Scratching That Itch! My Own Linn Sondek LP12

While restoring my buddy's Linn Sondek LP12, I also caught the bug and soon the pandemic ensued! No, no, no, not the COVID-19 type pandemic, but Linn LP12 high fever type........

I looked at local classifieds and found this lovely example in Black Ash finished plinth, circa spec of pre Y2K. It came with Cirkus bearing set & Ittok LVII tonearm. It was well looked after by an elderly gentleman who had too many turntables to looks after, and this was his choice to give up.

I got home and quickly mounted my Benz Micro LP cartridge again on the Linn. If you can recall, this very same cartridge was mounted on my 1st Linn LP12 a few years back. I loved the sound of this LP12/Benz combo very much.

Like many others, I just couldn't resist giving my Linn LP12 a few updates:

My Linn LP12 pre-update!

As the Linn LP12 is a modular designed for future up-gradeability in mind, the whole turn table can be taken apart and new parts substituted, DIY style, with some knowledge.  

First item on my mind was the bottom cover, which was kinda like an asbestos board, I never liked that piece since my first Linn, and would rather go commando if I have to. Since then, I have found the Linn option called Trampolin 2, and many other after market options on the internet. They all give different sonic results for sure, but I'd just stick with the Trampolin 2 option. Verdict, YMMV depending on the inteface with your turn table or hifi rack surface. The Trampolin 2 offers last mile leveling possibilities and stray energy absorption with it's soft rubber compound foot.

The next item is trickier as there are 3 performance levels to choose from Linn and many other un-specified performance options for after market! I would stick to Linn options on this project. First up is the Keel sub chassis. The Keel sub chassis is the most rigid, being machined from a single piece aluminum. There are no joints here.

The mid range performance sub chassis is called Kore. See the difference in under belly construction between this Kore and the Keel above? There's much bonding and joints compared to the one piece Keel.

The Keel from the top visible view, note that even the tone arm collar comes machined aluminum as part of the construction.

The Kore from the top visible view looks more similar in construction to Majik below, but the included arm board is also aluminum bonded on to the main sub chassis. Still very rigid, but losses the integrated tone arm collar.  

The Majik sub chassis is today's entry level performance component for the Linn LP12. Entry level for sure, but compared to the those pre Majik sub chassis, it is very much improved in all areas. This Majik spec sub chassis still requires a wooded arm board to be mounted by 3 tiny screws, but now also subjected to tome arm collar clamping for much more rigidity. For those who loves that old school mid range coloration, the Majik still offers some of those vis it's clamped wooden arm board construction. The tonal quality becomes more neutral and less colored as one moves up the sub chassis game.

 

I would say dare say that if the Keel is to be taken as reference as 100% in sound performance, then the Kore is 80% of the Keel, and the Majik is 80% of the Kore. The pre Majik sub chassis is probably less than 60% of the Majik. So of all the up grades to the Linn LP12, the Majik sub chassis makes the best bang for buck, followed by the Kore. The Keel is what I would only do if going for the Klimax spec performance. On a personal note, I do find the Linn LP12 Klimax spec sounding much closer to digital type of sound reproduction. There's very little analog feel to it. To retain more analog feel, I would only advise up grades along the Akurate spec only. My choice? The Kore!

I also took the opportunity to upgrade the Linn Valhalla PS board to the 2 speed Hercules Gold board. I've always found the Hercules solution offered by Stamford Audio to be great value for money and offered excellent overall performance. While at it, I also replaced the aging belt drive.

The final result may look like the same turn table, as most of the up grades are hidden under the surface. The sound quality is anything but the same. From the first track, it was immediately apparent that bass was cleaner, leaner, but stronger, and much better defined. Gone is that mushy bass feeling, and now, note to note bass transfer is very audible and note all lumped in to one continuous mush as before. Clarity is much improved, as that general veiling is now gone. The upgraded Linn LP12 now have the balls and guts to take on my other turn table, the full optioned Kuzma Stabi S. The Linn now also have the speed and rhythm to play rock as it should.   

