A turntable and phono stage – do you get what you pay for?
FOR Dynamic presentation; excellent build and finish AGAINST He€y price
The Linn LP12 was introduced in 1973, and while this unassuming belt-driven turntable took a while to gain traction, by the 1980s it had become the dominant premium record player on the UK market. Even today, it’s held in high esteem and still considered by many as one of the most capable decks around. That’s impressive staying power for a design that outwardly looks little different from the decades-old original.
Despite appearances, it has changed almost totally over that time. Just about every part has been developed and honed on multiple occasions. The good thing is that all the important improvements are retrofittable. So if you have one of the early decks it can easily be brought up to current standards. Easy isn’t necessarily cheap though, as a quick rundown of our range-topping Klimax LP12 review sample shows.
The basic deck (called Sondek LP12) – no arm or cartridge – comes in at below two grand, which isn’t bad for a top-end turntable. It’s available in one of five standard plinth finishes: oak, cherry, black ash, rosenut or walnut.
This standard unit won’t even play 45rpm discs without an (included) adaptor, though. The Ekos SE tonearm and Kandid moving-coil cartridge combination adds just over £7000 to that. By the time you factor an Urika phono stage, Radikal power supply and Keel sub-chassis into the equation the price more than doubles, reaching the best part of £20k. We wonder if Linn has been a little too ambitious with the pricing of these optional parts.
Strong arm tactics
Such thoughts start to fade once we take a careful look. Every part of the Klimax LP12 has the aura of carefully honed engineering coupled to fit and finish of the highest level. There’s the unmistakable feel of a product that will carry on working for years to come and, given Linn’s track record, continue to be improved when technology allows. The Ekos SE arm is a great example. It’s a design that can trace its heritage back to the classic Ittok tonearm from the 1970s, yet it still feels thoroughly modern. It’s lovely to use, with impressively precise and smooth bearings giving it a feeling of real quality. The arm tube is made of titanium while the main bearing housing uses stainless steel. And it’s all beautifully made.
The partnering Kandid moving-coil cartridge is equally commendable. It’s an exposed design, with no housing to cover the internals; this helps prevent any structural resonances from spoiling the sound. The body is an intricately machined piece of 7075 aluminium onto which the hand-wound coil-and-magnet assembly is mounted. The cartridge uses a ceramic Boron cantilever with a nude micro-ridge diamond tip.
Radikal power
We don’t often mention protective stylus guards, but the one for the Kandid is brilliantly designed, having a tongue that fits into a gap between the front two cartridge-mounting bolts and lines everything up so there’s no danger of damaging the fragile cantilever.
The signal from a cartridge is tiny – in the case of this moving-coil, just 0.4mv (as a comparison, CD is 2V) – so it makes sense to keep the signal path as short as possible to minimise degradation. Linn has done this by mounting the Urika phono stage inside the plinth. The dual-mono electronic circuit helps stereo imaging and is mounted directly on the LP12’S Trampolin baseboard for improved isolation. The power is supplied by the Radikal outboard unit.
The Radikal isn’t just a power supply for the Urika; the unit also comes with a DC motor to replace the AC unit fitted to the LP12 as standard. Linn claims the move to a DC motor reduces noise, so helping performance. Speed change is
”The LP12 is mighty expensive, yet it is still right up there with the best at this price”
done by pressing the button positioned on the front left of the plinth, bypassing the need for the adaptor of the basic LP12 when switching from 33⅓ to 45rpm.
The LP12 is isolated from its surroundings by a spring-based suspension system. Check the suspension bounce on a well-adjusted example and you’ll find it moves in a smooth and controlled way. Hidden inside the plinth is the Keel, a one-piece aluminium sub-chassis that is machined to include the arm board and tonearm collar. By integrating all these parts into a single piece, Linn has reduced resonances and improved precision. It’s a wonderful piece of engineering, but many will baulk at the £2660 price tag.
Shi into neutral
Connecting the Klimax LP12 to our reference system is simple. There are two leads that go between the LP12 and Radikal power supply – one for the phono stage and the other for the DC motor. The output signal is already at line level – thanks to the phono stage – so it can be treated as any conventional line-level source. Plug mains power into the Radikal and off you go.
Despite the built-in suspension, the Klimax LP12 benefits from a stable and low-resonance support, the further away from the speakers the better. To truly appreciate this deck, you will need a top-class system. We use our reference Gamut D3i/d200i amplification with ATC’S SCM50 speakers.
We must admit we feared for this Klimax LP12. The basic deck has many talents, but this price tag puts it up against some stellar competition in Clearaudio’s Innovation Wood. But we soon realise we needn’t have worried.
The Klimax LP12 package is a fabulous performer. Early LP12S had a bit of a bloom at lower frequencies that gave them a rich, fluid and highly musical character. Over the years, Linn has steadily moved the deck into becoming a more neutral performer. Detail resolution, agility and transparency have improved with each step, but some still prefer the way things used to be.
Peaks and troughs
The Klimax LP12 is still a wonderfully musical deck, though. It charges through Michael Jackson’s Smooth Criminal with enthusiasm. There’s so much detail; each instrumental strand is brushed up for inspection yet it all comes together as a cohesive and engaging whole. And it’s great fun too. LP12S have always been known for their ability to convey rhythms well and this range-topper is no different. It delivers punch and precision but loses nothing in composure as the music builds to its climax.
Compared with a similarly priced Clearaudio Innovation Wood/luxman EQ-500 turntable/phono stage combination there’s a lack of natural warmth and spaciousness – the Linn preferring a more forward and direct presentation – but the LP12 renders the sound with more precision and agility. Both are excellent, leaving the choice down to the sonic flavour you prefer. We try Beethoven’s Fifth
Symphony and the Klimax is right at home. It delivers a sound of huge scale and power, punching out the demanding crescendos with passion. Yet, despite all the sonic fireworks there’s still space for fluid dynamics and low-level subtleties that turn the listening experience into a real thrill.
The soundstaging is good too. The upfront presentation means there isn’t the same emphasis on image depth we hear in rival combinations but the Linn still delivers a huge, well proportioned soundstage with precision and skill. Instruments remain locked in place even when the piece becomes demanding.
Tonally things are a little lean, but the Klimax can’t be accused of sounding insubstantial. There’s an evenness to the presentation that means we’re not distracted by peaks or troughs in any particular part of the frequency range. The upside of such a sound is a sense of immediacy and agility that most rivals would struggle to better.
There’s no denying that the rangetopping LP12 is mighty expensive, and looks little different from decks made decades ago. Yet, in most respects, it’s startlingly better than what has gone before and is still right up there with the best at this price. The Linn LP12 remains a deck to be taken very seriously indeed.