Which turntable?

[birdcage]

I currently have a Linn music system and would like to add a turntable after inheriting a lot of what on the face of it are a very collectible and wide spanning collection of records.

Using the Linn for radio and Mac does make me feel I am under utilising it too.

I am looking at Linn turntables but wondered if there was anything else decent out there worth considering?

[Riff Raff]

You don't say:

What your budget is
What your Linn system is
What sort of state the records are in
Whether you want to buy new or second hand

There's a bit more to buying a turntable than meets the eye. You need a turntable (obviously), an arm, a cartridge, and if your amp doesn't have a phono input, a phono stage. Depending on the cartridge, you might need a phono stage for the phono stage.

If the records you have are a bit on the shagged side, then spending lots of dosh on a vinyl set up may not be worth it.

So, some more details might be helpful, especially on the budget side of things..........

[a4cabrio]

Technics sl 1200 or 1210 are quality decks, I've had 1210's for coming on 20 years now, look after them and they will last a lifetime

[T22AGA]

a4cabrio said:

Technics sl 1200 or 1210 are quality decks, I've had 1210's for coming on 20 years now, look after them and they will last a lifetime

You have decent components you need a decent quality turntable. lin is your best bet a great turntable . I have an orbe with a origin live arm. which I can say is AMAZING. my friend has a lin and it is very very good

[Ginetta G15 Girl]

A Linn Majik LP 12 with the Project 9cc arm and Linn Adikt cartridge comes in at around £2500 new and will blow a Technics 1200 out of the water. It's also easily upgradeable.

Alternatively, look for a decent 2nd hand LP12 (with the Cirkus bearing upgrade) with at least a Lingo 1 power supply and get Peter Swain of Cymbiosis to service it.

Edited by Ginetta G15 Girl on Monday 1st April 16:56

[Le TVR]

The LP12 is quite old now but has had a lot of upgrades through the years. It is still a quirky turntable to get set up correctly and may not stay that way for a long time. But if you decide on one then yes, Peter Swain is the man to see.
http://forums.linn.co.uk/bb/showthread.php?tid=994...

Personally, I would be heading for Nottingham Analogue.

[telecat]

There is an alternative if you can find one. The Linn Axis was usually partnered with a Basil or Akito arm. It was easier to use and setup and presentation wise was a good alternative to the Sondek. They are rare and I would be careful about buying one with problems as Linn no longer have any PCB's for the deck. It appears the Majik is a "modern" iteration of the Axis and appears to be aimed at a similar market.

[Riff Raff]

Anyone reading this thread would think that a Linn solution is the only solution. Yes, LP12's have evolved over the years, but they still sound like LP12's. Which may or may not be a good thing, depending on what you are after. I had mine for maybe 15 years, more than partly due to the fact I got sucked into all the hype surrounding them. After I moved to another make I realised that there is more to a turntable than a 'coloured' sound that takes a fair bit of effort, (and a fair bit of dosh if you can't do the work yourself) to keep fettled.

As I said in a previous post, the OP needs to give us some idea of the budget he's working to. And, it is more than likely if his Linn gear is recent, he's going to need a phono stage as well as a turntable.

So he could start looking at some of the Rega offerings, Michell maybe, Inspire, Kuzma and Nottingham Analogue as already mentioned.

For the same money as a new Majik, but with added vinyl junkie points, he could do an awful lot worse than this:

http://www.guildfordaudio.co.uk/store/itemdetails....

Less desirable than the 301, but engineering wise a lot better.

Or this, if he wants to spend a serious amount of money, on sale in the dealer section in HiFi Wigwam. Search for Inspire Monarch.



Both of these better sounding IMHO than an entry level Linn solution. But a bit pointless if you aren't seriously into vinyl. As indeed is an LP12

[kingston12]

a4cabrio said:

Technics sl 1200 or 1210 are quality decks, I've had 1210's for coming on 20 years now, look after them and they will last a lifetime

This is a good call if you don't want to spend too much. I'd avoid ones that have been heavily "DJ'd", but there are always quite a few on eBay that have been used by bedroom DJs who have lost interest and the 1210 is tough enough to endure that level of abuse.

I managed to find a completely unused one last year, and it sounds great with a decent cartridge on it. You can also modify them to insane performance levels, but if you have got that much to spend then I'd be going for one of the better options already mentioned in this thread.

I will personally be getting a Michell Gyrodec one day, but I'll still keep the 1210 for a second system.

[birdcage]

Thanks to everyone. I wasn't hugely comprehensive with my OP but this has given me plenty of food for thought.

I remember the 1210's from my youth!!!

Budget is about 2k so looking around (or adding a bit) it looks like I can get something decent.