Having said that, those who loved that sweet mid range coloration of the old Linn LP12 may not feel so much at home now. With improved clarity & transparency, the LP12 also lost quite a fair bit of the warm golden mid range that made it so endearing. There's still a little left in the Kore sub chassis equipped LP12, just enough to give a tinge of that warm sweetness to make it livable. That's where the Keel equipped Klimax spec falls short on. Call it a double edge sword, but the Kore sub chassis balances this fine line tightly. Also love the lower surface noise that comes with the Kore sub chassis.

While the upgrade parts are not cheap, but I feel they do bring the value to an aging Linn LP12 by keeping the sound up to date and better spec. There's a lot of reverse engineering effort that is un-spoken in these up grade products. Just barely a month or so after completing this project, Linn announced a  new bearing kit called Karousel, which promises to bring down what ever the noise floor left from the Cirkus bearing. Many Linn buddies reported huge..... sonic improvements with this upgrade. I am still contemplating about this new option, and in the mean time, I'll enjoy my upgrade Linn LP12 to it's fullest.

Looks very much the same, but the sound is way better than ever!

Restoring Another Linn Sondek LP12, Rebuild Part 2

Now, after waiting almost a year for all the parts required to return post strip down, the Linn LP12 rebuilding can start again. The project was supposed to be a simple rebuild re-using as much original parts as possible, with the arm being plan for a Linn Basik. 

However, a year is a pretty long time, and that audiophile question "what if I could make it better?" surfaced, and my buddy started looking at more ambitious options, and he was lucky to have found someone who was also upgrading, and hence all the Linn LP12 Majik hand me down parts you see here!

Now the pictorial building guide can start:

The re-furbished plinth looks really nice in it's original walnut color, also note the 2 pcs Linn Majik sub chassis & armboard, c/w Cirkus bearing pre mounted. I must say the new Majik sub chassis offers the most sonic value for $$$ of the 3 sub chassis options now available. There's also the Kore & the Keel, both one piece in construction, but different build.  

Next up, inserting the rubber grommet & spring set on to the Majik sub chassis, and also the long top plate mounting screws that also functions to hold the sub chassis springs & rubber grommet which in turn, holds the sub chassis in place. At this point, the new 50Hz A/C motor is mounted as well.

View of the top plate from the other side. See the motor pulley standing up right?

And it all comes together, first the top plate & motor assembly, then the Majik sub chassis assembly, secured with 3 springs & rubber grommet assembly, and lastly the cross brace which secures the top plate, and hold everything together. ON/OFF switch for the Valhalla PS board also snapped in place on the left corner of the top plate.

The view from the other side.

Valhalla PS board clips attached and the original(correct size) Linn LP12 rubber feet mounted at the four corners.

This is where the build gets delicate! wiring the motor & the power cord to the refurbished Valhalla PS board. Also at this point securing the Majik tonearm cable route with a P-Clip(new) to ensure it does not interfere with spring travel nearby, so as to obtain a suspension good bounce, as they say! I must say the Majik parts are all much higher quality compared to those that came before it. That tonearm cable is looks really good too. 

Next is mounting the tonearm collar to get ready to receive the CC9 based arm sourced from Project. The tonearm collar is not mounted like that. The cut out portion needs to be front facing!

And that tonearm goes sliding in nicely, with 2 allen keys at the back of the collar for height adjustment and locking it in place there after. Love the carbon trim finish on the CC9 Project arm.

The whole tonearm with carbon trim going all the way to head shell for cartridge mount. One has to be very careful when doing cartridge mount, and should not over tighten the cartridge screws, or it might just crack the carbon finish on the head shell. 

Next, lubricating the Cirkus bearing with Linn supplied oil, or any motor oil for that matter, attaching the inner platter, and rubber belt drive to motor & platter. 

Put on the outer platter, look at the mirror like polished sides!

