Linn Ekos Serial Numbers

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  1. Linn Ekos Serial Numbers Lookup
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The following information was compiled from an official Linn customer services document.

Jun 20, 2011 The above is the latest addition to my music playback system – a 30 years old Linn Sondek LP12 turntable bearing serial number 35xxx fitted with. Dear folks, I have a Linn LP12 with serial number 10864. While this number would place its production in the late 1970 s, is there any way to date its production more.

The LP12 has had many upgrades through the years. The major ones were given exotic names, like Nirvana, Valhalla, Lingo, Trampolin reflecting the advances in accurate sound reproduction which they represented. There have also been many unnamed improvements like new feet, new baseboard, new armboard, new suspension springs and grommets and new plinth. The list is long and it means that an LP12 need never be out of date.

Numbers

Modification date serial number speaker: Major upgrade: Addition of KU-STONE ceramic absorber, units and back now sealed with gaskets instead of silicone, improved cabinet bracing (Upgrade not retrofittable). 1991 8293/4 crossover: New 4 ohm external fitted in stand. Facilities for tri-wiring. DMS no longer made as PMS can be used with either passive (4 ohm) or aktiv crossover. Jan 27, 2017 The World War II Army Enlistment Records File. Linn ds serial numbers, nod32 4 keygen, recover my files 4 crack download. Linn serial numbers wanted please. There was a big official Linn manual where he did look up my serial number. So it is available from Linn itself. Serial number vs age of Linn gear audio. Welcome to pink fish media.

Cirkus Kit

Linn Ekos Serial Numbers

The Cirkus upgrade to the LP12 focuses on bearing performance and the connection of the bearing housing to the sub-chassis. The improved bearing and stronger sub-chassis arrangement provides the turntable with greater stability and ensures the bearing sits perfectly true to the chassis of the turntable. This in turn minimises the risk of turntable platter movement with respect to the sub-chassis and arm. Even the slightest movement will introduce audible degradation to the reproduced signal.

Together the changes to the bearing and the sub-chassis make an enormous difference to the overall performance of the turntable. The specific changes are as follows :

  • The thickness of the bearing housing mounting flange has been substantially increased and undercuts eliminated to make it many times more rigid. This also allows the use of larger mounting bolts.
  • Increased distance between top and bottom liners in the bearing housing to make it as stable as possible eliminating even the smallest amount of rocking
  • An increase in the height of the bearing housing from the top of its inner liner to increase oil capacity, ensuring proper lubrication of the top bearing at all times
  • Double thickness sub-chassis to improve rigidity, reducing flexing and improving control of the relationship between key components

The attached kit of parts, which includes a new inner platter and spindle, is supplied to fit this upgrade. As always with Linn product improvements, new LP12 turntables will incorporate this upgrade as standard.

All Linn products are subject to continuous development programmes and we aim to make similar advances in sound quality in future as we have in the past.

Lingo Power Supply

Date Introduced: 1990 The Linn Lingo is a high precision, direct coupled, power supply designed to sit alongside the LP12 turntable. The Lingo upgrade moves the LP12's performance into a new league, further distancing it from the competition.

At the heart of the Lingo are two very low noise crystal oscillators derived from the Linn Numerik digital studio recording system - one for 33.33 rpm and one for 45 rpm. The switch on the turntable selects the appropriate oscillator, the output of which is fed into a synchronous counter to produce a 50 Hz or 67.5 Hz square wave for 33 rpm and 45 rpm respectively.

As the LP12 motor runs at its quietest when driven with a clean sinusoidal waveform, a precision filter is employed in the Lingo to remove harmonics from the square wave leaving only a pure wave form.

The most uniform torque is delivered from the motor when both phases are driven at ninety degrees with respect to one another. This is achieved by a ninety degree phase-shift network after the filter. The two resulting sinusoids drive two high voltage class A amplifiers, the outputs of which drive the two motor windings.

The Lingo uses 'stall detection' circuitry to feed the motor with a higher voltage for increased start-up torque. When the platter reaches the selected speed, this load-sensing circuitry reduces the power output. From then on the motor just maintains the platter's own inertia to keep it going silently.

Linn Ekos Serial Numbers

A toroidal transformer on the PCB, and a mains filter, give a very high degree of electrical isolation from the mains voltage supply.

