Linn Service

[Johnnie7]

in london there is always infidelity hifi

there awaits the god known as Derek Jenkins...well worth a trip there !!!


im linn trained as well and in all my years of working with decks i have only ever seen "one" lp12 that a customer managed to get it perfectly set up and to bounce lovely

that was "Snapper" off of this forum
not sure how the old git managed it...but he done a fine job i can tell u


bw
j7

[DSJR]

I didn't remember Infidelity as a Linn dealer for some reason, only Rega (Simon used to be sales manager in the bad old days) and Naim. They certainly seemed to be caring people though...

Johnnie, for right or wrong, I was trained in Linn setup by no other than Jimmy Hughes. Now, Jimmy was very much a "Do as I say and not as I do!" kind of person. his decks would have arm boards all skew and not apparently level, often with sub-chassis set too high or too low, YET, his were at the time amongst the best sounding LP12's in the business, because the little things that really DID make a difference were expertly attended to, all the rest being cosmetic. In fact, I have it on very good authority that it was actually Julian Vereker who actually devised the correct setup procedure for LP12's, Linn doing a bit of a shoddy mess in the mid 70's when all this started (I've seen it first hand). Even the act of putting a washer between the p-clip and the fixing nut (as grahams did and maybe still do) had an effect on the sound on the bloody thing (I chose not to use such washers although it makes sense to do so).

Please, I'm fruitboxed out and really don't want to dredge up thirty years of angst over the bloody things. Just get a bloomin' Spacedeck, plonk it down on your favourite cabinet or shelf, listen to the wonderful music coming from the records being played and forget about springs, getting the fuses, belt and mat round the right way, grommets going hard or soft and the sub-chassis breathing up and down as the platter goes round 'cos the platter is never in proper balance (castings are never so accurate that you can ignore this).......... let alone a perfect bounce!

[JazzBones]

in london there is always infidelity hifi

there awaits the god known as Derek Jenkins...well worth a trip there !!!


im linn trained as well and in all my years of working with decks i have only ever seen "one" lp12 that a customer managed to get it perfectly set up and to bounce lovely

that was "Snapper" off of this forum
not sure how the old git managed it...but he done a fine job i can tell u


bw
j7

J7, my man, I blame it all on that high octane whisky with a lager chaser that you have in Glasgow...after a while not even the floor boards are level or bounce!

[Lodgesound]

OK playing devil's advocate here..................why not just plug it in and use it?

Does it need a service? I'm willing to bet it's absolutely fine - why throw money at un-needed work?

[MikeMusic]

OK playing devil's advocate here..................why not just plug it in and use it?

Does it need a service? I'm willing to bet it's absolutely fine - why throw money at un-needed work?

Being an official cheapskate I'd take the cheap route but
>out of the loft after a number of years in storage

seems to say to me "have a service"

[Lodgesound]

As part of my job I recently resurrected a 40 year old professional videotape machine that had been in storage unused for 15 years.

Worked straight away with no problems - measured fine and all within specifications. This is a device which is INFINITELY more complex than a turntable.

These are austere times we live in - do not give your money to folk unesessarily.

[Johnnie7]

J7, my man, I blame it all on that high octane whisky with a lager chaser that you have in Glasgow...after a while not even the floor boards are level or bounce!

hehhehe its the drambuie that gives me a nice bonce

[Marco]

Aye, I've always loved that big bonce of yours!

Marco.

[DSJR]

OK playing devil's advocate here..................why not just plug it in and use it?

Does it need a service? I'm willing to bet it's absolutely fine - why throw money at un-needed work?

This is a bloody Linn Springdek we're talking about, with iffy grommets, lop-sided springs and probably bent bolts on older ones, wooden bits that compress and make fixing bolts loosen and a belt that goes shiny and "off" fairly quickly. The felt mat shrinks (with a drastic negative effect on the sonics) and the tiny armboard screws loosen due to compressed materials. Many older main bearings leak all their oil out as well, so the thing ends up running almost dry with devastating results for the point on spindle bottom!

Nothing "Professional" about a Linn LP12 of yesteryear I can assure you!!!!!

Now, take a NAS Spacedeck, since it's the cheapest NAS model and sounds absolutely TONS better in all the Linn ways than a pre Cirkus LP12 at any rate, no matter what it's fitted with! The belt is designed not to stretch appreciably with time and the separate motor pod can be adjusted for distance easily, the main bearing is superbly done and rarely needs checking for oil. The arm mount is well thought out and I've said before many times just how wonderful the Rega RB arms sound on this deck - I don't know why, but they don't impede the musical flow at all, unlike on other decks such as the Techie for example..... The base is just put where necessary, the motor pod a finger thickness from the main plinth (levelling should have been done by the dealer and is easily corrected if necessary). Check the arm balance and playweight/bias and off you go with a huge grin on your face. Maintenance is simply dusting!!!!!!!

Apologies in going off on one, but the average Lp12 is a dogs dinner and was never meant to be "Fit and Forget!" That's what kept us dealers in business you see, selling all the upgrades to willing punters at the time. of course, now the bloody things are getting old, have had many owners no doubt with suspect setup skills and many good but well used main bearings in the early 80's are wearing out, Linn's coffers are waiting for remedial dosh to put them right..

No, nowt professional about a fruitbox.....


And I haven't even mentioned the old Techie yet - so many of them (1200mk2) in mastering rooms and playback studios all over the place...

[Marco]

And I haven't even mentioned the old Techie yet - so many of them (1200mk2) in mastering rooms and playback studios all over the place...

Wonder why, eh?

Marco.