Of course, you benefit from spreading that myth.
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Well this is from someone who doesn’t own a Linn you need to be able to identify fact from myth. Granted some TTs being plug and play require little in the way of settling, but otherwise the LP12 and others benefit from proper set up and indeed maintenance. Go figure.
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Thanks Lindsay and I know you are really enjoying your Roksan, Vertere, with the Dynavector XV1. The fun we had with the original Artemis arm but we got it to work in the end… A bit of a balancing act I’m sure you’d agree! However, the Vertere SG1 Tonearm is just soooo much better! Enjoy. KR, Peter
Yes Gregg, I was genuinely surprised and never imagined… Anyway, I replaced the parts for you on the second visit and all was well. It actually took the help of an engineering company in the UK to rectify the issue and the Keel was saved, so all was well in the end.
KR. Peter.
llatpoh76 Care and attention to detail are paramount in set up. Little things can and do matter and this is where additional gains in SQ can be made. That’s why I wrote and published the Brief Guide to help and inform and all for free. However, there are there are some very good and experienced set-up guys out there; and I know many of them, who can enable the LP12 to sound better than anyone might anticipate.
The PU2 was a brilliant design (designed, IIRC, by Ian McCutcheon and Scott Strachan) and quite revolutionary in the way it aimed for a single energy path from the head through the armtube and then through the bearings. It could be a bit tricky to set up though thanks to the pivot points on different planes and the mass ring could be interesting if you needed to run heavier carts, but get it right and it could really sing.
Here you are talking in platitudes, which makes it very difficult to disagree. While it is true that care and attention to detail are important, it’s also important to understand that there’s a fine line between that and the suggestion that some higher form of knowledge is paramount.
Folks with limited craftsmanship skills will need help for sure, which seems to be the majority here, and that’s perfectly fine. What bothers me is when those who choose to pay go into full confirmation bias mode as to how the minute adjustments performed by the “guru” made such a sizable difference, when those of us who actually do the work know better.
I will say it one last time, unless you do something way off there will be little to gain in SQ, the machine is well designed and it will just perform. For someone with good mechanical skills, all that’s needed is a precise set of levels, a quality torque wrench, and good old common sense. The myth of the needed guru is just that, a myth, and a very profitable one.
Well thank you for that, I did read it at some point, it is a good reference for those getting started. Still, the attention to detail that I put into building an LP12 goes way beyond the guide, and I still consider it basic craftsmanship and common sense for the most part.
Well, me saying that setup could be a bit tricky is one thing, but when you say “dodgy reputation” it does rather imply something rather different.
Which is why I felt it important to ask for clarification, as I guessed/hoped you may have been referring to relative set-up issues that could be encountered rather than any performance or reliability issues, which would not have been justified.
I don’t think Peter would profess to being a guru - as you say he provides a service to those who would lack the necessary skills and having spent a few hours in his company whilst having my LP12 upgraded, I can report that his expertise was included in the cost of the upgrade (it didn’t need to be.)
He was in fact teaching me what I could do myself in the future and sharing knowledge of the pitfalls he’s encountered while working on numerous turntables.
In my day job we “give away” hours of support to customers but it generates sales and repeat business so is totally worth the investment in my opinion.
I recently saw a quote that made me smile “You’re not paying me for the 30 minutes it took to fix this but the 10 years it took me to learn how to fix it in 30 minutes”
On the first point: “makes it very difficult to disagree” - Good.
On the second point: “fine line” Yes there is, and I have always said getting set-up correct is about attention to detail, not compromising, good engineering principles (when applicable) and common sense. I should point out that I hate BS, and broadcasters thereof, Pixie dust, snake oil or the laying on of hands etc. I do my best to explode these myths. Pretty much everyone who has met me knows this and what you see is what you get. I am direct and even blunt (rightly or wrongly) as for the guru term, this does not sit well with me as RichardPW has pointed out above.
What matters to me is getting it dead right for clients. Happy clients enjoying their music to the max. I have a pretty good track record on that one I feel.
I have always worried although I live very close to Linn HQ about the quality level of product support and maintenance.
Although it’s a local company at the time of my investment support on a good level was very patchy and has declined.
I’ve always worried about consistency of support and not to mention finding a dealer " fettler " of exacting standards I’m a bit fussy.
Anyhow I’ve been very fortunate and honoured to meet up with a dealer with all the exacting qualities and much more than I could have hoped the problem was he is hundreds of miles away so imagine my excitement and happiness when it was suggested he could come to me.
So out of the window goes my possible doubts about the distance issue as not only was my service on purchasing new equipment made very convenient for me i can’t imagine any dealer having that kind of dedication for excellence and also the level of stock to be able to minimise the time lost of musical enjoyment.
Waiting for service parts etc.
What people don’t realise is that independent dealers don’t have luxury like sale or return and can’t just send back what doesn’t sell they have to commit themselves to the stock level they have and type that they deal with.
It’s a huge commitment of time and resources and the only way to succeed is to put in the hours and try to accommodate customers as much as possible.
Some shops just work 9-5 then close but this dealer is always working after shop hours to do the builds and service support on items after his appointment schedule for the day has been completed.
Unfortunately this makes him a victim of his own success what else can he do
He travels the world for clients with all the logistics in both travelling and shipping complications
There can only be one Peter Swain and one Cymbiosis.
At the risk of advertising that’s a that’s very slick and smooth operation.
Unreserved thanks and huge appreciation for all the super support what more can I say.
but we got it to work in the end… A bit of a balancing act I’m sure you’d agree! However, the Vertere SG1 Tonearm is just soooo much better! 
Enjoy. KR, Peter