Linn Ekos Serial Numbers Lookup

Modification History

yearserialmodification
199390582Cirkus LP12, Cirkus bearing and subchassis upgrade fitted as standard.
199288950Top Plate with additional stud which improves the coupling of the top plate to the Plinth and secures the motor corner.
199187672LP12 mechanics only, LP12 sold as a mechanical assembly only. Three power supply options available: Lingo, Valhalla and Basik. Valhalla and Basik (Basik PSU supplied with 45 rpm adaptor).
199187672Trampolin kit, suspended base board available as an upgrade, solid base board replacing hardboard base
199187206valhalla has motor thrust pad small cap factory fitted (glued in position) to reduce noise level.
199187047lingo has motor thrust pad small cap factory fitted (glued in position) to reduce noise level.
1990N/ALingo direct coupled power supply for the LP12, offers low noise oscillators, precision filtering, separate drive for both phases and electrical isolation from mains supply.
198981000Grommets composition changed to a new harder, denser rubber. Improves performance of suspension.
198979700Motor thrust pad, motor thrust pad replaced with stainless steel ball bearing. Reduces motor noise.
198779160Armboard material changed to MDF core, laminated top and underside. Increases rigidity of armboard, creating improved platform for tonearm.
198770000Bearing housing, improved bearing liner material and thrust pad specification. Bearing liner machined to tighter tolerances, thus creating better speed stability. Changed to black oil. Tightened grinding tolerance.
1986n/aLid is changed for translucent type.
198454100Sub-chassis, added strengthening bar, spot welded in place. Increases rigidity and strength. late '70s Attached strengthening bar with epoxy glue. Superior bond; increases rigidity.
198453000Plinth, enlarged corner blocks, strengthens and increases rigidity of plinth.
198238800Valhalla power supply, electronic speed control with a sophisticated crystal controlled power supply. Isolates the rotation of the turntable motor from variations in the electrical supply.
198132800Nirvana kit Improved material specification of many integral mechanical components. Improved suspension and stability.
197927000Lid and hinges lid prop removed and hinges changed to spring loaded, self supporting.
197823000Top-plate added two holes for 6 x 0.5 self tappers into wood block
19742000Main bearing liner material changed.
19742000Sub-chassis strengthened by addition of strap, spot welded in place.
19742000Motor control motor control pcb changed from terminal strip to small circuit board.
19742000Mains switch changed from two buttons to single switch with mains neon.
19730000Linn LP12 Sondek introduced

Since my last major installation, the world has turned completely upside down. I’ve been in coronavirus lockdown since mid-March, working from home and only going outside to jog and buy groceries. Scary as it’s been, it certainly hasn’t dampened my enthusiasm for my LP12 Modification Frenzy or for listening to music in general. Indeed, I’m relying more than ever on music — and I’m grateful to have lots of picky, precise, time-consuming work to keep me busy every couple of weeks.

Background

My previous “upgrade,” the Dynavector XX-2 cartridge, was a bit of a disaster. For reasons I still don’t really understand, this fancy moving coil cartridge made my system sound way worse. But I suspected that, whatever the problem was, it would probably go away once I’d swapped it onto a different tonearm and subchassis. I mean, there’s no way a cartridge that well-reviewed (and expensive) could sound that bad. I figured it couldn’t be the problem.

In terms of methodology, I’m not crazy about changing two things at once. But since one-piece subchassis don’t have interchangeable armboards, you need to totally change them for arms with different geometries. I’ll be trying three tonearms in this LP12MF — Nima, Ekos, Aro — and they all have different geometries. So I have three different subchassis. (Edmund of Mober has offered to let me test one of his subchassis for Linn, but given pandemic madness, it didn’t arrive in time.)

So I had to do two things at once here: change a machined-from-aluminum Mober subchassis for a hybrid-construction (some machined parts, some screwed and glued sheet aluminum) Linn Kore; and swap out a unipivot Nima for a gimbaled Ekos 2. I got the Ekos used in very good condition from an owner who raved about its authoritative bass. I would’ve loved to have tried an Ekos SE, but, so expensive… (I love the name Ekos, by the way — a Linn-ized spelling of Écosse, the French name for Scotland.)

Let’s get started

As I like to do, I stripped everything down and leveled the jig the night before. Then I woke up bright and early and got to work. The Mober subchassis has done a great job and made a huge positive difference in my system. Farewell, friend!

The Nima is a very light tonearm; the Ekos is quite heavy. So I had to be more deliberate in my selection of springs: the very stiffest near the tonearm, medium stiffness near the cartridge, softest near the motor.

With the Kore mounted, it was time to introduce the Ekos 2. There it is in its fancy ash box. (Too bad it doesn’t match my plinth…)

In case you wanted a closer look.

