Lingo or Armageddon?

Posted by: count.d on 30 October 2001

I have LP12,Ekos,Asaka, 72 pre amp,Hi-cap, 250 amp.
What is the best power supply for this set up?
45rpm not needed.
Posted on: 30 October 2001 by Chris Metcalfe
I posted this before, but again: since buying the Armageddon early this year I listen to, and enjoy, far more LPs than I did with the Lingo. Just as detailed, more punch and body, and far more musical coherence.
Posted on: 30 October 2001 by Martin Payne
I had a Lingo, sold it & bought an Armageddon.

cheers, Martin

Posted on: 30 October 2001 by ebirah
...I had a Lingo (that I originally demmed against the Geddon many years ago - I preferred, and bought, the Lingo). I sold the Lingo to Mr A. Weekes and my ex-Lingo is now the most famous on the planet. I changed to the Geddon because of the well-reported Lingo problems with other stuff on the spur (solved by the Weekes mod) - my CDI definitely didn't like the Lingo. I've lived with the Geddon for a few months now. I probably prefer the Lingo? To my ears at least, there is no black and white sonic difference between the two. What is definite (again to my ears) is that either are way, way ahead of the Valhalla. I don't think you'll be dissapointed whatever you get but try and hear both and keep an open mind. The difference between either is completely swamped by the benefits both bring to the LP12. Why not get whichever is cheapest (which will be the Naim if you're buying new)?


Steve

Posted on: 30 October 2001 by Phil Barry
I've gone back and forth on this, and I still use a Valhalla.

The reports are that the 'geddon serves the flow of the music better; the Lingo is amazing in its bass presentation and other areas which are labelled as 'hifi' by Naim addicts.

I once asked Innovative in Manhattan to demo the 2, and they refused, saying if you like the Naim sound, you'll like the Naim LP12, and so on.

I solved my power supply quandary by buying an ARO - more expensive, but the results were super.

Is it possible for you to hear the 2 in the context of a Naim system?

Tough choice if you have to take it on faith.

Regards.

Phil

Posted on: 30 October 2001 by Paul B
Since you say you don't need 45 rpm (why not? - there are an awful lot of very good 45rpm records out there worth having), I would suggest the Armageddon for your Naim system. The presentation is different from the Lingo but there are no worries about possible detrimental effects on your Naim gear.

PS I have a Lingo because I need 45rpm.

Paul

Posted on: 31 October 2001 by Andrew L. Weekes
My personal view, based on engineering is that the Lingo will always offer more consistent performance than the Armageddon, since the Armageddons's performance is significantly determined by the quality of the mains applied to it.

The Lingo generates it's own mains supply (in effect) that will have less frequency variation than the mains.

Most reviews come to the conclusion that there's not a huge difference between the two, but the reviews have always been with the music-sucking filter in place. The measured results are almost identical, in terms of motor vibrations and spectra.

If you don't need 45, and are buying new the Armageddon is cheaper, although IMO expensive for what it contains.

There is a new Lingo out, I've no idea as to how it compares with the old, but I assume it will still have similar filter arrangements on the mains.

I'm with Steve - buy what's cheapest, old Lingo's are quite inexpensive second hand, and since there have been no major or significant design changes since it's inception (latest version excepted) it will still sound as good as a newer one.

Andy (falling off the fence into the Lingo garden).

Posted on: 31 October 2001 by Paul B
Has anyone seen the "new" Lingo? Is it possibly the old Lingo in a standard-sized Linn box or completely new?

I have been unable to find any information on the new Lingo. I will ask my Linn dealer about this "new" Lingo.

Tomorrow I am off to hear, at the invitation of this same dealer, Linn's new flagship speaker - the Komrie(?) - with CD12 and all the other top Linn amps. Should be interesting to hear what Linn is doing (compared to Naim) with what I consider to be very expensive gear.

Last week I listened to Levinson and the new Wilson "Sophias". Very smooth but ultimately too relaxed and uninvolving. The dealer agreed but felt it was the Levinson gear that held the system back, not the speakers. Nonetheless, it was very pleasant to listen to and did a lot of things right to my ears but did not present the "performance" of Naim gear. Critics of Naim would probably claim that Naim gear is "coarse and grainy" compared to the smoothness of Levinson.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to listen to Naim electronics with any of the above as the dealer does not carry Naim and I am not taking my gear across town (as I would have to turn it off!!)

Paul

Posted on: 01 November 2001 by Andrew L. Weekes
quote:
Has anyone seen the "new" Lingo? Is it possibly the old Lingo in a standard-sized Linn box or completely new?

There was an old lingo in new box, but there is now an updated version that is, I gather, slightly different.

I believe it's just a bit of an update, more surface mount, but nothing major.

Graham's suggest it may be slightly better than an old one, but not significantly.

Posted on: 01 November 2001 by Paul B
I wonder if the new Lingo still has that mains filter? Why is it there anyway - what does the filter do for the Lingo?

I asked my local Linn dealer about the new Lingo. He said he had not heard of one but they had not sold any LP12/Lingos recently. He said Linn sold only 400 LP12s world-wide last year and suggested that it may be the final days of the LP12. He still believes that it is a better source than any CD player including the CD12.

As for the Komrie - it was an interesting demo and the full-blown Linn system was very good for the most part but at a very high price (for me). The Komries certainly are revealing and I felt quite involving too (far more so than the Levinson/Wilson system). Perhaps the PRAT of the Linn electronics is not up to Naim standards but the "performance" was there. Considering the price of this system, it ought to be.

Is it bettered by a full blown DBL/500/52/CDS2 system? I really cannot say as I have not heard the DBLs in satisfactory circumstances. However, I have heard and really like the CDS2/52/500/NBLs - one of the best and most musically involving systems that I know. I believe that this Naim system would at least challenge or better the Linn set-up that I heard at a much lower cost.

I am not sure what the Komries would be like with Naim electronics and they might not even work that well as the Komrie has a built in servo amp for the twin bass drivers in each speaker.

Paul

Posted on: 02 November 2001 by Ade Archer
Why have Linn bothered to do anything with the Lingo at all so late in the day if the LP12's days are numbered. It would be a sad day indeed if production of what is after all one of the best 'sources' available stopped. I doubt they would stop altogether until until it really did make financial sense to.

Cheers
Ade

Posted on: 02 November 2001 by Andrew L. Weekes
quote:
Why have Linn bothered to do anything with the Lingo at all so late in the day if the LP12's days are numbered.

I guess several reasons: -

1. They need a quality benchmark for developing their other electronics wink

2. Some parts may be obsolete in the original Lingo. Mine uses some Zetex devices (as used by Naim) that are now obsolete, other bits may be too. It can be more efficient to redesign than buy large stocks, sitting on your balance sheet.

3. Improvements from new knowledge / devices - see 1 above.

4. Ivor is on record as wanting to be the last TT manufacturer on the planet.

For an expensive and niche product, those sales are pretty good, I'd say. It's not like tooling up for new production, which would make developing an LP12 in the current climate non-sensical.

Andy.