Building a LINN LP12 turntable clone from (almost) 3rd party upgrades

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dddac

dddac

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Joined 2003
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Next to my DDDAC, I still listen a lot to Vinyl... I have a nice old LINN LP12, with EKOS and LINGO (both the "old" nr1) and a more then fantastic KANDID MC cartridge.
Reading forums (like this one) and looking at Ebay, I was intrigued by all the available 3rd party LINN LP12 upgrades. These are all kind of in the same direction as the (VERY expensive original LINN upgrades - DC motor - Aluminum sub chassis etc) You can almost build your own turntable with these parts I thought... Would it really be an improvement over my good old LP12?

So, just for fun, I decided to build my own LP12 Clone with as much as possible 3rd party products
This is what I bought as "3rd party parts and sub assemblies":

Ebay - LINN EKOS SE/1 tonearm - demo
Ebay - LINN KANDID MC cartridge - demo (yes, another one... I need to be able to compare both turntables, right ? ;-)
Ebay - LP12 plinth - a beautiful piano black version with wooden base plate 6mm
Vinyl Passion - "Orpheus" Stainless steel top plate
Vinyl Passion - Blue Spring suspension set
Vinyl Passion - "Unity 1" sub chassis with aluminum arm board (kit 2)
Vinyl Passion - Cross Brace
Vinyl Passion - LINN belt and bearing oil
Mober - DC Motor with power supply / control unit for 33 and 45 rpm
Mober - Special Bearing
Mober - Inner Plate (with messing inlay)
Ebay - A beautiful piano black plinth
Ebay - A used dust cover (original LINN)
Ebay - A brand new Outer Platter + felt mat - nicely polished - not even sure it was original LINN or not...
Ebay - Hinges for the dust cover
Ebay - Tone Arm connector and some more stuff (WBT Cinch etc) to make a pure silver interlink
Schaefer - I made two small aluminum shields with the "LINN DD DEK LOGO"

ok, not 100% 3rd party , haha, but there is no way around the EKOS arm and the KANDID cartridge of course!

I am making a fotostory on my website - it is still under construction, as I am not ready yet - but you can see what I am doing.

I hope you will enjoy this little Adventure with me :D

Link to the fotostory

Of course there will be comprehensive listening tests between the "old" LP12 and the clone in due time, as well W&F, rumble and room-feedback measurements with my Audio Precision audio analyzer.

stay tuned please
 
A

AudioH

Member
Joined 2011
DDDAC LP12 DIY Build

Very interesting build, looking forward to the completion of your storyboard and its conclusion. Really liked the arm cable decoupling method to reduce its impact on the suspension.


I have an old LP12 just ripe for this type of upgrade. I would be interested in the total cost of the project if you are willing publish.


keep up the good work,


best regards
Howard
 
dddac

dddac

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Joined 2003
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Paid Member
AVWERK said:
Amazing Mober goes the distance to produce accessories and caps it off with a ridiculous noisy bearing idea.
They obviously can’t hear and now one should suspect anything else they sell.
Click to expand...

I noticed, also in other forums, a sharp tone against Mober. Almost at a point of bashing. :confused: I am aware of this of course. Still I want to try it, which was exactly the idea of my project. If not good, a new bearing is installed in an hour.

So back to the posting topic. Did you actually bought one, listened to the musical differences and did rumble measurements? Because that is the kind of feedback I am looking for. To be frank, just thinking and telling Mober is rubbish does not help. That will defeat the concept of trying to see what happens if you build a turntable like this.

So please post your findings and experiences; that would help – thanks!

OK, time will solve all this questions, as I am close to installing the cartridge and can do comparing measurements and listening tests between the two turntables.

The proof is, as always, in the eating (listening) ;)
 
dddac

dddac

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Joined 2003
blog.dddac.com
Paid Member
Hiten said:
That is one beautifully made turntable. Those Blue suspension rings. I had posted about the mod of having rubber sleeve on springs to further dampen/isolate vibration.

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/analogue-source/272570-linn-sondek-diy-mods-16.html#post4308524

Does that work ? Would be very interested to know. Thanks for sharing amazing work.
Regards.
Click to expand...

Thanks for pointing this out and linking to the post - that is a lot of reading, but very interesting. I am going to see what I can take from there as well.
 
tiefbassuebertr

tiefbassuebertr

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Joined 2005
tiefbassuebertragung.de
Last edited:
jackinnj

jackinnj

Member
Joined 2002
tech-diy.com
dddac said:
When all is finished, I will publish the cost I made for this, but I can tell you already now, that depending on what parts you choose, you can build (DIY) your own "LP12" for much less, than from the shop or bought second hand. On top it is fun !
Click to expand...

This is exactly how Compaq Computer (now part of HP) started. Ben Rosen was walking around a "maker faire" in Houston and realized that he could buy all the parts of an IBM PC for considerably less than the finished product at wholesale.
 
D

DNic

Member
Joined 2021
Kudos for What you are trying to achieve.
But why did you not do it with another T/T with a better S/Q. It has been widely recognized that the Linn was a sterile (almost CD) sounding T/T. Well at least mine was, & I have read many posts in other forums that agree. Then people get hood winked into spending $1000's to try to mask the sound better

Cheers
 
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