And… opened.

The next step, discussed in great detail by Peter Swain in his wonderful LP12 Set Up Guides, is getting the cartridge leads installed in the very cramped space of the Ekos’s tiny headshell. I didn’t think this would be a huge deal, but it was a massive pain. On the advice of Edmund of Mober, I bought the pictured Oyaide headshell leads. Well, they are pretty bulky and inflexible…

It required a lot of twisting a bending to make mine like the one in the pic. But everything seemed okay… So it was time to get the arm mounted and the cartridge aligned.

First pic with the Ekos installed. I think the Nima and the Aro are both really cool-looking tonearms. But the Ekos definitely has that battleship, industrial-strength thing going for it…

Now it was time to align the cartridge with by Ekos-speific Mint LP Best Tractor. I have one for the Nima, too, but there was a manufacturing error and it didn’t work. So I was excited to give it a go with a proper one. And since everything else had gone so smoothly, I had plenty of time to be patient. All the tools are above: some loupes, a head lamp, and (my brilliant innovation!) a S.A.D. daylight lamp. Man that thing is bright.

I followed all the steps — which take a while but are sort of fun, what with all the specialized equipment — and got things dialed in. The hardest part was immobilizing the platter: I needed lots of blue tack and little bits of eraser.

I found the Ekos really easy to get set up compared with the Nima. I appreciate that it has convenient dials for tracking force and anti-skate — very handy and easy to use after the über-fiddly Nima. And no azimuth to set — what a delight! Also, the VTA screw is big and tough and easy to get nice and tight. The tonearm lead attaches securely and the cable dressing is a snap. All in all, it’s a beautifully made arm — and since it’s made specifically for the LP12, very easy to work with. Handsome and smart.

Then I leveled the armboard and set the suspension. I finally get what all the “pistonic bounce” fuss is about. The suspension behaves totally differently with a heavier arm installed. And yes, it sometimes bounces sideways — and, for some reason, rotating the grommets really does affect the way it bounces. It took a little bit of work to get it bouncing properly — much less than getting the cartridge aligned — but it was pretty easy and quite fun.

And then… nothing

Everything was ready to roll, and it was only noon. I began to think of all I could do with free afternoon…

I took the LP12 back to my office, plugged it in and… nothing. Not a peep.

I figured it was those damned Oyaide headshell leads. I poked them around a bit and, sure enough, one channel came alive. But after disassembling and reassembling several times, I couldn’t ever get them both going at the same time. Very annoyingly, it was time to undo all my hard work getting the cartridge aligned and swap in some different headshell leads…

I seriously considered just installing my Linn Troika cartridge, which has integrated “flying leads” and three-point mounting, thus requiring much less alignment work…

But I decided to stick to my principles. Changing two things at once was bad enough. Changing three things would be a disaster.

So I spent about half an hour meticulously pre-bending all the tags so as to allow my XX-2 to fit into the Ekos headshell. It was a lot of very annoying, fiddly work. But finally it was done.

It you look really closely you’ll see just how fiddly.

Then it was time for another alignment session. Despite feeling extremely impatient, I forced myself to take my time and make sure everything was exactly perfect. The Best Tractor is pretty brilliant: it’s not easy to get things perfect, but when you do, you really know it.

Actually done

This time when I got it back in my office, the LP12 behaved and played music. The first disc I listened to was my beloved “The Cry!” which definitely sounded very very nice. I also really enjoyed the Ekos’s smooth cuing system, which I was experiencing for the first time…

Here it is the next morning, looking lovely playing a first pressing of The Byrds’s Younger than Yesterday, which I picked up at Amoba last month for… $4! It too sounded terrific.

It seems to be getting along well not only with the XX-2 and the rest of the turntable components, but also with its many plant neighbours…

Linn Ekos Serial Numbers Chart

And I am very fond of its battleship appearance. I like the Linn font too — very Factory Records. I suspect the Aro will be a little cooler looking overall, but I really like the look of the Ekos.

Since getting it set up two days ago, I’ve been listening to a lot of records. And I must say, the Kore/Ekos/XX-2 combination sounds amazing. Whatever was going wrong seems to have been resolved. I’m not sure it’s sounding better than ever, but I wouldn’t be surprised.

Anyway, I’m going to let myself enjoy the music for a few weeks before making any more changes. Indeed, I might start in on a series of “horizontal comparisons” I’ve been meaning to do… comparisons of different pressings of the same record. I’ve accumulated quite a few of those!

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