Linn Sondek LP12

We can offer many services to LP12 owners, some of which are listed below. We will always be delighted to offer advice on how to get the best from your Sondek so please don't hesitate to contact us. Email us on shop@cymbiosis.com or telephone on 0116 262 3754.

Whatever the level your Sondek LP12 is currently at, we can offer you the best advice on which upgrades will best suit your requirements and budget. The fundamentals of the deck must be correct first before we look at arms and cartridges and still the most cost effective upgrade, if not already fitted, is the Cirkus kit. This includes a new precision-engineered bearing housing with much finer tolerance and a more rigid and stronger subchassis to which it is attached. Once a Cirkus kit is fitted we can look at other upgrades such as the power supply, arm and cartridge. These can be a more personal choice depending on how you like your music to be presented and we are happy to discuss how these can work for you.

The most recent and astounding upgrades are the Radikal Motor Control Unit and the Urika Phono Stage together with the Keel, a one piece subchassis and armboard, which has been machined from a solid piece of aluminium. Coupled with the newly released Ekos SE tonearm, this represents the current pinnacle of engineering and sound quality for an LP12 turntable. These can be auditioned at Cymbiosis by prior arrangement when we will be happy to demonstrate the benefits of these upgrades.

There are many myths about the LP12 and it's set-up, one of the most persistant being that it easily goes "out of tune". The truth is that a well set-up deck can stay in tune for many years. This is even when it has been transported, as long as care is taken to pack it correctly, which we can advise on.
In fact, we find that most under-performing decks are simply not correctly set up . There are many common ailments that we see and also the occassional horror decks, which never fail to bring gasps of amazement! It seems that there is always someone who knows better and has their own "master" tweak or upgrade. At Cymbiosis we find that attention to detail and fitting the correct parts properly cures all these so-called difficult decks, leaving their owners amazed at the music pouring forth as never before.

Some of the common ailments we see include rattling top plates, particularly in the all important motor corner. This is a skilled and time consuming job to correct and should not be done with silicone sealant as we have seen! Another we see all the time is a knocking suspension, which just takes a little time and patience to solve. This can also be due to bent spring hangers, which is simple to correct when you have the proper tools for the job.

Other problems include the armboard where the laminate has been cracked by overtightening and the armboard screws have stripped their mounting holes. One must also ensure that the correct oil is used in the bearing housing as using the wrong one can cause a seized bearing. Set-up problems can vary but most commonly we see poorly dressed arm cables, cartridge mis-alignment and incorrect speed adjustment.

Virtually all these problems can be overcome using the aforementiond care and attention to detail and the deck can be restored to its maximum potential. A standard LP12 service at Cymbiosis will cost £60.00 + VAT per hour (up to a maximum of £216.00 with a typical time of 2 to 3 hours) and includes a complete strip down to just the plinth and top plate and then a complete rebuild. Included in the cost are replacement springs, bushes, nuts and washers. The deck is carefully rebuilt (avoiding the issues mentioned above!) and then tested in our dem room before being repacked for transportation.

The remarkable photo above shows the commitment that Cymbiosis has to the Linn Sondek LP12. This is a typical selection of LP12 turntables that we have available for demonstration most of the time.

This allows us to demonstrate the differences and benefits of the various upgrades that are available for the LP12 such as the Keel, Radikal, Urika and Uphorik. You can also audition various power supplies and arm and cartridge combinations, not only from Linn but also from from Naim, Dynavector, Denon, Hercules, Funk Firm and others.