Linn Sondek LP12 Reloaded

by James Leahy

Well the Linn Sondek LP12 has been with us for longer than many of us care to remember and holds a world recognized standard in the domain of quality turntables at an affordable price.

Many can be found in reasonably good to excellent condition on the second hand market and are a perfect base to suit modifications bringing this old gem up-to-date to super human modern standards by some simple and basic modifications.

Even though the basic design might look old fashion and not flashy by the most dramatic new designs from ClearAudio, J.A. Michell or SME the performance is of great quality for the price and once breathed on by a competent audio workshop can return stellar performance only equaled by spending considerably more on a new vinyl rig.

Readers' of this site take note! Even in it's day when the Linn Sondek LP12 first hit the streets it was not a cheap purchase. But when you buy quality equipment even if the price is many times more then lower cost units you should never feel short changed or cheated as you are buying quality. A real quality product no matter what it is will stand the test of time like this prime example of great engineering can prove.

First port of call was to replace the worn and antiquated Stanton 981 HZS MM cartridge with the honking new Ortofon Kontrapunkt B - MC cartridge. If you have nothing to do after reading this article see my review on this rock star of a cartridge HERE

This change alone made all the world of difference and when paired up to a classy valve vintage pre-amplifier like the VTL Maximal the full dynamics and bliss of this wonderful performer could be fully appreciated. Be careful to spend the time setting up a cartridge of this caliber correctly as it is critical in the overall performance. Tracking weight, anti-skate adjustments', VTA and azimuth are all most critical.

A general clean-up always helps the appearance of any table and protects your investment for many years to come. On the wood chassis I recommend using linseed oil and giving the table at least two coats. This help really bring out the natural color of the wood as well as protecting against fading.

The alloy plinth can be made to look better than new with AUTOSOL® metal polish. Great for everything from Mag wheels to LP12's and available from all good auto stores.

The tonearm mounting board can be cleaned and preped with Windex® and dirty finger prints and grime can be easily removed.

Since this table has seen a few years go by, the drive belt was also needing replacement. A worn drive belt can affect the speed consistency and is a cheap maintenance replacement item that should be done ever 5 years.

Replacement tonearm boards are still available so changing to a better tonearm is not out of the question for LP12 owners. I decided to experiment with how the Kontrapunkt B would sound on the old Linn with the SME Series III tonearm that was a already in place. That is the beauty of buying such a good cartridge such as this because it can so easily be transported to your new vinyl rig or next tonearm with a minimal of fuss and trouble.

For an upgraded tonearm on this rig I would recommend the Rega RB300 or better. Depending on how far this customer wants to go and if they are satisfied enough with it's current performance level the tonearm on this table maybe changed in the future. Rest assured I will keep you posted on the results if this happens.