Linn Sondek LP12 audio cable

[jasonmiddleton]

dd

A friend of mine has given me a LP12 on 'long term' loan. It has an ADC ZLM cartridge and a very old cable to connect it to my Arcam A28 amp. The issue that I have is that it lacks a little top and bottom end compared with my DAC Magic and I wondered if this might be due to the 30 year old 2m long cable that’s being used, that looks like it has seen better days. When I first got my DAC I tried various cables and found that a shorter silver coated cable gave better bass and treble and wondered if this might be why the LP12 sounds like it’s lacking somewhat. Help would be appreciated as I know that it could sound amazing if I get it set-up right. Thanks.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Jason. The ADC ZLM is very old, but having checked the specs it has an output of 0.6mv/cm/second, so on a test record at 5cm/second cut level it is making about 3mV, most modern magnetics provide 5 - 6mV at this level. It should be used into a moving magnet input for the correct sound. However it is old and the cantilever hinge will be perished by now so should be replaced - interestingly is was originally designed to play 4 channel quadraphonic records at one gramme and needed a top response up to 50kHz to capture the rear channel information encoded within a high frequency 'pilot tone'. So was high spec for its era. A modern equivalent would be the Ortofon 2M black, it too has a Shibata stylus fitted, but only to offer superior high frequency response this time, these now cost £400 !! Fortunately there a less expensive MM cartridges like the 2M Red and this starts at £80. You do not mention which arm is fitted to the LP12 as this will determine how much to spend within the performance rating of said arm.

 

[altruistic.lemon]

Stylus for that cartridge are readily available, so my mate Google tells me, from £19 upwards, so I'd try one of those first.

If the connections on the cable look OK they should be OK, but I'm no expert.

 

[nopiano]

A replacement stylus for £19 will be nothing like the original, except that it might fit! They were more than that 30 years ago! Presumably it has a SME arm?

I'd definitely get a new cartridge, the best you can afford. The cable will have a modest effect on the sound, but until you have the cartridge sorted don't worry about it. No analogue source will sound like a DAC Magic, even a new £2500, or £20,000 Linn (I've heard one recently)

The other big factor is the turntable set up. But a service can be £150 or so, which might be a luxury when it isn't yours.

 

[jasonmiddleton]

Hi Guys

Sorry for not getting back sooner. I've been looking at the LP12's set up and everything seems to be quite well balanced, it's just the arm and cartridge that need to be looked at. I'm going to opt for a 2M blue as the reviews of it look very good. I know the LP12 will be able to take better cartridges but I like the fact that the 2M blue is not very warm sounding, a bit like my DAC. I'm also investing in a dedicated HiFi stand so I can locate it all away from my speakers, and my not very well sounding sub that's got to go back as it's vibrating and making my amp cut ou :-(

Jason

 

[jasonmiddleton]

I think the arm is a Syrinx 2, that's what it looks like when I google it, but I'm missing some traking weights so I'm not sure how to deal with that one as well. All I know is that my Technics SL-BD20 sounds better at the moment, so the LP12 must need some serious sorting out!

Jason

 

[stevieg330]

Hi,

I have a 2M blue that I have as a spare. I've only used it for around 10-15 hours so it may not be fully run in but I can say that, in my setup anyway, it is not a warm cartridge at all. Not overbright and quite detailed.

When I first tried I thought it made records sound more like they were coming from a cd player but I just think it has a modern sound and for the money, I think it's an excellent buy.

I would certainly try one and see what you think.

Hope this helps

Regards

Steve