Linn TT Owners - Tell us your Story

[Loop4fun]

Originally Posted by Olskool

I placed an order yesterday for a "new" Lingo III power supply for the Linn TT. It is timed to hopefully coincide with the arrival of the Lyra Delos I've had on order for some time now. Is upgrading the 9CC Project tonearm the next order of business? The plan is to get used to the sound of the Cart and PS while stashing cash to fund the upgrade tonearm. Your thoughts? Olskool

Larry, I think the standard answer would be the Kore or Keel before the arm. But you might want to try a used Ekos or SE, if you can find one. It might be a question of which pops up first.

[longgone]

There was a nice LP12 with Lingo1, Cirkus, and an Alphason tone arm at my local audio shop. We were aware of the fine history of this particular table. I traded my Valhalla LP12 for the Lingo LP12.
A Linn Technician swapped my Linn Basik LVX, armboard, and Adikt cartridge for the Alphason. So, I kept my tonearm and cartridge. A full setup was performed.
I wondered if there would be an audible difference. There is.
The TT is more inviting to listen to than the other LP12.
I really enjoyed my original LP12 and was reluctant to let it go. Bye bye since the Lingo moved in. I really had to experience this upgrade to believe it was going to be an audible improvement. Having my original tonearm and cartridge was and is good.
Who knows what is ahead? I have confidence that the upgrade journey will be enjoyable.

[Olskool]

Originally Posted by longgone

There was a nice LP12 with Lingo1, Cirkus, and an Alphason tone arm at my local audio shop. We were aware of the fine history of this particular table. I traded my Valhalla LP12 for the Lingo LP12. A Linn Technician swapped my Linn Basik LVX, armboard, and Adikt cartridge for the Alphason. So, I kept my tonearm and cartridge. A full setup was performed. I wondered if there would be an audible difference. There is. The TT is more inviting to listen to than the other LP12. I really enjoyed my original LP12 and was reluctant to let it go. Bye bye since the Lingo moved in. I really had to experience this upgrade to believe it was going to be an audible improvement. Having my original tonearm and cartridge was and is good. Who knows what is ahead? I have confidence that the upgrade journey will be enjoyable.

Good to hear you enjoyed the upgrade. So if I'm understanding, you purchased the Lingo powered LP 12 and moved your tone arm and cartridge to it?

I'm getting more excited every day as I'm within a few weeks of getting the new Delos cart and Lingo III. I had a discussion today with my dealer and may add a Kore and Trampolin at install of cart and power. Hearing you talk about getting improved sound over what I'm already enjoying is almost unbearable to think about and be patient at the same time. They probably have a name for tis audiophile addiction! Congrats on your upgrade!

Olskool

[longgone]

yes olskool, I purchased the Lingo LP12 and moved my tone arm and cartridge to it.
I think this is the first step upgrade for a Valhalla LP12.
It made a difference.
The Lingo III is a better improvement yet.
I believe the bearing upgrade is important, too.
Your LP12 will be very impressive sounding.
I'm pleased with the way my LP12 journey is going.
Power supply and bearing upgrades first,
allows an opportunity to sample what these changes bring.
I will eventually continue to upgrade.
I'm pretty hooked on the original fluted plinth.
Enjoy the music.

[Olskool]

I'm in full agreement, the journey is good! My dealer said the Majik LP12 is late series and has items like the Cirkus bearings as standard from the factory. I listened last night and had only intended to spin a couple sides and ended up shutting down after 1:00pm. It was sounding plenty sweet and I had no idea of the time. What a pain to get up for work!

[daveyf]

My current LP12 consists of an afro plinth, Cirkus/Kore, Tramp 2 and a Radikal D. The arm is a custom modified Well Tempered 'Black' arm wired with the same Van den Hul crystal cable as used in the SME V and the cart is a Benz Ruby 2. I'm looking to replace the Ruby 2...thinking of a Benz LPS MR or maybe a Lyra. I'm eager to see/hear the replacement of the Lyra Skala...whatever it will be. Also might consider a Koetsu...any thoughts?

[Olskool]

Originally Posted by daveyf

My current LP12 consists of an afro plinth, Cirkus/Kore, Tramp 2 and a Radikal D. The arm is a custom modified Well Tempered 'Black' arm wired with the same Van den Hul crystal cable as used in the SME V and the cart is a Benz Ruby 2. I'm looking to replace the Ruby 2...thinking of a Benz LPS MR or maybe a Lyra. I'm eager to see/hear the replacement of the Lyra Skala...whatever it will be. Also might consider a Koetsu...any thoughts?

Hi daveyf, as I'm just venturing into the world of Linn and the only reference I have is my dealer saying my 2011 or 2012 Linn Majik is made up of the upgraded items accomplished over the years. Your description of your system says to me is it's modified to a fairly high level that rivals and probably exceeds what I have in my current setup. This is particularly true if you have the Radikal Power supply. I have no visibility on how much improved your sound is with your tonearm and cable but I bet it has to be spectacular! The Lyra or Benz you mentioned may be a major sonic improvement.

