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December 21, 2007 - 6:15am
#1
Linn LP12 Repair
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new springs and belts. Clean motor spindle. Check valhalla board. Re-adjust suspension.
Also, if it has the Valhalla speed control board, it is about 1 inch away from exploding. You see,when the power is on, the valhalla board is on, no matter if the platter is spinning or not. When not using a valhalla equipped LP12, unplug it! And lots of other stuff....
Do a google search for the LP12 Wiki. If you can't do it yourself, it's gonna get expensive....
I've done a full LP-12 set up expose' on the AVSForum, more than once. On DIYaudio, as well. Apparently, it was good enough to be absorbed into the LP12 FAQ, or wiki.
Just checked. Not the wiki, but the 'analog addicts LP12 FAQ". Google that.
Google 'LP12 set-up'.
Innovative Audio on 58th Street in Manhattan is a Linn dealer:
http://www.innovativeaudiovideo.com/
Innovative Audio Video Showrooms
location in Manhattan:
150 East 58th Street
Ground Floor
New York, NY 10155
212-634-4444 voice
212-634-4491 fax
I suspect they could get your LP12 up and running properly.
There are some obvious items to check
I take it from "distortion" you mean the signal sounds gritty and horrible. I'm assuming the vinyl is perfect and the distortion doesnt exist due to the worn recordings.
Take a microscope to the stylus of the cartridge and check for wear or damage to the cantilever and tip.
Is anything restricting the cantilever?
Is the arm tracking properly? - counterweight settings etc.
If the downforce is too high (usually most carts like 1 to 2 grams - highly dependent on make and model)
Is it surely the turntable?... and you havent plugged a Moving Magnet (cartridge type)output (millivolts) into a Moving Coil input (microvolts) on the pre-amplifier or amplifier ?
- that could cause some garbage.
Thank you for the link, I will study this, but it is intimidating. I understand why people say the Linn is twitchy.
Thank you, I have contacted them.
Thank you. Yes, gritty and horrible. The cartridge is at best 2 years old, and is well taken care of. This was a very sudden and immediate change in sound quality, not what would make one suspect cartridge degradation. But still, checking with a microscope sounds a good idea. I have checked tracking force and arm, I will double check the cantilever. Again, thanks.
Sounds as if the motor has gone, or the valhalla board has taken a dump dive. They do that. But at least they have the decency to last about 12-15 years, at a minimum, before they let go.
Consider that there is a 33/45 rpm Valhalla board upgrade available these days. I gotta get me one of those!
The Hercules II board.
There is quite the saga associated with it. Read:
http://www.vinylengine.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=9906