1982 Linn lp12 to new Majik

[alby]

I have been pondering whether to service / upgrade my old lp12 , but much as I will miss the “old girl” , I think I am going to go for the Majik mc and trade her in , I am going to listen to one before I put down some “hard earned” , but for the money ,I am not sure that after spending the difference on my lp12 , it would still not be as good as a new Majik ( with a 5 year guarantee). I will let you know how it goes.
Alby

 

[akamatsu]

What's the build of the 1982 LP12? If you don't mind my asking.

 

[alby]

Very vanilla , Valhalla’d with basik lvx

 

[akamatsu]

Very vanilla , Valhalla’d with basik lvx

Get the Majik LP12. With the Valhalla, the most impactful component can't be fitted. That would be the Karousel bearing. Karousel disrupted the used LP12 market. In many, if not most cases, a new Majik with Karousel makes more sense.

 

[sktn77a]

Agree with the above comment. My only gripe about the Majik LP12 is the ca. 1972 power supply and motor. If you can stretch to a Lingo 4 by foregoing the Adikt cartridge (use your existing cartridge or a cheap AT95 series) you'll be in-like Flint!

 

[akamatsu]

Agree with the above comment. My only gripe about the Majik LP12 is the ca. 1972 power supply and motor. If you can stretch to a Lingo 4 by foregoing the Adikt cartridge (use your existing cartridge or a cheap AT95 series) you'll be in-like Flint!

Since the Majik LP12 is a "packaged" deal, I wonder how much discount could be gained by foregoing the Adikt.

 

[sktn77a]

My understanding is that the the LP12s are now "built" by the dealer (maybe just in the UK). But perhaps @ThomasOK can confirm(?).

​

 

[formann]

Indeed a good idea to go for a new Majik as it has a great package deal. After hearing the Majik in different forms since 2017 the PSU has a bit undeserved talk on social media. The main issue was the Project arm. The next version with Jelco sourced arm was way better and really engaging. Then came the Karousel, then the new Krane arm and the PSU is still there and these upgrades shows it to be more than capable. Then there's the small changes for nuts and bolts along the road as well. Yes, a Lingo 4 is a lot lot better than Majik PSU but costs more. Valhallas don't work with Karousel and Hercules (3rd party) is a bit tight fit + they may not comply with safety regulations with the new stiffer base (aluminium) ?.
Basically there's noting left from the 82 version so new is new. Have done the same myself about a year ago just after the Jelco arm came.
Regards Øyvind I

 

[akamatsu]

I would expect you to experience a very musical upgrade to your 1982 deck. A whole new record collection awaits. Enjoy!

 

[Nondigital Paul]

new Majik ( with a 5 year guarantee).

I’d be interested to know how much a 5 year guarantee is worth to an owner of a 40 year old LP12.

 

[Trunkmonkey]

Very different decks, voiced for different systems and different eras of music production.

I've own/have owned various spec LP12s including 2007-spec LP12SE, 89-spec deck, 92-spec deck, and Majik LP12 (with Karousel bearing). My personal opinion is that they are all quite different and voiced for 'their time' and the Linn or Naim systems of their day, and the recordings of that period.

For example, the Majik is very good with modern compressed recordings and mates perfectly with modern Linn Majik systems. It will sound much clearer and more tuneful than your existing deck. Whereas, the '92 deck with Linn LK amps sounds great with late-80s / early 90s 'hard' digital recordings. And the Valhalla/Ittok deck combined with vintage Naim amps / Linn speakers is perfect for 70s/early 80s analogue recordings.

So I would think about your system as a whole, especially in terms of voicing and getting a well-balanced end result that is not distracting in any way. I'm not a great believer in upgrading old decks unless you already have a modern system and the upgrade is just one step on the way to a modern-spec deck.

If you have a similar vintage system that you're sticking with then I'd just ensure your existing deck is performing at it's best - i.e. set-up by an experienced dealer and serviced, including the Valhalla which can be done by Class A using Linn-supplied components.

Whereas, if you have a modern setup or are heading that way then I'd dem a new Majik LP12 which is a very nice thing to own with plinth of your choice. It will be a real treat to get a shiny new deck after all these years.

 

[Moomintroll]

My personal opinion is that they are all quite different and designed for 'their time' and the Linn or Naim systems of their day, and the recordings of that period.

