LP12 Priorities?

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Charlie1
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Re: LP12 Priorities?

Post by Charlie1 »

Fair enough David and I didn’t realise you’d had your Kandid that long now. Time flies.

Hopefully the Entity will also help reduce your pain, along with a new arm or Radikal box.
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Re: LP12 Priorities?

Post by David Neel »

Charlie1 wrote: 2019-11-09 09:17 Fair enough David and I didn’t realise you’d had your Kandid that long now. Time flies.

Hopefully the Entity will also help reduce your pain, along with a new arm or Radikal box.
A nearly new Akurate Radikal will be on its way to me soon, and my 2010 Majik-cased Radikal is sold. When I heard the comparison between my Radikal and my dealer's new Akurate Radikal, there was an obvious improvement. A Klimax casing may well have been better still, but the changeover would have been MUCH more expensive. So that's one decision made!

You will have noticed that my Ekos SE is in the for sale section here - that gives a clear indication of my intention to go to an SE/1 :) And whenever Entity arrives...
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John
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Re: LP12 Priorities?

Post by John »

David, curious what you do to clean the stylus?
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Re: LP12 Priorities?

Post by David Neel »

John wrote: 2019-11-09 13:05 David, curious what you do to clean the stylus?
Good question: I used lyra SPT (very carefully, every couple of weeks or so) and a carbon fibre brush for any visible strands. Green paper very occasionally. I have now been warned by my dealer not to use ANY fluid - but there is no suggestion that this has been the cause of my problems.
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Insert Smileys More Often?

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lejonklou wrote: 2019-11-07 23:36
Ron The Mon wrote: 2019-11-07 23:28
Please show me where Linn, the designer and manufacturer, agree with you.
Have I claimed that they do?

Have you compared the two arms? I sold my SE and bought an SE/1 after having compared them. And I know at least 5 others who did the same. Perhaps even 10 if I think hard enough.
David Neel wrote: 2019-11-07 23:58 Why?
ThomasOK wrote: 2019-11-08 18:08 +1
I apologize for the late reply. I assumed everyone here knows my views well enough that I was being facetious. I will add smileys more often.

For those not aware, David Williamson of Linn has publicly written the SE/1 is not better sounding than the SE. He has also stated the Klimax Radikal is not better sounding than the Akurate Radikal. This from the guy who designed all these products and oversees consistent production.

There are many more such inconsistencies among current Linn advice, but what boggles my mind is the Majik/Akurate/Klimax progression. Not just in the LP12, but when assembling an entire Linn system. It seems there are also many believers in a "balanced" system on this forum, including LP12 owners who buy really expensive moving coil cartridges before getting a Radikal, and/or Keel, and/or Ekos SE.

The craziest most unsource-first advice/deal Linn gave is a discount on a Urika when buying a Radikal. If I was given the same deal from Linn toward a Keel, I probably would have stretched and bought one. But a Urika?!

I am a tightwad and can never see myself on the moving coil cartridge gravy train again. Linn advises the step up from a Majik LP12 is Kore/Akito/Krystal. I have read posts and seen photos online of owners actually doing this! Whatever happened to source-first and buying a Radikal or Keel? A Keel won't wear out, doesn't require a head-amp, or an extra space on your rack. And it will improve your hi-fi more than a Kore/Akito/Krystal for less money.

I also don't understand the "I have a Kandid, so I need to buy another" (or any MC cartridge for that matter) thinking. Buyers on eBay that have made a decision to buy a Kandid will buy your used model to save a hundred bucks or so. It is not a huge hit to take, especially when you are talking about spending thousands of dollars.

My advice to David Neel is simple; keep your Adikt and buy the new Slipsik. You can buy both from selling your used Kandid. Selling your Urika and Ekos SE will fund the Ekos SE/1. A Kandid is over a thousand dollars a year in running costs. That will buy you a Klimax Radikal in a few years.

I also find the Radikal power supply is very sensitive to placement. It may be better value to improve the Radikals' stand than improve the tonearm. As an aside, do you have a Linn tonearm cable? Which one?

I really see no reason to give David Neel advice, because he'll end up with a Klimax LP12 in a few years anyway; it's just the path toward that. In the meantime, is it possible to have a bad sounding LP12 with a Radikal/Keel/Ekos (if set up properly)?

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Re: LP12 Priorities?

Post by David Neel »

Ron The Mon wrote: 2019-11-22 18:29
My advice to David Neel is simple....

....I really see no reason to give David Neel advice

Ron The Mon
Now that definitely deserves a smiley :)
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Re: LP12 Priorities?

Post by David Neel »

Time for an update? Thanks for all the constructive input!

As previously reported, I've bought an Akurate Radikal (less than a year old) to replace my ten-year-old Majik Radikal/D. I didn't do the comparison with Klimax Radikal as the changeover cost was in this instance so favourable. Further funds will go on providing a bronze upgrade to the Quadraspire bamboo shelf the Radikal sits on. Probably also a new Lejonklou power cord, as the Radikal is sensitive to power cords as well as racks.

The Ekos SE is provisionally sold. When payment is received, I'll order an new SE/1. The Urika is also provisionally sold. My Lejonklou dealer is aware of my urgent interest in Entity!

The Kandid was returned to the repairer, who has now undone a change I hadn't asked for. Hopefully when I hear it again, it will be back to being musical and the cartridge decision can be deferred.

Just for the record, the rest of the LP12 is as follows: original 1983 top plate, Circus bearing/inner platter/outer platter (2017), Keel (2007), Booplinth (2016). Maybe a new top plate is in order as well?
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Please Be Kandid?

Post by Ron The Mon »

David Neel wrote: 2019-11-24 18:24 ...Linn inspected [my Kandid], pointed out a lot of tiny bits of dirt (looking like iron filings) around the cantilever root and hole...

... taking [the Kandid] elsewhere revealed that the suspension had become loose - cause unknown. The Kandid was dismantled, cleaned and realigned, and new paper fitted...

...The Kandid was returned to [that] repairer, who has now undone a change I hadn't asked for. Hopefully when I hear it again, it will be back to being musical and the cartridge decision can be deferred.
What was done and undone?
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Re: LP12 Priorities?

Post by David Neel »

The Kandid was better than before, but not as it should be. I will not go into details, both because they are not generally relevant, and also because I do not completely believe what the repairer has told me. I compared it today with a new Krystal, which had much more dynamism and better timing, but was less capable in other aspects than even my under-performing Kandid. So the decision has been made and a new Kandid is on order. The SE/1 will have to wait. I'm looking forward to hearing Entity...
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