up right – it will not give
of its best.

It is very particular in respect of its set up – no alignment factor is left to
chance – but it also requires its own clear space and the requirement to be
sat perfectly level – the better to mirror the environment in which it was
created in.

But, if you treat it like a princess (or prince) it will reward with very little
complaint for many years – and will then only need a light service to carry on
again for many more years.

As you can imagine in a 50 year production run there has been a fair bit
written about the pros and cons of this machine. I am going to limit my
appraisal here to relatively concrete considerations – as opposed to the
abstract.

Pros

• Well designed
• Modular construction – ideal for tinkerers and those with upgraditus
• High Quality Sound at all specification levels
• Well supported by dealers and secondary markets
• Easy and plentiful availability of new and used spare parts
• Most components are robust and long lasting – Mk 1 Akito arm the rare
• exception
• Will play your records better than just about any other player
• Will provide years of good service and pleasure

Cons

• Needs to be expertly set up to give of its best
• Needs its space, ideally isolated / wall mounted, perfectly level in every plane
• Requires occasional maintenance
• If you buy a tired example, it is likely to be trouble
• Tired decks can be costly to restore
• Initial cost is relatively high
• Upgrades can be costly through to eyewatering

I like to think of decks like cars. If you buy a 40 year old car that looks tatty,
with no service history, it’s unreasonable to think that you are going to have a
reliable, daily driver. And so it is with vintage hifi, in general, and turntables in
particular. Buy a well cared for deck from an enthusiast, or a restored deck
from a dealer / expert and it will save you money – but also much
disappointment and distress – in the long run.

The Linn Axis and the Linn Basik are both extremely good turntables and a
superb point of entry into playing records – at a much lower price point than a
Sondek LP12.

To carry on the car analogies, from above, these decks are the Boxsters of
the range. Most people would prefer a nine eleven but the Boxster is a great
car in its own right.

And so it is here.

The Basik is actually closer to the Axis than it should be in terms of sound
quality – as it is a much simpler design – and that simplicity means that it is a
great used buy, as it is electronically much less complicated than the Axis,
which actually has a more sophisticated power supply than the basic LP12.

Unfortunately, however, nobody expected that the capacitors were going to be
expected to last 40 years and so, the Axis power supply is quite prone to
failure – but, is relatively easily repaired, if you know the right people.
But, all in all, a great used buy, a lot easier to live with than an LP12, and you
can play your 45s!

New, as of now (6/2024) the Linn LP12 range starts with the Majik
specification deck at £3,700 and extends to the limited edition LP12-50 edition
at £50 000! The normal range topper is the Klimax version at £25 500. In
between there is the Selekt at £11 200.

Against that background, the vintage decks are a bargain. Rarely, is it more
true that ‘you get what you pay for’ than with vintage Linn Sondek LP12s.
There is a lot of specification variations to fit in a fairly narrow band of pricing
which means that very often the additional cost of buying something good – or
even great – can be quite small.

I am going to attempt to set out some basic pricing points here, but I know
before that I write them that 50% of Linnies will disagree with me, but I have
been at the ‘coalface’ buying and selling hundreds of decks over the course of
the last few years and so I think my experience has validity and value, but
disagree with me, by all means!

£300-500
I think the cheapest Sondek that I have bought was about £300, it was a very
early ‘red button’ version in fairly poor cosmetic condition and it had a cracked
and scratched black lid. You get a lot of these coming up for sale. Depending
on arms and cartridges and condition, you see old red button decks go up to
around £1000 – but most are in the £300 to £500 region. My advice is ignore
these and save up. To get these up to standard and electrically safe usually
costs several hundred pounds – and you’ve still got an old deck that looks like
an old deck, but will sound, hopefully, much better.

£500-1000
At the lower end of this price range you are still in the province of tired red
button, late 70s decks generally, but by the time that you get closer to £1000
you will start to get into the mid 80s specs, which are much better – they
improved very quickly in the 80s. At this level you are likely to be getting a
Basik LVX or Basik Plus arm and most commonly a Linn K9 cartridge.

