Linn Products’ iconic Sondek LP12-50 Turntable – Technical Overview by engineer Frank Murray

A brief history and technical overview of the iconic Sondek LP12-50 by Frank Murray – Lead Mechanical Design Engineer from Linn, introduced by Loud & Clear Glasgow MD, Allan Boyd.

The newly updated, iconic Linn Sondek LP12-50 marks Linn’s 50th Anniversary – co-designed by Jony Ive and LoveFrom – manufactured in Glasgow, Scotland.

Established almost 29 years ago in the Summer of 1996, Loud & Clear has grown to become one of the Uk’s premier hifi and home cinema retailers and installers,

• Hi-fi – from entry to esoteric
• Turntables including service, repair and set up
• Digital music servers and streamers
• Home Cinema / Media Rooms – design and installation
• Acoustic Room treatment
• Lighting Control
• Multi Room Music
• An extensive range of Jazz Vinyl

With a core team of 11 and combined industry experience of over 150 years, we have our own in house install team working on projects throughout Scotland.

Working with the finest brands in our sector including Linn, Naim, Rega, Accuphase, MOON, Fyne, PMC, Wilson, Trinnov, Anthem, Sonos, Rako, Control 4 and many many more – we have the most extensive range in the country. The showroom is equipped with 3 private demonstration rooms, furnished as a conventional living room, where customers have the opportunity to audition and select their systems.

[anthonycsimmons]

Fantastic: My own LP-12 is circa 1987 and i love it the same today as i did when i first received it.

[ron]

The AR (Acoustic Research) turntable in the 1960s was the design inspiration for the Linn (heavy platter, belt-driven, independent suspension). The AR retailed for $68 back then. The Linn today cost WHAT?

[knockshinnoch]

A stunning piece of design and engineering.

[betod]

If the plinth absorbs more vibrations, what happens later with that stored energy?

[bb]

I still have an sentimental attachment to the LP12, have 3 in my collection but it's getting harder & harder to defend its relevance in 2023...btw, have 2 Woodsong Audio plinths & can defiantly vouch for the sonic upgrade.

[ralexbee]

Very beautiful but the price is not justifiable
Let’s be honest

[bobrose]

Afromosia with fluted sides for me, the original look and when the LP12 would wipe the floor of any other turntable made. We are in the realms of diminishing returns here, but there is no question that vinyl rules. This turntable with Naim amplification for me, always... they go together like love and marriage as the songs says... just find me some 2nd hand Isobariks!

[andrewmacdonald]

Do you recommend the rack shown here as a good match for the Linn?

[bobemmott]

Back in the day I had an Ariston RD11S with an SME 3009 arm. It was not significantly inferior to my friend's Linn (I think the Ariston had better bass and stronger imaging for example) but Linn's marketing was always 'special'.... Lovely deck, but the pricing is just silly |MHO

[jimsimpson]

I've had an interest in hifi and electronics for most of my life, so I would say I know enough to appreciate what a truly well-made product the LP12 is. However, the two things that have always put me off are the eye-watering price and the pretentious nonsense that some people talk when describing it.

[peterstudley]

Forgive me but £50.000 for that ! I spent £3000 on my technics sl 1200g, and i very much doubt the linn sounds any better .

[assafshmueli]

We changed the switch to a new one and we changed the price by 50000

[Filtersloth]

Should really machine your plinth from solid Uranium, as it is quite dense.
Shame they have cut corners and used wood.

[Soundapple]

Eh, why did they have a child design it?? Was it a science project?

[mgsee]

Linn's pricing strategy seems to be to make their gear preposterously expensive into order to dazzle folks into believing their products must be the best if they cost that much! And the conceit of paying an extra premium for Mr Ives trademark radiused corners and edges styling is outrageous, especially when it's a slavish but superficial stylistic application of Dieter Rams' industrial design philosophy and language that he developed while working with Braun in the late 50's and 60's.

[allanwhittle]

It doesn’t matter what minor improvements have been made, is this product worth the price ?
Absolutely not
I, ve had an LP 12 when first launched, Fergus Fons, Thorens ….seen em all listened to em .
For a product which fundamentally hasn’t changed a great deal, the price is now off the scale stupid ..

[grahamlester]

If you call a Linn dealer ask what other turntables they carry the answer will probably be non or Rega.

[Fontsman-]

Linn, have always took the mickey. This continues their philosophy. Compared to SME, this laughable.

[apollomemories]

Well, they could hardly copy-cat the Rega minimal mass philosophy. That would be chaeating.

[pastrychef]

Firstly, the LP12 in top-spec guise is poor VFM, and suffers from tonal imbalance ('bloom') and higher tracking noise relative to others, thanks to its suspension, belt-drive and general construction. There are several after-market plinths which are better/different to Linn's standard offerings -- far cheaper than this nonsense.