upgrading vintage LP12

bbyte · Post by **bbyte** » 2007-09-11 20:25

I've got a friend that bought Sondek LP12 (I can't still consider this buy as a revelation, he could spend about 3x that money to buy 90's LP12) form 1977. He wan't it to be good and working. It has Basik power supply, no tonearm and rosenut (rosewood?) plynth. What it does are:
Power cable (2 pin)
Tonearm cable (Linn's vintage one)
It has also only one speed operation - 33,3 rpm.

What to upgrade first, to achieve good sound while don't spend too much money?

My own ideas: Cirkus, New Plynth, Trampolin or Solid Base, SH Valhalla, SH Akito with Adikt (new).

Post by **lejonklou** » 2007-09-24 13:55

I think your ideas are good. The Cirkus replaces the bearing and the suspension, so he won't have to think about whether those parts are worn or in good shape.

Akito's are usually cheap, but sometimes a bit too damaged in their horisontal bearings. Check before buy. SH Valhalla - yes, unless a SH Lingo turns up at an excellent price. Trampolin - I would put on a brand new Trampolin 2, as it is a great improvement over the previous version and still not very expensive.

Adikt is good. If money is tight, here is where I'd save a bit by installing an AT-95E instead. Simply incredible value for money!

Azazello · Post by **Azazello** » 2007-09-24 16:14

If possible, try to pick up an Akito2, it's suppposed to be much better than the first version, but tend to be just a bit more expensive.

Another idea could be to pick up an old K9 body from ebay (should be really cheap) and fit a new AT-95 stylus onto it.

Regards

bbyte · Post by **bbyte** » 2007-09-25 18:27

Thanks for your help. He will upgrade to cirkus/akito/adikt/trampolin 2.

I'm going to buy new sondek for myself and get it setup properly by my dealer, no problems with upgrading/parts/compatibility ect. Only minus - the price for "Keeled" Linn LP12. Totally overkill.

ThomasOK · Post by **ThomasOK** » 2007-09-25 21:17

I agree with your planned upgrades and Fredriks comments. Azazello is right, an Akito 2 is a better arm and is also less likely to have horizontal bearing problems although I would still recommend testing the horizontal bearings. A used Ittok would also be a good possibility.

I would also recommend being careful about used Valhallas. Many of the units I see now are in need of an overhaul. This consists of replacing basically all of the caps on the board and sometimes the input resistor and the rectifier - the last two dependent on age of the board. We do that kind of service for $150US but Linn Scotland will no longer service them. I imagine that Fredrik is likely to offer this type of service as well. If you want to avoid this service in the near future you should make sure the Valhalla you are considering is running properly and take a look at the three largest caps - you want to see that there is no sign of leakage or corrosion where the leads attach to the caps and that they look to be in good shape.

It should be a sweet setup when it is all done.

Tony Tune-age · Post by **Tony Tune-age** » 2010-02-09 15:44

There was an advertisement provided by a Linn dealer, suggesting the new LP12 Majik power supply is better sounding than the older Valhalla power supply. Is there any truth to this statement, or is it just a subjective opinion?

Post by **lejonklou** » 2010-02-09 20:13

I know someone who's claimed just that. But as Valhallas are often *very* old these days, I'm not sure how much only one such comparison really says. The result might have been different with another Valhalla.

Maybe it's a better idea to compare the Majik power supply with a Hercules, which is a Valhalla copy with 45 rpm added.

vicdiaz · Post by **vicdiaz** » 2010-02-10 02:33

lejonklou wrote: Maybe it's a better idea to compare the Majik power supply with a Hercules, which is a Valhalla copy with 45 rpm added.

Or against a recently rebuilt Valhalla.

Tony Tune-age · Post by **Tony Tune-age** » 2010-02-10 02:36

It's very interesting how the Sondek LP12 power supply options have changed since 1973 8) .