We’re approaching the end of the construction/decoration phase of the changes to our listening room. Only the damaged plaster cornices around the bay window to be replaced, and an oak parquet floor to be laid, and then the kit can come out of storage and we can enjoy the music properly once more. It’s a suspended floor and quite bouncy, so the LP12 needs a wall shelf. I presently have an (now discontinued) Quadraspire wall shelf and although it seems to work well, I’m not convinced that there isn’t some flex in the arms that extend from the mounting plate that bolts to the wall. I’m considering the Solid Steel WS5 as a possible alternative, which is a much more substantial shelf. But… does this shelf work well with the LP12, for which Linn have always recommended a light, rigid shelf? I’d be interested in people’s thoughts..
I have been contemplating a wall shelf for my LP12 for some time and would be most interested in people’s comments and experienced of such.
Richard
I tossed up between the solid steel and the quadraspire about a year back. Went the quadraspire as I thought the weight of the brackets/frame that hold the solid steel might be too much for my (very old) crumbly brick wall. Agree with u the quad arms are not amazingly rigid, but the platform it sits on is reasonably light. If I trusted my walls more I would have gone solid steel as prefer more minimal look. The shelf though is indispensable in my house!!
Below is thread I started at the time..
Thanks for the reply. I have read the 50+ posts on turntable shelves and the thread you started was among the most useful. Like you, I prefer the minimalist look of the Solid Steel WS5, and I noted that quite a few members of the forum have referenced it. What I haven’t seen is much discussion of how it performs relative to the alternatives. It’s a heavy unit (13kg), but the actual shelf platform on which the turntable itself sits is 19mm mdf, so presumably relatively light. I know that it’s unlikely that anyone has done an AB comparison, but have people found that it worked in their LP12 set-ups?
How I see it- the frame should be as rigid as possible. The Solid Steel appears to be well built and should satisfy that parameter. It is the actual “shelf” or MDF that should be light. I use Vulcan shelf with my LP12. It was offered with both a standard thickness and thinner shelf. I have tried both and really cannot hear much of a difference.
The Quadraspire unit always looked a bit “wobbly” to me but I have not heard it. Imo, don’t overthink this. Probably more important is how well the unit is attached to your wall and creating a perfectly level surface under the weight of the TT.
I use a Solid shelf with my (almost) full spec LP12. The shelf is mounted through a dot and dab wall directly into the underlying breeze blocks. I am delighted with the end result. I was unable to do a compare exercise, so went ahead based on a dealer’s recommendation.
The old Sound Organisation table I used to use for my LP12 had a far thinner mdf shelf than that - from memory probably less than 10mm. I later changed it to an Aerolam board - a much lighter and more rigid material that Pink Triangle used to use in their turntables. Compared to these, or compared to an Ikea Lack table, I’d say a 19mm board would be pretty high mass. Perhaps more important is how well isolated the board is from the shelf and the wall, which between them are obviously extremely high mass.
That’s all hypothetical of course, and I doubt you’ll find anyone who has done a meaningful comparison between the SS shelf and anything else, so I guess you’ll just have to go with your gut feeling.
I agree about the importance of good anchoring to the wall. In my room, I’m attaching to an outside wall of a Victorian property - traditional plaster finish over a brick wall. The Quadraspire was bolted to this via 6 machine headed bolts into plugged holes directly into the brickwork. It wasn’t going anywhere soon! As previously mentioned, the concern was more over the ‘arms’ that extend horizontally from the back plate - there is some potential for movement there, I feel. Levelling is fairly straightforward as the glass shelf is adjusted via 4 down facing spikes that sit in recesses in the arms.
I prefer the aesthetics of the Solid Steel shelf, but don’t want to spend £500 on something that sounds worse. Even finding a review is proving difficult, hence my request to the forum.
Tiger Vulcan, a thread already on it. Just for those interested. Second hand.
I have a WS5, which I can no longer use since my new turntable exceeds the weight limit.
However, I used it for years for my Clearaudio Ovation (about 40 lbs) and it was fantastic for that. I can’t say how it will work with an LP12 but I can say it looks great, is very rigid, high quality, and has great fit and finish.
Thank you for your thoughts. Your set-up is a very special case and I imagine finding an appropriate support is not the easiest of tasks!
The WS5 does look a beautifully made piece of kit. It would certainly fit the bill in terms of rigidity and I really like its understated appearance. In addition, I think it would complement the new racks that I have ordered for the rest of my system - two stacks of Simrak in oak.
The Tiger Paw Vulcan wall bracket is very well regarded and it’s what I have. Unfortunately they are no longer made, so only available second hand. (I was very lucky to get mine).
I have never understood why Linn themselves don’t make a shelf for their own TT. Linn could take a cue from the excellent Rega wall bracket; it’s a nifty design for their P8/P10.
There is demand and I’m sure they would sell well enough. Think of a steep price and double it and there you have the Linn Brakket £500! 
The load limit for a WS-5 is something like 125 lbs or so. I had mine mounted on a plaster on brick wall, and the anchors were glued into the brick. It was a very solid and rigid affair.
My current turntable, with three arm boards, three tonearms, record weight and peripheral ring is 145 lbs, and it’s 16” tall. I would never consider putting that on any kind of wall shelf, and I doubt one exists for that kind of load. I now use a HRS EXR rack with a HRS M3X2 isolation base for the turntable. That’s a remarkably stable affair.
This is an old picture of my Ovation on the WS-5. I also used an isoAcoustics Delos isolation base. With an LP12 you shouldn’t need the isolation base, but YMMV.
This is my current turntable on the HRS rack and isolation base.
A fantastic looking set-up. I can only imagine how impressive it sounds!
It brings me joy every day. 
A word of warning to those with heavy items on wall shelves attached to brick walls. Bricks can split with some fixings and the shelf falls down. Just happened to my bike gear shelf which has been up for many years. It was still waiting to be refitted when my dealer was round and when I told him what happened he said “Oh yes, it happened to one of my customers. All his gear was on shelves and the one with his amp fell down. He was lucky though, only slight cosmetic damage.” 
A slightly worrying event! I imagine that was the result of using an expanding rawl bolt type fixing on fragile or damaged brickwork, or unfortunate placement close to a mortar line. Probably a resin based fixing would be safer in such circumstances. I run a property conservation & renovation company, so I’m well used to fixing heavy items to walls, but it’s a useful warning. Thank you.
The Solid Steel WS5 is a very poor design. No structural rigidity at all.
Look at something designed like the Tigerpaw Vulkan. Or just make your own out of narrow tubed titanium.
I use the Pro-Ject Wallmount-it 5 here. Its shelf is filled with something, and it is not exactly light. But it looks good, the LP12 sounds clean and nice on it. There’s also the lighter model 1 with a more traditional shelf but I have no experience with that one.
When I mounted my WS-5 to an outer brick wall, I drilled the mounting holes and made sure they were in the brick and I glued the anchors in. It held fast for nearly a decade before I removed it.