My jaw has hit the floor part 2

Folks


I've always enjoyed those posts wherein someone talks about the difference an upgrade or a new component has made to their listening enjoyment, so I thought I'd offer up my own.

Some 10 weeks, ago, I sent my trusty old LP12 off for service at my local dealers, Oranges & Lemons in Battersea, London, along with an old Klyde cartridge that I managed to pick up for next to nothing (thanks to Paul Gravett of this forum).

Anyway, turns out that the Klyde needed a rebuild, and the motor of the LP12 needed replacing as a certain dealer did a really crap job on fitting a Cirkus kit and had overtightened the motor, causing the plate to bend.

At this point I thought, "why not just get the whole lot Lingo-ed and have done with it?"

If anyone's wondering why I didn't get a 'Geddon, well, it's because it doesn't offer 45RPM.

If a component doesn't offer what you want, in this case the ability to play thousands of 45s without the need to use a fiddly 45rpm adaptor, then it's not even worth an audition. I would be interested from Richard or Paul or anyone else at Naim why they are shutting themselves off from hundreds of potential customers by not offering a PSU that offers 45rpm. Many of us have many singles that you want to play, you know.

So, I did go for the Lingo 2. Alex from O&L (who is getting a bit of a reputation folks - if you're in SW London and need your LP12 looked at, Alex might well be your man) stripped the deck down to its essentials and added alll the bits I was interested in. Eventually I ended up with an LP12-Cirkus-Lingo 2-Ittok LVIII- Expert Stylus rebuilt Klyde. Interestingly, Alex and Joss from O&L thought my LP12-Lingo2-Ittok LVIII- Esco Klyde sounded better that the LP12-Geddon-Aro-Dynavector rig they had in the shop.

Anyway, yesterday I went off with a big bagful of LPs and singles to give my old LP12 a listen (through a similar system to mine, but one not quite so forward in its presentation).

My first impressions - listening to two all time faves, "That's Not Me" by the Beach Boys from Pet Sounds and "All Day Long" from New Order's Brotherhood - were not favourable at all. The music sounded boxed in, constricted and, to be quite honest, not worth the money I'd spent.

Then, slowly but surely (warming up? the B&W speakers not being able to sing as well as my old Heybrooks), things started to come alive. Certain tracks – Led Zep's "In The Light", Kraftwerk's "It's More Fun To Compute" – sounded revelatory. My fave single ever, the "green sleeve" version of New Order's "Ceremony" sounded stunning, more enjoyable than ever before. It didn't matter what you threw at the LP12 - A Certain Ratio, Magazine, Pink Floyd, Led Zep, Miles Davis, Stooges, MC5, etc, it was making everything SING!!! My legs (not just feet) were moving almost involuntarily, time passed by so slow, etc

I was there playing records for over 2 hours 30 mins, I was having such a good time.

Anyway, the upshot is that Alex is coming round next Thursday to fit the LP12. I can't wait - I've even taken time off work to listen to the maximum amount of music.

I'll give you folks an update on that if you're interested, once I've ggot everything bedded in.

But a parting thought: while having this demo, I realised what it was I loved about the LP12, as opposed to the P9, Xerxes, Rock, Gyrodec, Orbe etc (ie, every TT I've ever heard). The LP12 makes music FUN .

I'm sure there are "truer", more "analytical" turntables around,, but are we listening to music, or studying double-entry book-keeping? Listen to your dull, dry perspex and wood and acrylic decks if you must, but I enjoy my music too much. Oh, and as for the LP12's "bass bloom" - Well, so fucking what? If it makes your fave music more enjoyable, who cares?

More soon

Kevin (no fags yet)