Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84 SMI; site sun.uucp
Path: utzoo!decvax!decwrl!sun!ssp
From: ssp@sun.uucp (Stephen Page)
Newsgroups: net.audio
Subject: Re: Linn/Naim seminar(results)
Message-ID: <2957@sun.uucp>
Date: Mon, 4-Nov-85 01:38:14 EST
Article-I.D.: sun.2957
Posted: Mon Nov  4 01:38:14 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 4-Nov-85 21:47:27 EST
References: <187@myrias.UUCP>
Reply-To: sun.UUCP!spage (S. Page)
Followup-To: Linn/Naim seminar(results)
Distribution: na
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Lines: 63
Keywords: Linn, turntable
Summary: turntable makes the difference?

In article <187@myrias.UUCP> dgt@myrias.UUCP (David Tang) writes about
a Linn/Naim seminar:
>
>	Basically what was said can be summed up by the following statement:
>Vinyl records (as opposed to tape/cd) provide the best possible reproduction
>of music.  It then follows that the backbone of a good system lies in the
>record player.

That's only part of the religion.  "The music is only as good as the
original signal -- Garbage In, Garbage Out" is the justification for
spending all the money on the front end.

(Mr. Tang goes on to describe the various standard Linn/Naim demos --
the presence of an extra speaker, systems with expensive front ends vs
systems with cheap front ends, etc.)
>	I must admit to not being able to hear any of the effects.  The
>suggestion that a difference was audible with each change was strong
>enough that I actually thought I did several times, but I am not certain
>of that.  I will not discredit any of the points raised, but neither will
>I support them.  I merely report them to you and ask you to formulate
>your own opinions.

But was the Linn Sondek compared with any other turntables?

Linn make a fantastic record player that is streets ahead of 99% of
all other turntables, regardless of price.  There are a lot of very
ordinary turntables out there, and very few good ones.  This is part of
the problem of talking about Linns sensibly.  According to the Linn
litany, all the people who will flame back at this posting own
turntables stupendously worse than Linn Sondeks, so they don't know what
they're missing.

Using a great turntable will make a tremendous difference to the quality
of the music coming out of your stereo, in mysterious areas like
tunefulness, rhythmicity (sp?), detail.  If you don't have one,
what's missing can't be put back, no matter how expensive your amp and
speakers are.  This probably sounds like religion again.  So go listen!

The only way you can decide is to choose a price range and compare a
a {Linn front end, cheaper amp and speakers} with whatever else you
are tempted to buy.  I did, and was totally sold on the '50% on the
turntable' concept.  Alas, my finances couldn't stretch to a Linn
front end, so I bought the poor man's Sondek: a Rega, complete with
cheap cartridge.  Then, when it was time to upgrade my speakers, I
wanted the special sound of Magneplanars more than the improvement a
Sondek + cheap speakers would give me (I guess that excommunicates me
from the Linn faithful).  But it's still a dream for me.  The best
sounds I've ever heard have come from the {Linn Sondek/Naim/triamped Linn
Isobarik} system.

Has anyone out there heard the $1675 Linn/Naim system Linn has been
advertising?  Has anyone out there bought another system instead after
hearing it?

Keep an open mind; something, alas, Linn/Naim acolytes -- and people
who've never heard the Linn Sondek -- lack.

Stephen Page
{ihnp4,decwrl,ucbvax}!sun!spage
----------------------------------------------------------------------
{My opinions, not my employer's}
"Cupid & Psyche '85" by Scritti Politti : proof that perfection is
					  possible in an imperfect world.