to be honest IMO is the best route to more music with LP12 - bearing, PSU, Chassis which is lovely when you get it all done in one go - as others have said I would leave the karsouel to bed in for at least 100 hours
enjoy the music
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I’m curious - what changed during the Karousel break in?
when I had mine fitted it was good from the off to be honest, it just got better - noise floor just disapeared the the point I had to keep making sure I was not on mute
Bass got tighter and richer, sound stage more detail
for this owner the Karsouel is one of the finest upgrades you can add to your LP12 and the musical return Vs ££££ has to be one if not the best in Linn world
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I’m really no expert, but of any component I can think of that might benefit from a break in period, I would have thought a bearing was right up there. Not that I would second guess how that would manifest in sonic terms.
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I would have to agree with this assessment. I’ve been very impressed with the Hana SL since fitting it into the Ekos. It is very quiet in the groove and just sounds so natural. I’ve never played so much vinyl before and while I acknowledge it is by no means the best cartridge available, it has made me seriously question whether I need anything better (famous last words of course!).
This is a view that many (most?) would agree with, but I would have to say that this wasn’t my experience. I didn’t, initially at least, find the Radical to be a huge improvement over the Lingo 1. In fact, I remember that there were elements of the Lingo’s performance which I actually preferred. Maybe I’m deaf!
For me, the largest improvements were the Keel (which gave me that “new record collection” experience, and then the Karousel which, if pressed, I would have to say was a similar level of magnitude.
Perhaps the key element for me for these particular three upgrades (Karousel, Keel and Hana SL) was that they all substantially reduced the surface noise from most of my vinyl.
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I still run a Lingo 1, which sounds great to me. There was serious improvements when I upgraded the Subchassis. ( in my case a fairly inexpensive 3rd party job). Playing much more vinyl than I used to. I was chatting with a guy on here a couple of years ago who had been down the whole LP12 upgrade route, he told me to not waste too much time or money on power supplies. So I haven’t, don’t know if I am missing out. I also run a Hana SL, and find it all I need.
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I was interested to read these posts. I have a 1974 LP12 which had been upgraded up to around 1980 or thereabouts when I put it away and started using CDs and, more recently, digital streaming.
In 2020 I took advantage of the introductory offer to upgrade to the Karousel bearing plus a Keel sub chassis, a Lingo4 power supply and a Krystal cartridge. The improvement was remarkable and I think the Keel possibly made the biggest difference.
Around a month ago I started to encounter speed stability issues with the Lingo 4 - sometimes the red led indicator light would brighten up while playing, indicating that the deck was recalibrating the speed. On only one occasion did it make an audible difference - playing the Mobile Fidelity 45rpm version of Kind of Blue the speed slowed down dramatically to closer to 33rpm for a few seconds!
Linn are willing to replace the Lingo 4 but I have decided to upgrade to the Klimax and, at the same time, replace my Rega Aria 3 phono amp with the onboard Linn Urika.
I’ll let you know how I get on. But in the meantime I would be interested to know if anyone else has encountered speed stability issues with a Lingo 4?
On my Lingo 4 sometimes the red light stays on for a while, usually on the first side change but not always.
I’ve then parked my bum before the red light has gone out but never noticed anything sonically.
Heavyweight albums need a bit of dexterity on side changes to disrupt the speed the least, 45rpm is more easily upset and can stay in calibration mode longer. I learnt to be a bit less clumsy when changing sides 
This is how mine operates and I’ve the same spec LP12 as yourself - more or less. I sort of assumed that this is how the Lingo 4 worked.
Thanks so much for your helpful reply.
The one episode where the sound was audibly distorted was very alarming. I had played the first track fine but it was at the start of the second track (there are 2 tracks per side) that the fun started! This was a late night listening session - around 2.00am (don’t ask!) - and I wondered was there maybe a power fluctuation on the mains? There was nothing obvious in terms of lights flickering so I’m not sure. I would have thought that the Lingo could compensate for this anyway.
All the other episodes have been less dramatic and did not involve audible distortion. What normally happens is that the red led dulls down once the speed settles and I then lower the stylus and that’s that. But on some occasions when the album is playing the red led brightens up again for a few seconds and then dulls down again. I understand that this means that the Lingo is recalibrating the speed.
To be honest, if it hadn’t been for the audio distortion episode I wouldn’t have been too concerned. Anyhow, I have now convinced myself that as musical pitch is of primary importance to music reproduction this whole episode justifies another expensive upgrade to the Klimax power supply!
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Yes, the 2am issue may well be a power blip.
It’s worth checking that the felt marker on the inside of the platter is stuck properly and not loose or slipped, unlikely but it’s one variable less. 
Leave it running for a few hours and then try dragging the mat (you have a genuine Linn mat?) with your finger. A quick drag should be ok but a longer drag should trigger the calibration mode.
I only have the Akurate Radikal so don’t know if anything works differently for the Klimax (I somehow doubt it), but I have noticed that the red light brightens for a short time just after I have lowered the stylus onto a record.
I’ve never noticed this mid-record, but then I have to admit that I’ve never looked for it.
It’s a bit like the old Tommy Cooper sketch;
Patient: Doctor it hurts when I do this (raises his hand straight up above his head).
Doctor: Then don’t do it!
So if it’s likely to worry you at all, don’t watch it. Just listen to the music!
All good and reassuring advice.
If it was a mains electricity power blip, I had thought that the Lingo4 would have been able to cope with this?
I have tried - and eliminated - obvious issues such as the felt marker inside the rim of the outer platter, and a new drive belt etc. I also removed the belt and tried spinning the platter by hand - I think it would be spinning yet if I hadn’t eventually stopped it! So, I’ll try dragging the mat (yes, it’s a Linn mat).
I suspect this episode is - at some level - an elaborate way of justifying the further upgrade to the Radikal motor/power supply. It was ever thus!
It could have been interference on the phono stage from elsewhere in the house. I binned my kitchen fluorescent lights as these made a loud crack each time they were switched on, enough that I thought the record was skipping.
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Now, that was an angle I hadn’t considered! Thanks for your message.
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I have a Lingo 4 and I have noticed the red light brightening as well. I put it down to my imagination.
No apparent speed fluctuations with the Lingo.
The birghness on Lingo 4 is speed messure of either 33/45 - it is the deck ensuring speed is constant - when dim the speed is correct
I never noticed on my Lingo 4 when I lowered arm the brightness changed
I think the Radikal 2 is more sensitive than Radikal 1 in this matter or you notice it more as the led is brighter.
In any case I now place the record on the turntable very gently to speed up the calibration but it could take 30 seconds.
In any case it’s no big deal, I usually don’t wait that long and just let it play.
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