Note that this section mostly relates to my own experience purchasing and owning a LP12.
Who this article is for
If, like me, you recently got hold of an LP12 turntable, this may have either marked a return to the vinyl format, or you purchased another turntable. This piece is really aimed at those who are making a return to the format and an LP12, thus they sort of fell out of love with vinyl in the past, for whatever reason, and have now run into their old flame again.
Possible sources
There are often a few units available on Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace. While purchasing here can work, there are also many pitfalls. Rather purchase from a recognised dealer or someone who sells pre-owned items. Your pre-owned LP12 would have cost in the region of R14 000.00 upwards to R25 000.00 for a unit with a Valhalla power supply, an Ittok arm for the higher end of the price scale, or a Basik LVX lower down. This combination is a sweet spot for many. Go lower down and you may get an older LP12 with a Nirvana bearing, and a motor that does not benefit from the Valhalla’s more sophisticated electronics. Go higher, and you are going to fork out a lot of money for a Lingo’ed LP12 with Ittok or Ekos arm. I saw one just the other week for a cool 50k. Ouch. [ Have a look here for more things to watch out for. ]
Take it easy
The point is to take it easy. You and your LP12 are going to grow together in stages. This is the beauty of the turntable, and a note for all new owners. You can upgrade from just about any serial number and try to get close to the top end available. Can you exactly match a top-end specification turntable by following the upgrade path? Not quite, and it should not be your focus. Rather just enjoy what you have now, and plan where you want to end up, considering what you can spend. In my case, the Valhalla/Ittok combination is perfect. Here’s why.
- I really doubt if I will soon want a Lingo power supply. I can barely afford new 33.3 rpm vinyl. The higher cost 45 rpm vinyl is just too expensive. 33.3/45 rpm switching is therefore not important to me. The Valhalla power supply on my LP12 has been recapped and it is as good as new. Startup is fast and there are no discernable speed issues. One option to explore though is the Minos 33/45 rpm power supply.
- It is said that the best value for money upgrade you can make on an LP12 is to go for the Cirkus main bearing. However, getting a Cirkus bearing kit in South Africa is just about impossible because its successor, the Karousel, is so expensive and thus there are not going to be too many pre-owned Cirkus kits in circulation. Your best bet is to purchase one from the UK.
- The Ekos tonearm must be awesome, but then the Ittok is a fine unit that can hold its own with top end cartridges. From what I have read, the earlier Ekos arms could be problematic, due to sticky bias dials and bearing oil that apparently thickens over time. You must therefor be careful what you buy.
Cartridge options
Speaking of the cartridge. My LP12 came fitted with a rather old Audio Technica MM which did well for the first two months. I then stepped it up slightly and got a AT VM95E, a jolly good cartridge for the price. Then followed a Benz Micro Glider SL MC, which was permanently loaned to me by a dear friend. I sold the newer AT again, which was easy especially since there are friends in my circle that have caught the vinyl bug and are planning to buy turntables, for some a first.
What am I proposing here? Whether you are new to vinyl or a returning customer, and whether you have a LP12 or other unit, resist the urge to want to race towards a point of having it all, now. Take your time. Get used to the new toy and enjoy what it offers. Despite this being my second LP12, about 16 years lapsed between the first and the second. After the first, I left the vinyl arena for good, or so I thought. My son asked me back in August 2023 if I would ever get back into vinyl. My answer was a firm negative. Two weeks later I carried the LP12 into my living room. I started from scratch. I had no vinyl but got a quite good local pressing of Brothers in Arms from a friend.
Fast forward a few weeks, and the lone Dire Straits has been joined by a few others, some second hand, some new. I will never have the high-end, audiophile vinyl I had before, and it does not bother me in the least.
For now, I enjoy gradually getting into the format again. No, I have not dropped a disk flipping it over to play the other side. I did ruin one when I thought I was clever and tried to clean it with an unorthodox and stupid method. Lesson learnt. I will frame it and show the undamaged side, along with the sleeve. If you must know, I scratched a 1982 UK Masterdisk pressing of Love over Gold, to the point that Telegraph Road is unplayable. The rest of the LP is fine.
The allure of vinyl is in the touch
What do I like about it? The tactile sensation must be number one. It just feels so good to take it out, use the record brush to wipe it, play, sit down, get up, turn over, play again. Someone wrote “What I like about vinyl is the cost and the inconvenience”. I concur. Do my vinyl records sound better than the CD versions I have? Not always, but that’s not the point. Right now, I am playing Stevie Wonder’s Original Musiquarium I. I really do enjoy the fact that it is not perfect. I have never been in touch with CD the way I am with vinyl, not the format, nor the player. Sure, I have CDs that sound phenomenal, but you stick it in, play it, and put it away. There’s no sense of real interaction.
Last thoughts
My advice is to just allow yourself to grow in the format. Resist the urge to buy every LP you ever had before again. You will find that many of them you have outgrown, and they can become expensive bookends in your collection. I have bought a few at vinyl fairs, and for the most part these have been great buys, new or pre-owned. There have been some dead ducks in the process, but it is part of the learning curve. For some titles I am prepared to fork out a lot of money – Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon's 30th Anniversary edition set me back a few bucks but it has been worth every cent. Items that are not available locally through the many sellers, I will purchase from abroad.
As I am finishing up here, an LP is ending, and I get up to take it off. I marvel at my 42-year-old LP12. It looks good, no matter which side I view it from. It draws attention every time someone visits me. I don’t brag about it, but I use the opportunity to tell friends why I like it. Some are considering the switch. I may be looking out for a unit for one of these buddies sooner than I thought.