£1000-1500

This is where it starts getting interesting, you may see an Ittok arm in this
price range, maybe a Cirkus bearing, maybe a vintage Linn moving coil
cartridge fitted. Obviously, even with a mid to late 80s deck, these are still 35-
40 years old and so are not likely to be immune from issues, but they provide
a much better starting point. My decks are almost always fully dismantled,
fully restored and set up obsessively – occasionally, I am able to put them out
at between £1000 and £1300, but £1499 is where a good deck starts from
me. This will be fully restored with a Cirkus bearing fitted, Basik Plus arm and
a new AT cartridge.

£1500-2000
This is where the vast majority of used Linn LP12s are priced – and you
should land well, if you choose carefully, in this price range. You should be
able to get the early Akito arm or maybe an Ittok in this price range, perhaps
even an external power supply – like a Lingo 1.

Just be aware though, that unless you buy from an obsessive enthusiast – or
a dealer – you should probably allow some money for mild restoration,
servicing and set up.

£2000-£3000
This should get you to the better equipped and upgraded turntables, which
should have, perhaps : an Ittok – maybe an Ekos, a nice cartridge, Cirkus
bearing, clear lid, maybe Lingo 1 power supply. But, as above, allow some
money for mild restoration, servicing and set up.

Personally, I’d say the ‘sweet spot’ of the whole lot is somewhere towards the
top of this pricepoint. If you get an Ittok, a Cirkus bearing, a nice new
cartridge, tidy plinth, top plate and lid, with a new power supply or maybe a
Lingo 1.

Beyond this point the law of diminishing returns is very steep!

£3 000 plus
This is likely to get you to the pinnacle of vintage decks and also into very
basic newer turntables from the Majik range. Just be aware that the arms that
Linn fitted to the Majik were all fairly poor and are unlikely to make old bones
or give a good performance – so, look up towards the ‘Akurate’ spec decks
that probably start at around £4500-£5000.

Buy the right one and the answer, if you paid the right price for it, is almost
definitely ‘yes’. Buy the ‘wrong ‘un’ and you will almost certainly regret ever starting the journey. The best way to get the right one, which is quite obvious if you let your head make the decision, is to go to the right people in the first place. If you buy unwisely from small ads on Marketplace, eBay or Gumtree
based upon the price, then you are significantly increasing the chances of a bad experience in the long term.

LP12’s turn up in most places that provide classified advertising and are
relatively easy to find. Finding a good one requires a bit more skill. Again, if
we revisit the car analogies, if you put financial considerations aside, just for a
minute, a main dealer is likely to be where you will find the most experience,
expertise and support – and so it is with a Linn Turntable, particularly if you
are looking for a new or current specification deck.

But, as with cars, you get specialist dealers who specialise in one – or just a
few brands. This is where I am positioned. I am not a registered or authorised
Linn dealer because I do not wish to sell new Linn products other than
turntables. I also specialise in vintage decks, which most authorised dealers
(with some notable exceptions) tend to avoid as you require a lot of space to
store all of the old decks and parts, that could be put to good use selling new
stock.

