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!