LP12 : upgrade or change of direction.

Posted by: popeye34 on 10 September 2003

Hello all,
I'm just looking for peoples experiences/knowledge in this area:
I have an old LP12/Valhalla with BasikLVX arm+AT110E- the problem is that the power supply/motor is now defective.
My options as I see it are:-

Fix power supply and/or motor:
cost: ?? : benefit: LP12 plays again.

Replace power supply (thinking about Origin Live):
cost: now 340 GBP : benefits: much better speed control and plays 45rpms too.

I have a little money to spend, what are peoples opinions on the latest OL psu/motor combo?

Moving on, I'm also thinking of upgrading the arm and the cart, but I dont want to go to the stratosphere.
OriginLive also do tonearms - I'm looking at the low end here, they have an OL1 , a modified Rega (?), with other mod options available.
Does anyone out there have experience of this arm on the LP12?
Or other lower cost arms on the same?
Your comments would be most welcome.

Furthermore, the cart will also be placed for something more pricey maybe 200GBP. Again recommendations most welcome (just so I can draw up a shortlist really since carts are very personal choices).

Now maybe you see the bigger problem: a new PSU/motor plus cheap arm plus cart and already were talking 800 GBP and more.

This brings about a bigger question: is it really worth persuing my LP12 upgrade considering I could most likely sell it for maybe 200-300 complete and put this with my intended upgrade budget and just buy something new (not an LP12 for that price of course)?

I appreciate your knowledge and thoughts on all of the above.

Thanks and regards,Tim.

Posted on: 10 September 2003 by Dev B

quote:
I've finally decide to replace it and buy a Rega P9/Dynavector XX-2

Tom,

do you not like bass or something - the P9 (well the old one anyway) was like a Roxy on steriods.

regards

Dev

Posted on: 10 September 2003 by Phil Barry

Your PSU is knackered. Your arm and cart may be, too. Therefore, improving these areas will provide potentially very high VFM.

Of course, it reads as if your current LP12 doesn't have the mid-bass hump...nor any other distortions either. :-)

Regards.

Phil

Posted on: 10 September 2003 by Dev B

quote:
Originally posted by Tom Alves:
The new P9 does bass to anyones standards it just doesn't have that awful hump the LP12 exhibits

Tom

Actively enjoying it all

Dear Tom,

You do sound rather techy nowadays, you are mean't to be actively enjoying it all right

I've never had a bass hump problem with my LP12, maybe because it has the Naim bits on it Aro, Geddon, Prefix, etc. Did you compare this to your LP12 or future P9. Anyway hope you enjoy your new deck. I didn't think much of it personally when I auditioned it - finding it too fast and lean with artificial dynamics, but this is proably just personal preference.

I have owned and enjoyed the Well tempered and Phonosophie P3 (with Naim bits) in the past and they are great. I presume you are getting teh new P9 with the RB1000. My comments relate to the old P9.

regards

Dev

Posted on: 10 September 2003 by Dan M

Tim,

First, welcome to the forum. When you get time, please fill out your profile -- it's not clear where you're from or your associated equipment. However, since you're quoting GBP I assume its the UK. If I were you, I'd probably fix the valhalla, or buy a used one (shouldnt be more than 100GBP). At that point you could sell the LP12 and buy a better equipped one, or upgrade at your own pace. Buying a new OL arm is an option (I use a stock rb300 on my LP12), but you must also factor in a new armboard. I'd probably look for a used Ittok. Search through the forum archives for lots of advice on inexpensive carts. Without knowing the rest of your system, its not clear getting a Lingo is the best use of your money.

cheers,

Dan

Posted on: 10 September 2003 by Frank Abela

Tim

The AT110E was a right ol' nail. Whatever you do, upgrade that at all costs.

Dev, the new P9 2000 is quite a bit different from the old P9. I get where you're coming from with your comments on the old P9 but the new one is a much more balanced player. It's still recognizably a P9 with a Rega's way of making music. It still doesn't have the flow and ebb of the LP12. However, it doesn't sound 'rushed' like the old P9 did, and it has much better extension in the frequency extremes. Oh - and the mid-bass hump is with the LP12, not the arms. A sympathetic stand can help remove that from the LP12's presentation.