Now, this is a good question. A lot depends on who you talk to! If you go to a
Linn dealer, then most will have an (un)natural bias towards new decks, as
that is what they predominantly sell. If you came to me, I would make two
points. Firstly, you will get a much, much bigger bang for your buck with a
vintage deck (which sort of goes without saying). Secondly – and this is my
opinion completely – I do believe that the vintage decks sound more pleasing.
There is a loose explanation for this. The original deck was built to sound
good – and it does – although it’s critics would argue that it was ‘coloured’ (not
completely natural). The main embodiment of this seems to me to be that it
added weight to the bottom end of the sound spectrum, which because of the
limitations of vinyl to ‘go low’ was actually quite welcome and ‘pleasing’. Since
the advent of CDs (and later, streaming) we take the reproduction of low notes
for granted, but back in the vinyl days it was difficult to achieve – without using
some compensation, such as dialling in some bass on the tone control – or
when they existed, the ‘loudness’ button. Interestingly, in modern times, Linn
has apparently been developing the deck in directions intended to make it
more ‘neutral’ (and natural). I can see why they would do this, but to me – and
again, this is absolutely my opinion – I find the modern decks a bit ‘dead’.
Almost perfectly accurate, I have no doubt, but just not as engaging – or warm
– as the original. Apart from the hundreds of LP12’s that I have worked on
(and listened to), I have gone ‘all the way up’ the vintage range, swapped over to the top of the current range – and then, completely based on experience, I have arrived at my current deck. This deck is a blend of old and new, it looks like a new deck with a new plinth, lid and armboard. But it features an old Kite
subchassis, Ittok LV111 Mk2 (highly sought after), a vintage AC motor and a Lingo 2 power supply. The only concession to modernity is that it has a Karousel bearing fitted and an AT 760SLC RigB cartridge. This is my personal nirvana, but I am sure that it would have many Linn followers shaking their heads! In conclusion, let’s say that its ‘horses for courses’. There are people who like new cars and there are people who prefer classics. My parting shot is : If you want to discover why people have revived vinyl – buy vintage, if you want an inconvenient alternative to streaming buy a modern deck!

This is a very hard question to answer with a simple guide, but I shall try!
There are basically two approaches to buying a deck that I see employed.
One, people set a price and buy the best turntable that they can. Two, people
set out a spec and try and get it for the best price that they can. Both of these
approaches have flaws. The first approach particularly, as setting a price
means that you may well ignore the ‘value call’ ie: that a few more pounds
might get you much higher on the ladder – particularly with vintage decks.
If you talk to a specialist dealer, like myself, with an open(ish) mind, I can help
you get the best from your money in terms of getting exactly the right
specification – and it been a reliable work horse – for a fair price. I’m not
cheap, I’ll admit that. But, I don’t think that I am expensive either, considering
the lengths that I go to get my decks to the quality that I do – and I provide the
peace of mind of a warranty.

But let’s for the benefit of this guide assume that you are going it alone. I will
list below the things that I look for as a minimum when I buy a deck – and
then I will list a number of things that are nice to have.

