The LP12 has been in continuous production since 1972. It is still built around the same idea, and nearly every part of it can be improved on the deck you already own. That makes the dealer who sets it up, and keeps it right, part of the turntable.
We have been a Linn partner for close to four decades, and today we are the largest Linn dealer in the US.
Linn has been our partner for close to four decades. In that time we have built and set up LP12s for listeners across the Pacific Northwest, from first Majik decks to full Klimax systems. That experience now runs through both of our showrooms, Bellevue and Portland, and through every expert on our team, each of them highly trained and experienced with Linn.
In 2023 Linn marked fifty years of the LP12 with the LP12-50, a limited edition of 250 decks designed with LoveFrom, Jony Ive’s design collective. Serial number one was built by Ron, one of our experts. Ron is one of a team. Every expert at Definitive builds, sets up, services and upgrades LP12s, so whoever you work with brings the same depth of Linn experience.
Every LP12 we sell is built and set up by our own Linn specialists, never sent out. They balance the suspension, align the arm and dress the cables by hand, because that is what makes an LP12 sound right. The same team services decks of any age, fits upgrades as you add them, and takes LP12s in trade when you move up.
Hear an LP12 before you buy one. A deck is set up and playing at our Portland listening room and at our Seattle Experience Center in Bellevue. Majik, Selekt and Klimax are sold at both. Book a session, bring your own records, and one of our Linn specialists will walk you through the differences.
The Sondek LP12 is introduced in Glasgow.
The Nirvana mechanical upgrade.
Valhalla, an electronic motor power supply, becomes standard.
Lingo, an external power supply, arrives as an upgrade.
The Cirkus bearing and sub-chassis upgrade becomes standard.
A new motor, the first since 1972.
Keel, a one-piece machined sub-chassis and armboard, and the Ekos SE tonearm.
Radikal motor and power supply.
Lingo 4.
Karousel bearing replaces Cirkus.
LP12-50: a 250-unit anniversary edition designed with LoveFrom, Jony Ive’s design collective. Ron, one of our experts, built serial number one.
Flagship components include the Klimax Radikal power supply, Keel SE sub-chassis, Ekstatik cartridge, Urika II internal phono stage, and Bedrok plinth—Linn’s first plinth upgrade.
An LP12 arrives as parts. It becomes a turntable on the bench, in the hands of someone who knows it.
The springs are balanced by hand until the sub-chassis bounces straight and true. The arm is aligned by hand. The cables are dressed so nothing touches what should float. Get it right and the deck disappears, leaving only the record. Get it wrong and the same parts sound ordinary. That is why, at the largest Linn dealer in the US, the setup matters as much as the turntable.
In 2023 Linn marked fifty years of the LP12 with the LP12-50, an edition of 250 decks designed with LoveFrom, Jony Ive’s design collective. Serial number one, the first deck of the anniversary, was built by Ron, one of our experts. Today Ron does the same work for our clients: building new decks, setting them up, and bringing older ones forward.
Ron is one of a team, not the exception. Every expert at Definitive, in Seattle and Portland, is highly trained and experienced with Linn, and every one of them builds, sets up, services and upgrades LP12s. Whoever you sit down with knows the deck from the bearing up and can hear when one is right.
An LP12 is never finished. When it needs a service, or when you are ready for the next upgrade, it comes back to the same team that set it up. When it is time to move up, we take your deck in trade.
| Plinth | Smooth hardwood |
|---|---|
| Sub-chassis | Majik sub-chassis |
| Bearing | Karousel |
| Power supply | Majik LP12 power supply |
| Tonearm | Krane |
| Cartridge | Adikt (MM) or Koil (MC) |
| Phono stage | External |
| Base | Solid Base |
The platter, bearing and tonearm sit together on a sub-chassis that hangs on three springs inside the plinth. The motor is bolted to the plinth, not the sub-chassis. That separation keeps motor noise, footfalls and speaker energy away from the stylus. It is also why an LP12 must be set up properly: the springs have to be balanced so the sub-chassis bounces straight and level, and the arm and cables must not drag on it. A well-set-up LP12 and a neglected one sound like different turntables.
The platter turns on a hardened spindle that rests on a single point at the bottom of an oil-filled housing. Linn's current bearing, Karousel, is standard on every LP12, from Majik up.
A low-noise motor drives the inner platter through a belt. The power supply controls the motor's speed and how smoothly it runs. Moving up from the Majik supply to Lingo, Radikal or Klimax Radikal is one of the main steps on the LP12 upgrade path.
Linn's arms (Krane, Arko, Ekos SE) and cartridges (Adikt, Koil, Kendo, Ekstatik) are designed as matched sets for the deck. On Klimax LP12 the signal is digitized inside the turntable by the Urika II phono stage, so the most delicate part of the signal travels only a few inches.
The best way to choose an LP12 is to listen to one. An LP12 is set up and playing at both of our experience centers. Book a session, bring a few records you know well, and one of our Linn specialists will play them for you, explain what each part of the deck is doing and talk you through Majik, Selekt and Klimax. If you already own an LP12, tell us what it has and we can map out your next upgrade while you are there.
An LP12 is only as good as its setup. Every deck we sell is built and set up in-house by our Linn-trained experts, the same team Ron works with. We also service and tune existing LP12s: suspension, bearing, belt and arm alignment, and fitting new parts as you upgrade.
Moving house? A sprung turntable should be prepared for the trip and checked once it arrives. Talk to us before you pack it.
In almost every case, yes. Linn designs new parts to fit existing decks. We will look at what your deck has and tell you what makes sense.
The same turntable with different parts fitted: sub-chassis, power supply, arm, cartridge and, on Klimax, a built-in Urika II phono stage. See the comparison table above.
One of our Linn specialists. Every expert on our team is highly trained and experienced with Linn.
Yes. We take LP12s, Linn parts and other quality turntables in trade toward a new deck or an upgrade.