Last step, put on the original Linn LP12 felt mat, and cartridge mounted. My buddy choose a Sumiko Blue Point High Output MC cartridge for this re-build 

The final tuning step, the spring bounce is adjusted on my audio rig. The platter should be floating about 3-4mm above the top plate with a free and un-interrupted, and even bounce of 3-4 cycles to be considered right.

Next is cartridge alignment, as the above picture, I first adjust the cartridge fore/aft placing using the single protractor starting point, then here in this picture, I use the 2 protractor points to align the cartridge to make sure it's as balanced in the L-R channels as the 9inch tonearm sweeps across the LP playing surface, from 1st track on the outer edge of the platter in to the center.  

Lastly, I used an old school tracking weight checker to check for 2 grams tracking force. Note the lump of modelling clay place on top the head shell? This is due to at the original time of planning, my buddy bought the Sumiko Blue Point cartridge to fit a Linn Basik arm which he had. The Sumiko cartridge being at 6.3 grams in weight was the perfect fit for the low compliance arm of Linn Basik. However along the way, the tonearm favored was the Linn Majik CC9 which is a medium compliance arm, which requires cartridge's to start from 8 grams onwards! So I neede to improvise to make things work for now. The lump of modelling clay is exactly 4 grams, giving the cartridge just enough tracking force of 2 grams! 

Lastly, here's video of the completed re-build of Linn Sondek LP12. I loved the sound of the Sumiko Blue Point cartridge. It's slightly warn, with sweet highs and tight lows. The mid range has a slight well honeyed, golden tone to it, which makes it a delight to listen to. Too bad about the not matching in compliance with the tonearm. I feel the Majik sub chassis is also a big step up from the old school Linn sub chassis from the 80's & 90's. 

Sorry about the mono sound recording of the video. Do not adjust your PC speakers!

I hope my buddy enjoys listening to this Linn Sondek LP12, as much as I have enjoyed refurbishing it! 

On Soundstage

Loosely based on a true story.

The Movement Control Order due to covid19 continued into 2021. Our group of audiophiles was restless. The only HiFi thing we could do as a group was to chat, banter and debate on WhatsApp.

The discussion turned to soundstage. We know there are many audiophiles who take the soundstage as the be-all and end-all of a HiFi system. A system is not considered up to snuff if it does not produce that soundstage with the requisite qualities. 

It went on thus:

"What creates the soundstage we hear from our system?"

"Soundstage stems from the reflected sound / the reverberation / the ambiance sound from the recording environment that is captured in the recording. Having said that, an artificially generated ambiance/reverb done by the sound engineer can also create the perception of a soundstage." 

"If soundstage formation is a result of the reverb or ambiance information, then other than the recording avenue, the reverb/ambiance sound from our listening space should also influence the soundstage formation. The soundstage heard from a HiFi system is so different from that heard from earphones, the latter has only recorded ambiance sound and is without any reverb or ambiance of the listening environment, so this shows that the listening room does affect the soundstage."

"I meant the soundstage formation should primarily be a function of the reverb/ambiance of the recording venue. The listening room's contribution must be minimized or eliminated so as not to interfere with the ambiance of the recording venue. Indeed, I have heard well formed soundstage from high quality earphones too."

"What about speaker positioning? Different speaker positions can affect the perception of the soundstage, such as width and depth, not to mention other qualities like image focus and separation." 

"In purist recordings, the miking technique affects the soundstage formation. Different miking technique, such as the Decca tree, Blumlein stereo etc. will portray different soundstage."

"Then, taking in all of the above, is there a real world representation of the soundstage as the one heard on our system? Or, soundstage is purely an artifact produced by our HiFi system?"

"We have heard enough times that live performances don't have a soundstage, at least not like the one produced by our systems." 

"That is the million dollar question. But regardless of the answer, we can take it as an area for out HiFi tuning, don't we audiophiles derive so much fun from tuning our system to our liking? That is just a part of the enjoyment of our hobby."

"Well, how do we judge whether the soundstage portrayed by a system is good or correct then? If there is no real life reference, is it subjective?"