1. Corner Braced Plinth – I think this is essential. The earlier plinths are very
   prone to twist and warp and a deck that doesn’t sit flat is going to be hard
   to set up confidently. If the deck has a serial number on it, I believe that
   the corner braced plinths started at about 53 000.
2. Clear lid – the old black or smoked lids have a few fans, but not many. I
   think it makes the deck look dated and they were very prone to scratching.
   Get one with a clear lid that is not cracked. Scratched lids are to be
   expected and to a greater extent they can usually be improved with some
   polishing – much easier if you can machine polish it, as I do.
3. Clean top plate – the top plate is a good indicator of the treatment of the
   deck. Grubby is fine. If it has radial scratches on it where the inner or outer platter have rubbed against it – this is a good indicator that the deck has been carried or shipped with the platter in place, this is a big no, no and could indicate other damage is likely, such as to the bearing.
4. Bearings – there have been a few bearings used in the 50 year life of the
   model. The latest Karousel is pretty much universally acclaimed but is a
   fairly recent invention and so will be quite rare unless you are looking at
   nearly new decks. The Cirkus bearing enjoyed a long life of around 25
   years as the ‘standard’ bearing and is generally regarded as a good thing.
   I fit these to just about every deck that I build – it is the basis of a good
   deck. Of the other bearings, these may have white, grey or black linings,
   there is a body of people who think that the black liner bearing is the best,
   but most have their fans. A good bearing, when you have cleaned the oil
   out, should have no uneven wear on the inner walls and no significant
   wear where it meets the tip of the spindle of the inner platter. If there is no
   oil in the bearing when you inspect it, it is likely to be damaged and should
   be earmarked for replacement.
5. Arms – Most Linn arms are good. The pecking order is (approximately)
   ascending : Linn Basik LVV (s shaped), Linn Basik LVX, Linn Basik Plus,
   Akito (3 versions but most are Mark 1), Ittok LV2, Ittok LV3, Ekos, Ekos SE
   and Ekos SE1 these are the arms that you are likely to see most but there
   are several more recent offerings such as : The Majik (Jelco), Project
   Carbon, Krane and Arko – the jury is out on most of these, except the
   Project, which is crap and best avoided.
6. Power supply – the vast majority of vintage LP12s that you will come
   across will have the Valhalla Power Supply. This is usually identifiable by a
   single red dot on the switch. These have been a great workhorse over the
   years and do a good job, but early ones are nearly 40 years old now and
   so failures are quite common – usually the capacitors. The main thing to
   note about the Valhalla is that it only has a single speed – 33 1/3 rpm. If it
   is important that you are able to play 45 RPM records, then you should
   look for either a deck with a ‘Lingo’ power supply (which is an external
   unit) or consider an upgrade to an aftermarket power supply – which can
   provide this facility off the switch.
7. Cartridges – as a general rule, unless you are buying a deck of somebody
   that you know well (and they can give you some indication of treatment,
   use and wear) don’t trust a cartridge on a second hand deck, for the safety
   of your record collection. If it is stated that it is a new cartridge (or a new
   stylus) check it for microscopic dust, which is an indicator of prolonged
   use, if it is clean then you can probably trust it.
8. The base – Linn have mainly used hardboard bases with 4 rubber feet
   screwed in the corners. Personally, I prefer the feet approach as I know
   that the deck will sit flat. The Trampolin – of which there have been a few
   versions – is a deluxe offering which provides the benefit of acoustic
   absorbing feet. Personally, I am not convinced by it and the feet have a habit of not sitting flat, which can upset the set up (which is usually done on a jig supporting the plinth – which is perfectly flat). Later decks can have a nice aluminium base, which is quite nice and can be used with the standard rubber feet.
9. The ‘bounce’ – This will tell you in most cases, instantly whether you have
   found a gem – or a dog. If you gently agitate the platter in a line between
   the arm pivot and the spindle at the join of the inner and outer platter, you
   should witness the ‘bounce’. The bounce should send the armboard (and
   arm) on a perfectly perpendicular up and down motion, that once started
   should continue for a few seconds and slowly fade. If the armboard
   doesn’t bounce, moves erratically or from side to side, this is less than
   optimum but recoverable with a bit of skill and perhaps some new springs.
   There are plenty of videos on youtube of ‘the bounce’.
10. A non-working deck? – As long as you accept that there will be some
    additional expense, a non-working deck can be a good buy. In the first
    place, it is likely to be cheap. But, more importantly, it is unlikely to be
    prohibitively expensive to get back in the land of the living – and it should
    enable you to rule out one type of failure in the future! LP12s are relatively
    simple devices. If it doesn’t work, in the majority of cases it will be one of 7
    things. Incorrect wiring of the plug, blown fuse in the plug (or on the power
    supply), the power supply, the switch or the motor. Motors have been
    known to fail, but 90% of decks that will not work have a fault on the power
    supply – which can be replaced easily and cheaply by a competent tech.
    As you would expect there are many other factors to consider – and I
    stress that these are just my observations – but it should give you a better
    basis for you to search out your ideal deck.

The section above is a pretty good starting point for avoiding problems, but if
you’ve already got one and it’s not functioning perfectly, a service and some
level of restoration will generally sort things out.

By far the biggest pitfalls are easily avoided by the simple principle that ‘if it
looks rough, it probably is’. It can be grubby, dirty even, but neglect has a look
of its own. If it looks neglected, either walk away – or get it of the right price
and accept that some additional expense is likely.

A good starting point for any prospective purchase is ‘does it work when you
press the switch?’ A little bit of a groan when it starts is normal as the platter
is huge and the motor is small. But, if you have to give it a helping hand or it
takes more than 30 seconds to get up to speed – that probably means that
trouble is within sight!

Is the armboard square in the plinth? Is the gap fairly even all of the way
around it? Is the armboard level with the top plate and the top of the plinth? If
it is, that’s a good sign.

If anything is broken or damaged – like the lid, the arm or the cartridge – walk
away or negotiate hard.

