Thanks for all the useful discussions on this thread.
One other point which I would like to mention is again the old chestnut of LP12 setup. No doubt that this is of paramount importance. Obviously a competent dealer can make sure of this. Does anyone attempt this themselves? Independence is a nice thing of course but does this make sense? Maybe if you lived in a area where there are no good dealers for miles around.
The reason for asking is that the last batch of upgrades required a few iterations until I was completely happy and that involved further upgrades on the way, like changing from prefix to linto, klyde to akiva. After that it has remained pretty much very stable since then.
It would be interesting if other people have these moments where they think âam I really getting the best out of what I have?â
Hi MtuttleB
I live 250 miles from a dealer that specialises in LP12 set up. To me, itâs worth the 500 mile round trip. LP12s are like instruments that need setting up properly. You will get the best out of your TT if you let someone who does this for a living sort it for you. Once set up you can forget about it. Of course we could all have a go and some of us might not make a bad fist of it. But I know that Iâm enjoying my Martin OM-28 acoustic guitar more because it plays beautifully thanks to a luther that knows exactly what theyâre doing.
The cost / or inconvenience is worth the pain IMHO. I hope you enjoy it whatever you decide.
All the best,
1GL
Ok one last question just to put the cat amongst the pigeons
Do I just keep what I have with a service/New cartridge and buy a Rega P10 with the works and have a second deck which would be fine for my future two system environment.
Would I be seriously disappointed going for something like a krystal and a service of the LP12
Apologies if this is going full circle, but there are much bigger gains to be had within the deck before spending ÂŁ1.4K on a cart. imho.
I do understand the attraction of keeping it as is. A new bearing after 37 years wouldnât go amiss though.
The bearing is not 35 years old. I did the cirkus upgrade in 2004. Ok nearly 18 years.
The cartridge change from Akiva to Krystal is more like a downgrade I would have thought
@anon17458420 for me and the best advice I have been given over the years from both Linn and @Cymbiosis is Bearing (so new karsouel) Cirkus is still good, Karsouel is exceptional - then PSU, then Sub, then Arm and then Cartridge
My deck is pretty much at Kilmax level with Karsouel, Keel, Ekos SE, Radikal and I use DV XX2 which I love - so for me I would follow this route
Dear @Antz
Iâm sure what you have sounds amazing.
I am just trying to find out the best way. Who knows if things turn out well then a klimaxâed LP12 might also be on the cards.
However I have this Rega RP10 itch and I hear some very good things about it. I might just want to do that first.
Regards,
Mark
Just a couple of points to reply to if I may:
Set up is absolutely crucial to the performance of an LP 12. Many people consider this to be an Achillesâ heel of the LP 12 because it is not plug and play and so I think you should go and scratch that itch then. Listen to a P 10 and anything else that takes your fancy! Vertere?At the same time take your LP 12 with you and get to hear a couple of upgraded LP 12s as well. The new Karousel is a killer upgrade and of course if youâre thinking broadly in a slightly higher possible price range as you indicated above then I would also seek out a retailer who also has a Solstice to listen to
My naim/Linn dealer did say there were issues with the bearings on the original Ekos. None of the original made their way to the Australian market at all
Iâd heard something similar - if there was any kind of recall I was never informed of one! Hopefully a sporadic issue in a decades old toneam which cost around ÂŁ1000 all those years ago.
The original EKOS was a great upgrade over the original AKITO, but that may not be saying much, though I think I preferred AKITO to the BASIK on the LInn AXIS (wish Iâd never got rid of that).
Hi Peter
Good to hear from you. I hope you are doing well.
Yes I fully agree. I had a setup done by Manuel Neitzel who worked for the Linn distributor in Germany at the time. After that it was dynamite
So yes I really understand the importance of setups, which we have also discussed in the past.
Not sure I want to go down the solstice route to be honest.
If things go well this year I will possibly do some lp12 upgrades but Iâm getting some positive vibes about scratching the Rega itchâŚ
Regards
Mark
On a question of LP12 servicing. My understanding is that once itâs properly setup that it is rock solid and doesnât go off tune as such. So the cartridge being the limiting factor.
The question is how often do people think a service is actually required and what elements are important to address apart from the obvious cartridge renewal.
âRock Solidâ is perhaps pushing it a bit. But I have found no great need to have my LP12 âservicedâ, as such. Some of the changes over the years, to minor components, have contributed to great âstabilityâ, I believe.
Checking my history, I found the longest mine has gone between âattentionâ has been 9 years.
Yes ok. I do tend to exaggerate sometimes, but I am mainly referring to the point after a setup that was right on the moneyâŚ
I agree that I do not feel the need either after some time after that. Now that we are 17 years or so it clearly needs some attention. This time though I will be more careful with choosing how it will be upgraded
There was a long period of neglect where there were other priorities. That said I think it is in need of a complete check. Occasionally the bearing and oil are checked
