Existing threads cover common LP12 upgrades. Some may disagree over whether Kore to Keel matters more than Ittok to Ekos or Lingo4 to Radikal, but there is a body of comments from users on changes of that sort. To me, the consensus views all look at worst sensible and at best audibly correct.
Two possible changes look a bit different imho.
First is replacing the plinth with a metal one, like a Stiletto. I think it’s definitely better, but the new price is eye-watering, and that sort of change can only ever be a minority interest (within the minority interest that is LP12 ownership within the minority interest that is multi-box music reproduction).
The other of these perhaps more fundamental changes that gets discussed is a lot cheaper: mushrooms.
I have never heard an LP12 with mushroom suspension. I don’t know whether they have more effect on an old Valhalla deck or a modern Klimax-ish deck, or whether every LP12 should have them now.
Can we have comments from as many people as possible who have heard mushrooms in an LP12? Is there a good reason why so many (me included) have not tried these, apart from lack of dealer dem facilities?
One member (sorry forget which thread and who it was) changed to 'shrooms…was impressed iirc, then changed back to springs and was happy. I may be guilty of over-simplifying their response…
I know which of the two I’d prefer to be.
But I am looking forward to reading what others think of the change.
I think you need to just try it on your deck as (as you say) there are too many variables among those who have already tried it to know if it could work for your ‘deck / system / preferences etc.
The difference wasn’t subtle in terms of hearing what my LP12 sounded like with seemingly no trace of pitch instability (‘geddon style motor supply, but with voltages matched to the motor for better performance). For that reason alone it was worth doing simply as a learning experience and then redouble my efforts to getting the sprung deck working closer to that ideal rock solid pitch stability that springless has.
The mushrooms may be a better compromise than the method I tried, but they’re still going to be a compromise in terms of isolating the sub chassis from the motor and plinth compared to springs. To my ears that compromise seems to result in a bit less dynamic and more compressed sound, with less involvement or connection to the music.
See above. The idea was to ‘max out’ the springless effect (the face to face grommets are probably even less compliant than gel mushrooms) to let me hear just how much the springs are contributing to unstable pitch.
On my deck it’s certainly not difficult to hear the effect. Perhaps not so much on a top-spec LP12, but I couldn’t say.