The best ones to buy are ones that are in use, generally, if the deck is still on
the rack when you get there and the owner is happy / insistent that you hear
it, that is a good sign that it is cared for.

Top Tip – However inconvenient it may be, however long it takes you to drive
there, always collect a deck in person if at all possible. I will not post an LP12,
ever – unless it is to another dealer, and only then if it was dismantled and
sent in a original box. The deck is not designed to be posted in a built state.
They are posted from the factory to the dealers, in a box – in bits – and then
the are assembled by the dealer. So, take it as a bad sign, if anybody is
prepared to post one to you. It is very likely to end in tears.

Well, they are not as robust or as easy to live with as a Technics 1200, but if
you respect its frailties an LP12 should be easy to live with. The key points
are to never move it with the platter attached and to mount it on a perfectly flat
and even surface – ideally on a wall, but I haven’t managed to get a pass for
that either, so don’t get stressed if you can’t. Best not let the kids play with it.
Keep the cleaner away from it. Oh, and pets.

It’s easier to just say – yes!

Like most skills, it becomes easier with practice. Like most arts, if you know
what you are doing you can make it look easy.

There are very many Linn owners who do maintain and set up their own
decks, but many of them will be able to relate a story where their lack of
experience or impetuosity caused them a problem which probably cost them
significantly!

It can definitely be done, but there are so many factors to take into account
when setting up an LP12 properly, that it is probably best left to those who
know – like a Linn dealer or a specialist, like myself.

The answer to this is pretty much, as above.

There are some things that are likely to be the same as any other deck – such
as balancing an arm/cartridge, setting the VTA, tracking weight, bias etc but, fine adjustments, such as : setting the suspension/springs, adjusting the motor speed, squaring the armboard, straightening the suspension bolts, whilst undoubtedly something anybody could learn to do, everything takes hours if you do not know what you are doing.

Remember, the overall effect you get from a good deck is the sum of many, many parts – all set up, perfectly.

Obviously, this depends hugely on your starting point and where you have set
your goal – and whether you want to do it in stages – or all at once.

Ideally, although I admit that I don’t always follow this dictum, you should only
upgrade one component at a time – as otherwise it is hard to know what was
responsible for the improvement. The biggest advantage to this approach is
that if you do think that you preferred it as it was before, it is easy to retrace
your steps! This really does happen. I have, several times, made changes to
my deck on the basis of recommendations or more dangerously, by following
conventional wisdom, only to conclude that I preferred it as it was before!

Purists – and Linn dealers – suggest that you approach the mechanicals first.

Bearing – Sub-chassis – Motor / Power Supply

There is certainly a logic to this approach.

It is however, I would say, likely to result in some disillusionment. The
mechanical upgrade accessories are very expensive and the improvements
are – even to a keen, trained ear – very subtle.

An alternative view is that the way to get the most obvious audible
improvements are by upgrading the arm and cartridge, particularly the
cartridge – as this can completely change the characteristics of your sound.
You can run through the majority of the Linn vintage arm options and have
change from £1 000. Superb new cartridges can be bought for between £500
and £1 000.

So, let’s compromise and say that a hybrid approach is perhaps the best
approach.

I am absolutely an advocate of the Karousel bearing – it is expensive, but it
does provide an audible reduction in the noise floor of records.

I can follow the logic of the advantages that a one piece sub chassis’ could
convey over the two part, Kite and armboard, set up. However, to my ear, my
honest ear, I don’t hear the ‘light and day’ differences even on A-B
comparisons that some claim to hear – whereas I can always hear the
differences that a cartridge makes. On that basis, I would save this upgrade for when you have run out of other things to buy. Also look at the very good alternative subchassis’ that are available from people such as : Stack Audio, Tangerine Audio etc.

Similarly, power supplies. I can hear the subtle differences between power
supplies, but they are subtle – and remember, not all observable differences
are improvements. On that basis, buy the best that you can justify to yourself,
but don’t feel inadequate if you cannot justify a Radikal to yourself.

The value of all upgrades is, of course, relative. And it depends on your
starting point.