Never heard that expressed before. When developing the Kandid, for instance, they listened to 1980s LPs apparently. See last 30 seconds here https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=video&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwji-evs7vX4AhXJSkEAHfMJCtgQtwJ6BAgLEAI&url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpeMkUwYJK4&usg=AOvVaw3Pr2mksTPSobs_uqEYM7gK

’troll

 

[Trunkmonkey]

Never heard that expressed before. When developing the Kandid, for instance, they listened to 1980s LPs apparently. See last 30 seconds here https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=video&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwji-evs7vX4AhXJSkEAHfMJCtgQtwJ6BAgLEAI&url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpeMkUwYJK4&usg=AOvVaw3Pr2mksTPSobs_uqEYM7gK

’troll

Just to clarify, I'm talking about voicing and balance, not musicality. A modern deck is more neutral, as are modern amps and speakers, and that's what you want if you buy a new system as it will hopefully cover as many bases as possible. However, if you already own a vintage system then a leaner modern LP12 won't fit in as well in my experience. Take Kan 1s for example, anything but a pre-Cirkus LP12 and they sound wrong to my ears.

The bit about suiting music of the same era as the product is just an observation. I'm not suggesting folks listen to music of each era on a separate system made during the same time period.

 

[alby]

It is going through an mx vnyl phono into an MF encore , so I would say quite a modern “voicing” (whatever you think about MF gear).
Alby

 

[ThomasOK]

My understanding is that the the LP12s are now "built" by the dealer (maybe just in the UK). But perhaps @ThomasOK can confirm(?).

​

Basically, LP12s have always been partly to mostly built (depending on how you look at it) by the dealer. Anything above a Majik LP12 is almost completely built by the dealer as the plinth/top plate comes in one carton (with Karousel, springs, grommets, nuts, washers, inner and outer platters, etc.). Five other cartons hold the motor and controller, sub chassis, arm, cartridge and Trampolin 2. The Majik LP12 is more like the original LP12 mechanics with the motor, sub chassis, cross brace and motor PSU all in place. But the dealer still attaches the arm board, arm collar, Krane and cartridge and does all the normal adjustments to the suspension, arm and cartridge, properly tightens all the fittings, connects grounds and bottom board, aligns mat, belt and platter, etc.

As I suspect the question was asked in relation to the trade-in of the cartridge that will, of course, depend on the dealer. But the Adikt comes in the normal retail carton. Despite the fact that Linn is giving a discount on the package if we have a customer who wants to use an existing cartridge and get a Lingo 4 (a very good idea if it is affordable) we would give them the full price of the Adikt towards the Lingo 4. We would do (and have done) the same thing if they wanted something like a Dynavector DV20x2 cartridge in place of the Adikt. (Just an example as personally I consider them to be more different rather than necessarily better or worse.) So this certainly is a viable question if someone is interested.

 

[Dasher]

I'll play Devil's advocate here. Nice though the Karousel is, if the plinth is good then I wouldn't rule out building a really nice LP12 that would easily outperform a new majik by utilising a good used Cirkus of known quality. How about a used Kore (under £600) a good late used Cirkus (under £250), a recapped Lingo (around £500). If you consider that your Lp12 'as is' is worth around £1k (at best) and therefore would have £2.5k to play with then you could even find a good Ekos 1 for around £1k to max out. I'd stick an AT 95 (the best that the budget allows) on the arm and enjoy it. This doesnt prevent a move to a Karousel at a later date.

 

[Trunkmonkey]

It is going through an mx vnyl phono into an MF encore , so I would say quite a modern “voicing” (whatever you think about MF gear).
Alby

I'd try to home dem a Majik and take it from there

 

[ThomasOK]

I'll play Devil's advocate here. Nice though the Karousel is, if the plinth is good then I wouldn't rule out building a really nice LP12 that would easily outperform a new majik by utilising a good used Cirkus of known quality. How about a used Kore (under £600) a good late used Cirkus (under £250), a recapped Lingo (around £500). If you consider that your Lp12 'as is' is worth around £1k (at best) and therefore would have £2.5k to play with then you could even find a good Ekos 1 for around £1k to max out. I'd stick an AT 95 (the best that the budget allows) on the arm and enjoy it. This doesnt prevent a move to a Karousel at a later date.

That would be one way of doing it but I would skip the used Cirkus kit and just put in a Karousel.

 

[maddog_007]

Just upgraded my deck from Cirkus/Lingo 1 to Karousel/Lingo 4 and boy what a difference!.
Timing is now spot on and the decks a lot quieter with Karousel.
Sold my old bits to a neighbour.
Was on a factory visit to Linn last Friday,they've never been busier and LP12's are flying off the shelves according to a dealer in Glasgow.

 

[sktn77a]

LP12's are flying off the shelves according to a dealer in Glasgow.

Who would have thought???