swap LP12( valhalla) for a Gyrodec SE : good idea ???
I have an LP 12(valhalla, pre cirkus)/ittok/Shelter 501 and like it but get concerned about the well -known mid base bloat & maintenance costs (linn dealer tune ups).
Saw a used gyrodec SE for sale. Its something I have always fancied but been reluctant to jump in and buy.I cant audition the gyro dec with my cartridge( which I want to keep) so it is hard to make a comparison.Was wondering what would I gain and what would I lose, sonically and maintenance-wise, if I go for the michell.
hi Cno
I am not unhappy with the Linn but I do find it a bit thick in the lower mid/upper base and there is a low level noise floor that I can't help think could/ should be lower. I would like something just a bit cleaner sounding without losing the emotion. And then there is the constant concern about set up/suspension being right, if you move it,say driving it home after the dealer has done his tuneup tricks.
A Gyro will certainly clean things up a bit over an LP12, and you won't need to worry about ongoing services and setups. You may lose a little emotion though - you'll need to have a listen to see how that side of it fairs as it has been over 15 years since I owned mine.
As long as the right choice is made with the arm and cartridge, it might be a good move, but that decision is for you to make 
I say, have a go with the Gyro.
(Ooo I'm a poet and I didn't know it.)
If I was you I'd buy a Townsend Rock.
Me biased?
No, not in the slightest. 
Oh alright - yes I am. Very clean neutral rock soild sound.
I used to have a gyro se for a couple of years.IME, the gyro is a bit lean but clean in presentation compared to linn which is warm.I may suggest that you should get a warmer sounding cartridge if you go for the gyro(Lyra)otherwise the gyro would sound almost like a cdp.
hi Cno
I am not unhappy with the Linn but I do find it a bit thick in the lower mid/upper base and there is a low level noise floor that I can't help think could/ should be lower. I would like something just a bit cleaner sounding without losing the emotion. And then there is the constant concern about set up/suspension being right, if you move it,say driving it home after the dealer has done his tuneup tricks.
There has been some good advice given above......my advice is based on what I'd do, and that is gradually bring the LP12 up to a more modern spec, which gives a cleaner sound than the older decks, but still very musical and organic.....ie. The best of both worlds.
If possible I would try and get a friendly Linn dealer to allow you to hear what a modern LP12 sounds like.......I'm biased though as I owned an 80s Sondek.
The trouble with bringing the LP12 up to moder spec is the pricing:
Trampolin £160
Keel £2450
Radikal £2800
Ekos Se £3700
Urika £2350 or £1750 if bought at the same time as a Radikal
Akiva £2370 with possible discount if you have a Linn MC cartridge to trade-in against it
If you buy 2nd hand you can expect to get them about 30% to 40% cheaper.
After spending all that money do you get something that sounds better than a Pioneer Exclusive P3a or EMT 950?
The trouble with bringing the LP12 up to moder spec is the pricing:
Trampolin £160
Keel £2450
Radikal £2800
Ekos Se £3700
Urika £2350 or £1750 if bought at the same time as a Radikal
Akiva £2370 with possible discount if you have a Linn MC cartridge to trade-in against it
It looks like it will be very gradually then! 
The gyro looks an absolute bargin then, compared too linns prices.
The gyro looks an absolute bargin then, compared too linns prices.
If you haven't seen this, it might be of (academic) interest:
http://www.stereophile.com/turntables/1103linn/index.html
The 2nd paragraph in your linked article was spot on...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-11484322
The 2nd paragraph in your linked article was spot on...
Ivor Tiefenbrun, Peter Qvortrup and Antony Michaelson are all outspoken eccentrics.....who just happen to make great stuff.....maybe there's a connection.
I've always thought of Ivor Tiefenbrun as a publicist rather than someone who invented or designed anything truly radical. The LP12 was very closely modelled on the Ariston RD11s (that Ivor's father was manufacturing components for - from his company Castle Precision Engineering - at the same time the LP12 was developed).
The Ariston was in turn based on the Thorens TD150, and all of them were inspired by the AR (Acoustic Research) turntable of the early 1960s designed by Ed Villchur. (Who cited previous examples of suspended sub-chassis/belt drive TTs from the 1950s that he based his own on.)
There has been a lot of old 'hooey' about the supposedly 'legendary' Linn LP12/Sondek. (Most of it generated by Ivor Tiefenbrun himself over the decades and much of it systematically de-bunked.)
His biggest trick was convincing the (hi-fi) world that he was a maverick/pioneer/innovator by pushing a 'philosophy' that the rest of the hi-fi community resisted. (In reality the shelves of dealers - and customers - and the hi-fi mag reviews already reflected that the argument had been accepted long before Ivor T and his LP12 came along.)
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Are you happy with the Linn or is there any aspect of its performance that you're not happy with?
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