Regards,
Frank.
All opinions are my own and do not reflect the opinion of any organisations I work for, except where this is stated explicitly.

Posted on: 10 September 2003 by Christopher

Frank

Have you had any experience of the SME 20.2/A?

Posted on: 10 September 2003 by Tim Jones

Tim -

I second Tom's P9 (mk2!) advice. I went from an LP12/Valhalla/Aro to a P9. Cleaner, faster, but above all more involving (to my ears) than an LP12 - even a Geddon'd one.

And faster, deeper bass than I ever had from my LP12.

Some of us who have made this choice have faced the usual wrath of the LP12 owners' brigade, with their idle talk of 'Geddon this and Lingo that'. But we know we're right because they all flee screaming when we chant the magic words 'MID BASS HUMP'

Tim J

Posted on: 10 September 2003 by garyi

Seriously though what is a bass hump, it sounds well rude?

Posted on: 10 September 2003 by Kevin-W

Quote from Tim J

I second Tom's P9 (mk2!) advice. I went from an LP12/Valhalla/Aro to a P9. Cleaner, faster, but above all more involving (to my ears) than an LP12 - even a Geddon'd one.
And faster, deeper bass than I ever had from my LP12.
Some of us who have made this choice have faced the usual wrath of the LP12 owners' brigade, with their idle talk of 'Geddon this and Lingo that'. But we know we're right because they all flee screaming when we chant the magic words 'MID BASS HUMP'

If you want to listen to the musical equivalent of accountancy, that's your affair. The LP12 owners brigade likes its music to be fun and engaging so we don't mind things like mythical mid bass humps, so stick that in yer P9 and smoke it.

Kevin

Posted on: 11 September 2003 by NealG

Popyeye34,

I would have thought you could get a Valhalla board from your dealer very cheaply, I picked up one a few years back for nothing, another user had upgraded to a Lingo.

As suggested your cartridge need to be replaced, I would suggest a Goldring 1042 at the very least.

If you decide to go the upgrade route on the LP12 I would get the Cirkus first then either seek out a second hand Lingo MK1 or go the OL DC route.

Your arm is bettered by the RB300 or better still the OL250 with structural mod and re-wire

Posted on: 11 September 2003 by blythe

Popeye - check your private messages ;-)

Martin.

Computers are supposed to work on 1's and 0's - in other words "Yes" or "No" - why does mine frequently say "Maybe"?......

Posted on: 11 September 2003 by Tim Jones

garyi -

The Mid Bass Hump is a tragic psycho-sexual affliction which affects owners of outdated turntables.

Can't go into gory detail as I don't want to embarrass anyone here.

Tim

Posted on: 11 September 2003 by Kevin-W

Tim

This is your public profile:

System: Sources: CDS2/XPS, Rega P9/RB1000/DV17D2, Walkie Pro Amps: NAC52/SuperCap/2x135s Speakers: SBLs (beech) Racks: Mana wall shelves under CDS2 and LP12; NAC52 on Mana Reference; XPS, S/Cap and 135s on Mana four-tier amp rack. Occasional use of Townsend Seismic Sink when feeling tweaky. Cables: Black Snaics, NACA5. Sometimes get old DNM solid core out between CDS2 and 52. Chord Chrysalis for Walkie Pro.

Notice a mention of an outdated turntable (see racking) in there?

Mebbe you want to update it to avoid embarrasment and ridicule...

Kevin

Posted on: 11 September 2003 by prowla

Is a hump on an LP12 the Hi-Fi equivalent of the 9 mile high club?

Paul Rowlands

Posted on: 11 September 2003 by Tim Jones

Kevin -

Thanks for pointing that out. How humiliating. Thank God I got treatment.

Tim

Posted on: 13 September 2003 by custard

Tim,
I replaced the motor in my 20 year old Logic DM101 which uses the same motor as a sondek and it transformed the sound of the deck I also at a later date up graded to the O/L advanced transformer which was a further improvement.
Regards Karl.

Posted on: 13 September 2003 by garyi

Regarding bass hump, I think that I really want it, but currently don't have it.

Doh.