In terms of vintage decks, I would say that the biggest, most notable upgrade
is go from a Basik Plus to an Ittok. The performance of the Ittok is so close to
the performance of the modern Ekos (the ‘top of the range’ Linn arm) that it
could be considered to be the end of the road for most people on the arm
journey. I’ve had them all and I am now settled on an Ittok LV3 Mark 2.

Again, for an upgrade that you will notice – look at your cartridge. There are
cheap cartridges that perform well and punch above their weight, but most of
the higher priced cartridges, well, sound better. Allow yourself up to about
£500 and the improvement will be significant – and obvious – which is how I
like my upgrades to be.

If there has to be a winner in this category in order to answer the question,
then I’ll plump for the Karousel bearing, as this is both technically a large
improvement – on several scores – and does noticeably ‘improve’ the sound,
most obviously by reducing the noise floor (crackles) on vinyl.

Talk to a Linn dealer and you will undoubtedly get a different pecking order to
the one that I will give, but in my opinion – based on what will provide the
most obvious improvements to a base deck, I’d rank the components as
follows :

Cartridge
Bearing
Arm
Subchassis
Power Supply / Motor

‘Why would anyone want to play a single on a HiFi system?’ was the original
Linn philosophy, and they were sort of right. Because of the different
production process employed to make singles, the sound quality of 7” singles
is generally nowhere near as good as 12” vinyl. However, during the 80’s
there was an explosion in the sales of 12” singles especially amongst DJs and
fans of dance music in its various genres. This put the original Linn argument
on its head, as the sound quality from a 12” single is generally far more
dynamic and usually superior to a long play vinyl record. It also stopped me
seriously contemplating a Linn in my late teenage years, as I would need
another turntable to play my beloved 12” singles!

Necessity being the mother of invention led to the appearance of a variety of
adaptors been produced to slip over the motor to fool the power supply into
running at 45 RPM! These do work, but they are fiddly and stretch the
standard belt and so, unless you are only going to play a 45 every Christmas,
best avoided.

Although the Linn Axis appeared in the mid 80’s with a 45 RPM facility, it took
Linn until 1990 to introduce a means for its flagship model to do the same,
when it launched the Lingo (external) power supply, which is now on its fourth
generation.

In more recent times, aftermarket manufacturers, notably : Mose – Mose &
Hercules, Vinyl Passion – Revolution and more recently Valhalla Electronics –
with it’s Minos and Zeus have created solutions that enable 45 RPM playback,
usually as a straight swap for the internal Valhalla board and switch.

If you have saved up your pennies for an extended period, the new
benchmark is the Linn Radikal – of which there are 2 versions and 2
generations to choose from. All reassuringly expensive, but do what is
required to almost perfection. As you would expect at the price – you can also
run these at 45 RPM.

The answer to this question is basically informed by 2 choices – why you want
to change and how much you can afford.

The standard Valhalla power supply and indeed the current Majik power
supply are both competent enough for anybody who does just want single
speed (33 RPM) playback and if you are happy – I would genuinely stay as
you are and spend the money on improving some other aspect of the deck.
If you are changing because your original power supply has either failed or if
you want to add the facility to play 45s, then all of the power supplies referred
to in the previous answer will do a job for you.

If you are on a budget, the Hercules is generally the cheapest option and is
very competent and a direct and easy replacement for the Valhalla – it is even
the same size.

If you either have the Karousel bearing – or if the Karousel bearing is on your
selected upgrade path – then don’t buy the Hercules as the bearing housing is
too tight a fit to go through the circuit board.

The cheapest option, if the Karousel is in your plans, is Valhalla Electonics’s
Minos or Vinyl Passion’s Revolution. Both are excellent.

If you have a bit more budget, maybe look at one of the external power supply
options. There have been many over the years, but the main ones are the 4
versions of the Linn Lingo, The Mose and the Zeus. All are good and all are
compatible with the Karousel.

The Radikal Power supply is generally regarded as the pinnacle of
achievement in this area, and whilst it is very, very good technically, I would
argue that bigger bangs for your buck could be obtained in other areas, as
even used these are very expensive bits of kit. There have been two versions,
Akurate and Klimax – and 2 generations, 1 and 2!

