Rega p25 vs used Linn

Christopher

I don't pretend to know the definitive answer to this but my personal experience may help. My mate left me his P25 for six months while he went to New York on business.

I compared it to a CDX through 72/Hi/90/Mission 781 and found the CDX was much better but the P25 sounded pretty good on some recordings. The P25 certainly whetted my whistle to take the plunge back to vinyl properly.

After a brief interlude with an Ariston RD80se I got a second hand LP12 with Ittok. I had the same fears as you regarding what pitfalls to look for and buying a lemon. I paid £600 for mine - about £100-150 too much probably - but the plinth and lid are absolutely perfect and the Ittok looked okay to my untrained eye. I got it fitted with a DV10x4 and it sounds better and better every day. The stylus needs a few hours to start singing apparently.

What I found interesting was that the dealer I took it to for the cartridge said it was pretty hard to buy a deck that cannot be serviced and updated back to its prime - though he did qualify that with a reference to bigger bills for some decks.

Since I've had the LP12 I have hardly played the CDX.

So how would I compare the two decks.

Firstly, I can't qualify my finding with scientific accuracy because I did not compare the P25 and LP12 side by side. It was around more than a year between hearing them both in my system and there is also the psychological issue of me having already forked out for the LP12 whereas the P25 hadn't cost me a penny.

The most overwhelming difference I found was the bass and presence of both decks.

The Linn has got so much more about it. It's got more control and depth and has me far more involved in the music. The P25 was fairly "polite" and more analytical sounding.

My vote would have to be for the Sondek.

Good luck with your search.

Cheers

Tony

What to look for when buying a second hand Lp12.

1.The bearing.Turn it with your hand , there should be no scratching or rumbling noises.Take out the inner plater and look at the spindle ,it should be covered in oil look at the tip there should be at the very most the tiniest flat at the end less than a milli.The spindle should be straight.
2.Springs.The deck should bounce straight up and down with no judders or twisting althought this is easy to adjust .
3.Tonearm.If a fixed bearing design ie Linn arm take the tracking weight of and the bias so the arm swings freely in the air.Now noudge it from the side , it should swing smothly and freely with no sticking or judders.
4.Cartridge.Don't buy and second hand cartridge it has almost no value .
5.Motor .Should make little or no noise.Only two of the screws should be tightened down the ones with allen bolt heads the cross head ones should be protrouding.
6.Listen to it.Beware of the owner using excesive tracking force to hide faults.Basically it should sound good,with little surface noise or mistracking, if not theres something wrong , use your own records.
7.Servicing.When bought take to a good dealer for a thorugh check.Avoid anyone under 30 or any dealer that has not owened a LP12.No need to have it seen to every two years its easy to do your self but if in doubt do so.

A little bit of advice: listen to both and let your ears be the judge.

If you like the least expensive deck better, buy it.

If you prefer the sound of the most expensive, is the difference worth the additional money.

Life should be simple...

LP-12. I briefly owned a P25. I also owned a Planar 3 for 13 years -- that's the (cheaper) Rega to get as far as I'm concerned, and no, it doesn't sound as good as an LP-12 either. The Planar 9 I've never heard, but I'm certainly interested.

All IMHO of course. And yes I've tried other tables (quite like Michells). A used LP-12/Ittok is great great value.

John

I had an LP12 with Ittok VII arm and Kharma cartridge, which I loved, for about 18 years. I have also owned a P3, which I found to be "thin" compared to the LP12. I now have a P9 with the RB1000 arm and love it. It beats my CDS2 on head-to-head comparisons in transparency and PRAT. Both TT's are excellent but different with the P9 have a much crisper presentation, not as warm. I have a large collection of vinyl, about 2000 LP's, of many genre. Hope this helps.
Smiglass

What worries me is that you've narrowed your choice to two models without even listening. I was obsessed with the LP12 since adolescence. After 15 years drooling I went into the shop with the actual readies to buy one and decided I'd better listen to some rivals before spending that amount of cash.

I bought a Gyro...

I applaud Tempo for pointing out the error of allowing other people's ears to tell you what you should buy.

Incidentally - if you think an LP12 looks cool then you've clearly never seen a Gyro or Orbe!

Jonathan

Christopher,
I found this thread and if you work your way through you will get an idea of the TT's used by members. This may give some ideas as to what people think about various decks. http://forums.naim-audio.com/eve/forums?q=Y&a=tpc&s=67019385&f=48019385&m=49119658&p=1 I hope this helps and you don't suffer an information overload.

Christopher,

I know something about the LP12. I listened to a P9 once for an extended period with Exposure electronics and various Rega speakers - I liked the cost of the P9, but not what it did to the music. That's my opinion, of course. But if I hadn't known the LP12, I probably would have been happy with one of the Regas.

Your only good bet for making the best choice is to listen to see which variation on the TT theme you prefer.

Alternative 1) Buy used P9 and LP12, etc. and sell the ones you like least; 2) buy LP12 and be happy; 3) buy Rega P2, P3, P25, or P9 and be happy; 4) buy Roksan and be happy....

Regards.

Phil

Didn't take a lot of persuading to start down the LP12 route... another question though, is the Lingo THAT rough on equipment sharing the same spur?`... obvious solution is Armeggedon, but 2nd hand seem to be as rare as rocking horse....