"Of course there is a way! I look at it from the angle of perspective and proportion, like when we draw a scenery. But that is story for another day, let's do this over a good coffee next time "

"Audiophiles judge soundstage quality based on various facets of the soundstage. Let's see if I can list them out and give a visual equivalent of each one. When we talk about soundstaging, imaging comes hand-in-hand too, in my opinion. 

Soundstage depth

Soundstage width

Soundstage height

Image size

Image sharpness / Image focus / Image definition. This visual analogy as to what is good or bad does not always translate to the audio one, some listeners like a slightly diffused definition, deeming it to be less fatiguing and more natural sounding. I think the key is to get it just right, like the middle image of the eagle

Image density

Image separation vs congestion

Soundstage distortion

Soundstage transparency. This image is blurry and the see-thru quality is low, but at the same time it can also be deemed as romantic and beautiful! The audio equivalent is the same too.

Soundstage 3D-ness and envelopment

Background darkness

Background noise level (noisy vs quiet). In the audio equivalent, I wonder whether sometimes some audiophiles took noise as low level details or ambiance information? hmm..... I am not sure. 

Anything else I missed?

Lastly, as to whether certain qualities are more important than others, or what level of performance is considered good or bad for each of these qualities, I think audiophiles should agree to disagree, rather than getting into heated arguments 😁."

"Are you sure it is logical to equate soundstage to visual representations?" 

"It always strikes me that people use visual description for their perception of the soundstage, such as 'I can see the singer in front of me', 'I can see the singer's mouth floating mid-air', 'I can count the heads in the choir', 'it is like seeing the band playing in front of me."

"Anyway, this is just an analogy and you can take it as just for fun lah. 😊" 

And thus our intrepid audiophiles moved on. 

Restoring another Linn Sondek LP12, Stripdown Part 1

Something very alluring about Linn Sondek LP12 turn table. There seems to be an undying romance for it, if one comes around! Here's another example, my buddy had this one sitting in his store room for the last 30 over years in which so long, he had forgotten about it!

Last year, he was moving house and had to clear the store room, wah la!.................... he found this and suddenly he had the nostalgic urge to hear this Linn LP12 sing again. He asked if I could help him with this? How could I say no to a Linn LP12?

The work involved by steps, completely strip down, each part examine for condition, and identified for either restoration or to be replaced with new parts.

This is the pictorial guide of the strip down, here goes: 

First, the underside board for the Linn is removed, revealing the motor, Valhalla PS board, suspension, sub chassis and bearing.  

P-Clip broken, in any self respecting Linn LP12 restoration, this P-Clip is an important item, and if broken, must be replaced, as it's function is to keep the tone arm cable in it's place, so it doesn't interfere with the springs & rubber grommet suspension. 

The rubber feet on the 4 corners have been replaced with oversized door stopper as a solution. This one will have to be replaced with original feet or better yet, go for the expensive Trampolin option!

The tonearm cable is too old, all the contact points are either oxidized or corroded. New one please? 

Again, the power cord will need to be replaced. When doing Linn LP12 restoration, there's always temptation to use something better, or audiophile grade. However be reminded that this is counter productive as the Linn requires something soft and pliable, so that it fits the wire clip, and doesn't interfere with the suspension movement. I typically use the industrial grade 13amp Furukawa power cord, proudly made here in Malaysia!

The Valhalla Power Supply board, connected to the 50Hz A/C motor. In this neglected example, both the items are not working and will need to be replaced.

This is the older fluted plinth model, with no corner bracing.

The wooden plinth, completely strip down. Now this is ready for restoration by furniture maker.

The serial number puts this Linn LP12 production date to sometime between 1984 - 1988 vintage.

All the major parts ready to go for restoration, the wooden plinth to the furniture maker, the top plate and outer platter, both aluminum, goes to the machining shop for polishing.

Many other parts, such as new spring & grommet set, 50Hz A/C motor, Valhalla supply board, tonearm & T cable, original corner feet, and lastly the wooden arm board all needs to be ordered.

Re-assembly work can only start once all the parts are in my hands. Stay tuned for After Part 2!