cc_s425@ux.kingston.ac.uk (Syngen Brown) (07/04/90)
> I own a Linn LP-12 that is approximately 12 years old. I use a Dynavector > DV-505 arm with a Dynavector 23D MC cartridge. I am very pleased with the > performance of this setup and the deck has served me well for many years. > > However, if I understand the above article correctly, LP-12 may be updated > to become even better. Would anyone out there tell me about these updates. > I would be very interested in recommendations. I will post a summary on the > net if I receive anything interesting. > All Linn LP12 upgrades may be retrofitted to any LP12. Probably, the most important upgrade since you acquired your LP12 has been the "Valhalla" board. This takes the AC supply, rectifies it and has a quartz oscillator regenerate the AC at constant frequency, this has been around since about 1981. An LP12 having this can easily be recognised by the motor switch being a momentary action push switch with LED, earlier types had an illuminated rectangular on/off mains pushbutton with incandescent indicator. I have heard an LP12 without this board, and it does make a considerable sonic difference. Since circa 1984, the subchassis has been glued rather than spot welded. There also have been a couple of changes in the type of springs. More recently there has been an improved arm board constructed of medite. I understand that there have been numerous minor changes in manufacturing, but these are the changes which have contributed to improved performance. My own LP12 is just over five years old, and during that time the only significant change in the product has been of the armboard. The LP12 is now a mature product. It is advisable that you have the LP12 checked over, at least every two years. Your Linn dealer should be able to advise on upgrading to current specification and perform the necessary work. ======================================================================= Syngen Brown - Systems Group, Kingston Polytechnic Computer Centre, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, KT1 2EE, UK. syngen@ux.king.ac.uk =======================================================================
alan@syacus.acus.oz (Alan Stewart) (07/05/90)
cc_s425@ux.kingston.ac.uk (Syngen Brown) writes: >> I own a Linn LP-12 that is approximately 12 years old. I use a Dynavector >> DV-505 arm with a Dynavector 23D MC cartridge. I am very pleased with the >> performance of this setup and the deck has served me well for many years. >> >> However, if I understand the above article correctly, LP-12 may be updated >> to become even better. Would anyone out there tell me about these updates. >> I would be very interested in recommendations. I will post a summary on the >> net if I receive anything interesting. >> The Linn Ittok LVIII arm is more suited to the LP12 than the Dynavector. Do all the modifications to the turntable first, though. Check the main bearing - the inner platter and bearing assembly can be replaced for about $A300. Also, the plinth can be changed to the new variety (with the corner struts) for about $A100. The Valhalla is a must and Nirvana kit also. Changed the belt too. regards Alan
tim@root.co.uk (Tim Clarke) (07/08/90)
In <4825@uwm.edu> cc_s425@ux.kingston.ac.uk (Syngen Brown) writes: >My own LP12 is just over five years old, and during that time the only >significant change in the product has been of the armboard. The LP12 >is now a mature product. In your original list you missed the 'Black-oil' upgrade :-) The oil used in the bearing was changed sometime after the original posters LP12 was released. More significantly the bearing itself has been modified in the last few years. (I suspect since you bought your turntable). This is supposed to be a more significant upgrade. It is certainly a more expensive one! -- MAIL: tim@root.co.uk SMAIL: UniSoft Ltd, Saunderson House, Hayne Street, London EC1A 9HH PHONE: +44 71 315 6600
KLUDGE@AGCB8.LARC.NASA.GOV (07/08/90)
Headphones: The MDR-V7 seems to be a V6 upgrade, and the V5 appears to be a V4 upgrade. The drivers in the V6 and V4 were the same, but the mechanical shape of the earpieces made the sound much more different, and the V4 more uncomfortable. Anyway, I paid $140 for the V6's when they came out and wished I had been able to wait a while (my Sennheisers had blown and I needed a pair of headphones that evening). Cables: Use various shielded cables for interconnects. Try your own configurations. Triax is worth playing with, either with the first shield tied to the second or tied to the center conductor. Twinax is best used wired semibalanced, but is handy for balanced connections. I've had trouble with foil-braid cable breaking down with frequent movement, and better luck with real braid. Impedance doesn't make a damn bit of difference; there is a heavy mismatch from source to sink anyway, and anyway, you are not dealing with lengths which are an appreciabale fraction of the wavelength. I need to power my amp, not my friend in Chicago's amp. Also, folks have reported better results with Teflon cables (and it's more fun to solder anyway). Myself, I tried just about everything and settled on plain old RG-58. (NOT 58C!). For speaker cables, try using ribbon with even leads grounded and odd leads tied to signal. Poor man's litz wire. It is actually possible to generate an L-C circuit in the audio frequency with speaker cable, which makes it rather important. Loss due to R-C circuits is much more prominant, though. So use high-gauge cable or lots of parallel conductors. My personal favorite is shielded multiconductor stranded cable, with half the conductors on ground and half on signal (shield on signal too). It's fairly inexpensive, and if you strip the casing off in parts, it looks impressive. Whatever you do, use good connectors and Tweek. I use the Switchcraft video RCA plugs with the nylon insulation. They work, and sound good. They don't fail. I am not sure whether premium connectors will improve the sound, but I am certain that cheap ones will degrade it. Your friendly neighborhood industrial electronics dealer will carry Switchcraft stuff. At $1.50 per connector, you'll find it cheap. When I go to buy 100 of the things, I consider it exhorbitant. But once I bought a lot of 100 1/4" connectors which started to go bad after several months. It took a year to get all of them out of the equipment, and there still may be a few lurking in the studio, ready to fail any minute. It's not a good feeling. --scott