The improvements in my TT with the Kore, Lingo III and Lyra Delos add-on's have been immediate and moved into Reference level performance. I am still struggling with an issue and am wondering if I have a problem with setup, room treatments or speaker placements, etc. The system is very technically strong with superior detail but I still feel like I am missing a "Groove" that was once there and I don't want to spend more dollars on hardware until I have confirmed the areas I suspect could be causing me to not hear the performance the upgrades create. I understand setup is extremely critical with Linn TT's and could cause that "Groove" to take a back seat. I'm not sure why you are contemplating the upgrades but I guess my point is to make sure your system is set up well along with room sonic settings and that enjoying the music still comes first! Olskool

[daveyf]

Hi Olskool. I have been a 'Linnie' for well over 30 years! IMHO, this table can be brought up to the very highest level of analog play back....almost neck and neck with reel to reel. That has been my goal. Now, having said that, I know that there are some aspects of the Linn platform that are not up to 'snuff'. IMHO, the arm cable ( phono cable) from the Linn arms is an example of this. ( again IMO, the phono cable is of extreme importance if you want to hear what your TT can really do). The arms themselves are also not quite up to what the TT can do...the Ekos SE is a very good arm, however, there are many out there that can beat it. The fact that it cannot adjust azimuth is IMO a failing. So, what is the answer here, well a couple of ways to go....( and of paramount importance is an arm that is light enough to NOT disturb the suspension...this is CRITICAL). I like the following arms for this reason...1) The Naim ARO...which is good but not that much better than a Ekos SE and with similar issues 2) The WTA arm that I utilize...it has a liquid bearing...so no bearing noise, it is very light and it utilizes a termination block that connects to the Van den Hul internal cable..this is where the arm pulls away from the other two mentioned above. ( The possibility of using any high quality phono cable now appears...I use Nordost Tyr phono...which IMO slays the Linn Silver cable and any other Linn phono cable). This is so critical. 3) The new AMG 9 arm looks VERY promising..although again the cable issue could be a factor. I have discussed this with the importer and others, and I am told that the cabling can be modded to anything I would want..so long as the cable doesn't impact the tables suspension. ( this is a plus).
I am looking to replace my cart for one reason only...it is now getting a little long in the tooth..and I suspect the suspension will begin to fail at some point.

Here is my system:

BTW, as you say, set up is crucial for the table. Luckily I have an expert Linn set up guy in the near vicinity. I also have added room acoustic treatments to my dedicated listening room ( you can see couple of the Real Traps Mondo Traps behind the system in the picture), a huge improvement...and a must for any a'phile interested in maximizing their system, IMHO.

[Olskool]

Daveyf, thanks so much for your responses and communication with me. It is excellent for me to be able to communicate with a longtime Linn owner to get some perspective. From the looks of your photograph it looks as if your system can "Bring Thunder!" I run Nordost cables and interconnects and just added Tyr1 between my LS27 and Ref2 Phono to Amp. I have recently really been thinking a Tyr Phono cable from the TT would complete the loop but had read of the difficulty in mating a standard cable to a Linn Table. The WTA arm sounds good to me and I have recently noticed some threads discussing the Van Den Hull but I now need to do some reading and research since your recommendation.

My dealer is a "dyed in the wool" Linn purist so it might make him lose his mind if I ask him to source a WTA arm for me, but if I get one, then bring it to him to install he ought to be able to handle it with no issues. Replacing my cart because it was getting long in the tooth is exactly how I ended up with my Linn rig, now at $8,500+ US and counting up. I found myself the proud owner of a Linn rig when all I wanted to do to was to replace my old cartridge, a Sumiko BlackBird on a Project Perspex, for a new Lyra Delos. I got the Delos, but it just somehow came with a Linn TT dragging along behind it! LOL 👀.

I love that you confirm, as many others do, that the Linn can bring some serious, high quality results out of the vinyl. By the way, I have been reading and hearing some excellent discussions on the Booplinth plinth. You may already be aware of it but the Linn forum has quite a bit of chatter and some near fisticuffs (web fights) between Plinth builders. I was thinking to pull the trigger on one next month if I can get some satisfaction on the rest of the peripheral needs for "getting the Groove back." I think I will research the arm some more, and if the pricing can be afforded that will take a first priority. Great conversing with you. Love to hear more of your thoughts any time.

Olskool

[daveyf]

Olskool, I do think that the Linn upgrade path and the protocol behind it is correct. The path stipulates that you move from the inside of the table outwards. So, first is the bearing, then the sub chassis, then the motor and motor controller ( i.e. Lingo or Radikal) then the tonearm and lastly the cartridge. The plinth is a debatable aspect. Since you have a Magik model, you already have a corner braced plinth..so IMHO no need to upgrade that ( unless you are looking for a different aesthetic). The top plate is another consideration, although the current top plate and the after market Khan are pretty good. ( You have the current Linn top plate...I do not, but I think the difference here is extremely small).
So, looking at your table, i would suggest an upgrade to the power supply to Radikal before the tonearm and then possibly the Keel in the same light.

When you talk about getting the 'groove back' I'm not sure I totally understand what you feel is missing...could you elaborate on that. It may be something else entirely in your system. BTW, how do you like your Nordost Tyr cabling? when i replaced my older ic's with Tyr, there was a BIG improvement across the board.( and my old cable was no slouch..)
DaveyF