Thanks again all

[telecat]

Given the Budget there are a few alternatives. Don't forget to factor in the arm and cartridge as most at that price will need to have them added. Second hand the Townshend Rock is usually a "solid" purchase in it's many forms. The Systemdek is good second hand and is cheaper as well. The Voyd and the Audio Note successors will be pretty good as well. As with all HiFi it's how it sounds to you in your system that counts. Turntable are a little more difficult to get for home demo so if you can find a dealer who can mimic your setup go along and get them to try a few TT's.

[Roadster25]

I spent a similar amount a few years ago. I can throughly recommend getting in touch with Gary at Analogue Seduction. He has a good range and offers home demonstrations, so you can audition with your system in your listening room, which is vital when you're spending that mouch money.

He did me a package deal, throwing in a Dynavector cart when I bought the turntable, arm and cover. He even delivered it to my home and set it up for me.

If you fancy spending a bit less, I've recently been very impressed with an old Systemdek, which can be found on fleabay for a very modest sum.

[jamesh764]

I bought the entry level Linn Majik LP12 a few years ago because my wife liked the way it looked. At the time I had a Garrard 401 and a Thorens TD160 and the Linn was a bit better than both of them to my ears.

The main disadvantage with the Majik LP12 is that changing from 33 to 45 rpm requires removing the turntable and faffing with a pulley and an elastic band. This can be cured by spending a couple of grand on a better power supply. My wife also thought that the Project Carbon Fibre arm looked vulgar, and had an air of Citroen Saxo dashboard about it. This was cured by spending another grand on a better arm.

Eventually we just bit the bullet and had everything upgraded to the top spec, and it sounds superb to my ears.

Lots of hifi bores, me included, have an opinion on the LP12. However, over the 40 years it has been in production there have been so many options and changes your only option is to listen to one and make your own mind up. My grandma's 30 year old LP12 Basik looks much the same as my 5 year old LP12 SE but has a different sound. Hers is very coloured and makes everything sound lovely. Mine sounds more accurate, with no audible surface noise unless the record is in really bad condition, but maybe it has lost some of the warm and fuzzy vinyl magic that some people like to bang on about.

Depending on which Linn system the OP has currently, you might also need to buy a phono stage (ranging from £20 at Maplin to £2000 from Linn) for the deck to work.

[RobinSherwood]

Hi there,

I used to have a Linn LP12 quite a few years ago but sold it after a customer service issue with another Linn product.

I replaced it with 'The Voyd' tuntable with an Alphason HR100S arm and Koetsu Black K cartridge and to be honest Linn had done me a favour as in my opinion the Voyd is a much better turntable.

My dad at a later date replaced his LP12 with a Pink Triangle Aniversary with a SME V arm and Kiseke Purpleheart cartridge and again in both our opinions that was an even greater improvement over the LP12.

A couple of years ago the Anniversary went to the Funk Firm to be rebuilt and modified by one of the Pink Triangle's original designers, so is now the latest spec with a Funk Firm arm and Lyra Titan cartridge and it is a stunning sounding thing.

So I would add Voyd and Pink Triangle to any list of potential decks.

HTH

Edited by RobinSherwood on Friday 5th April 09:20

[Speedracer329]

For your budget I would recommend a Funk Firm Vector & a Nitty Gritty vinyl cleaner. I have tried lots of decks over the years, including the ubiquitous LP12, & my favourite combination was a Michell Orbe, with a QC power supply, an SME IV tone arm & an Ortofon MC Gold cartridge, although obviously the amp & speakers need to be top notch too to get the most out of that setup. Now that is way past your budget, but the point I want to make is that I recently changed my deck because my financial situation has taken a turn for the worse, & I couldn't justify spending well over a grand for replacement catridges. But I wanted to get as close as I could to the sound I was used to, & after listening to a lot of decks I plumped for the Funk Firm. You should be able to get one with a decent arm & cartridge for about a grand, leaving you plenty of cash over for a vinyl cleaning machine. I cannot over emphasize what one of these machines can do with dirty vinyl, once you have sucked out the dirt & static away they will sound like they have never been played. And if you didn't want to spend that much on a cleaner then a company called Conrad make a plastic cleaner that you rotate in a cleaning solution for about £40, & if you don't mind the faff it is about 90% as effective as a Nitty Gritty or similar. I have one & for no money at all they transform old dirty vinyl.

[RobinSherwood]

I should of said in my previous post this is a good place to go and get advice about turntables, arms and cartridges

http://www.vinylengine.com

[jackal]

Look for a used well tempered Amadeus GTA

Its better than a £10,000+ specification Linn LP12

A wonderful sound. Better than the Michell decks as well and most of the other widely available decks in the UK.

The funk is good as well as is a decent Garrard in a good plinth with nearing/platter mods.

birdcage said:

Thanks to everyone. I wasn't hugely comprehensive with my OP but this has given me plenty of food for thought.

I remember the 1210's from my youth!!!

Budget is about 2k so looking around (or adding a bit) it looks like I can get something decent.

Thanks again all