Although the original turntable came with an outsourced rubber mat, they
graduated quite early to the black felt mat that is still the standard fit mat today
– whichever model you buy.

Linn believe that the standard mat is the best mat for the job, as it isolates the
disc but doesn’t deaden the platter. Deadening the platter very obviously
changes the sound from the deck and most people would agree that it is not
an improvement.

A common complaint is that the mat sticks to records when they are taken off
– and this true – however, it is only a minor irritation and is best lived with.
The only mats that I would endorse as an alternative are the Collaro mats,
which are popular – and which I can supply. Some people claim that the
Collaro mat provides an audio improvement, I am not convinced that it
changes much, but it does look very nice. The only other mat that I would
suggest is the Origin Live rubber /cork hybrid mat which is a very nice mat
and isn’t quite so prone to ‘lift off’ from the platter.

There is a very good tool Here. Date a Linn Sondek LP12 turntable using the serial number (serial-
number-decoder.com) that you can use to work out the age of your deck. Very often there is a date stamp inside the deck on the plinth. Just be aware that your deck may well have been upgraded / messed about with since then and so, some components may not be original.

If you are in the market for a brand new deck, then you really need to be
looking towards the Linn main dealers. They are dispersed pretty well across
the UK, but as with all things, some are better than others. I’d be happy to
provide guidance on suitable Linn dealers, if you ask me.

This is obviously a ‘how long is a piece of string’ question, but based upon
experience of a number of commissioned restorations and my restoration of
many, many more decks that I have acquired, on average the cost of turning a
‘dog’ deck into a pedigree greyhound is about £500.

For this, I will restore plinths, top plates, lids, power supplies, wiring etc and
provide new oil, springs and gromets and then set up the deck to its original
tolerances.

When they leave here, they look as if they have just left the factory.

As you might expect, if you buy a nice restored deck – or a new one, then
there is a good likelihood that your deck will not require much maintenance
going forward – or at least, not for a while.

Belts should last many years in ideal conditions, but go on, spoil your deck
and maybe replace it with a suitable quality belt every 2 years.

Although, I’ve known bearings to still be full of oil after 30 years in storage, its
not a bad routine to replace the oil every so often (it does degrade), maybe
every 5 years. It is vitally important that you buy and use the right oil for your
bearing.

The springs benefit from being changed periodically too, again, considering
the cost of them, replacing the springs and gromets every five years is
probably worthwhile. I warn you though, that springs are a dark art – and you
may well wish that you hadn’t started it, if you attempt it yourself!

As has been the theme throughout this Q&A, there is an easy route here –
just take the deck to your dealers every few years and get it serviced and
tuned up. Most dealers only charge between £200 and £300 for a service and
tune up, which usually covers : belt, springs, gromets and oil.

I charge £225 currently (6/2024)

I am going to be straight with you here. If you own an LP12 and it has been a
life’s work in the making and your proudest possession, then have a go at selling it yourself. Nobody will be able to describe the deck better than you, yourself – and you should get the best price going this route. Just be sure to take some great photographs and write a good description.

Personally, from experience, I would avoid Facebook Marketplace or
Gumtree – as although these are free ads – they are scoured by all sorts of
scammers and scumbags and you will get a lot of ‘opinions’, requests and
timewasters.

If you aren’t prepared to pay to sell then maybe join one of the Linn themed
Facebook groups and advertise it on there.

From personal experience, nowhere is easier to sell turntables than on eBay
and both you and the purchaser enjoy some level of protection. If you look at
my eBay profile alwhifihub – you might get some tips as to how to
photograph and describe decks. Yes, there will be fees, but you will be
exposed to genuine buyers who will generally pay better prices.

If that all sounds like too much hassle, then contact me! I am always in the
market to buy Linn Sondek LP12 s and I am happy to pay a fair price for well
looked after decks. But, I am equally happy buying poorly and non working
decks (and parts), if that is what you find yourself with. So, whichever it is,
give me a try.