Estate Sale heaven, again! Crap, now what?

capecodder

Well, I saw another interesting local estate sale ad for last Saturday that really caught my eye and amazingly it was less than a mile from my house. Audio equipment usually isn't even listed but this one did and included some (misspelled) brand names. So, up at 6:00 am and standing at front door by 6:40 with about 4 other people, all dealers I recognized. Some guy I've never seen walks up less than 1 minute after me and it's pretty obvious he was probably there for same reason I was.

Doors open at 8:00 and we both (me first) take a bee-line to the livingroom and as I reach out to stick a "sold" sticker he yells, "I call the Linn turntable" to which I say "Like Hell, its mine!". After brief griping he gets pissed off, leaves in a huff and i stand in front of all the audio equipment scratching my head saying, "****, what do I do now" Well I ended up buying everything. First time I have ever written a check for audio equipment (used OR new) where it had four digits in the amount.

Anyway, here's what I walked away with:
Linn Sondek LP12 turntable with Ittok tonearm and Linn K9 mm cartridge (and original packaging)
Linn Kan small bookshelf speakers
Naim NAP90 amp (45wts/chnl)
Naim NAC62 pre-amp with Naim interconnects
Creek T-40 Tuner
Niles SI-1200 12 channel zone amp
Denon DCD-1290 cd player

All visually in excellent condition. Original receipt from a Cleveland OH audio store from 1988 showed he paid $5,500 for the Linn, Naim and Creek stuff (that was a lot of $ in 1988!).

I honestly don't know what I'm going to do with most of the equipment OTHER than I definitely want to keep the turntable. Unfortunately I had to pay real money (for a change) so to re-coup my losses I will need to get rid of stuff (the Niles may have a home already).

Thought you guys would be interested on another estate sale success story.

As I was leaving I asked the company running the sale where he had the equipment set up hoping to find speaker cables or other random pieces. He said nothing was set up. It was all packed away because it was too big and he decided to just use a small Bose system:(

SCompRacer

Congrats on your gear acquisition. Your Linn in the 69-79xxx serial range? Silver Ittock, the LV II with one piece counterweight? If it is the Silver Ittock LV II, it is said to have sapphire bearings that are more sensitive to rough handling. The rare Black Ittock LV II and later versions of that arm had improved, tighter bearings which were also used in the Ekos, the arm that replaced the Ittock. Regardless of the arm, just do as Linn suggests and remove the entire arm to do final tightening of the cartridge so the bearings are not strained, and avoid over tightening the arm mount set screw.

The Linn has aquired both a good and bad reputation throughout the years. Some say it is over priced and over hyped, others swear by it. The later the manufacture date, the more Linn upgrades that have been applied and the better the tables sound. As time went on, LP 12's changed in their sonic presentation. Later models are tighter and dryer than the early ones.

Some of the most expensive and beneficial upgrades to that table are power, the Cirkus sub chassis, and the “Keel” sub chassis. One of the better affordable aftermarket upgrades is no longer available. That was the Cetech carbon fiber sub chassis and arm board. The Cirkus ($700) and Keel ($3K)were Linn’s response to that aftermarket offering. One thing both sides do agree on is the table needs serious isolation to perform its best. Spiked to concrete, wall mount, etc. If you do put it on a rack with hardwood/carpeted wood flooring and experience unwelcome table vibration, the Linn Trampolin base may help. It has four adjustable feet mounted in rubber pods on a firm baseboard.

Even if you have the original manual, head on over to the Vinyl Engine Library and download the 1998 revision. It is 58 pages long versus 20 for the original and offers more detailed explanation for setup. If the springs on the dust cover hinges look like they are punching through the plastic, check out my LP 12 hinge repair thread here.

naim, pink fish media, vinyl engine and audio asylum forums have much information about the LP12. Enjoy!

capecodder

Scomp- Thanks for info on the Linn. The serial # is 77127 so right in where you thought. I think the arm is the silver Ittok LVII as well. TT looks just like the one you had on your showcase (very impressive setup btw). Maybe the power/sub chassis upgrades are desireable but thats not in the works any time soon.

Called Linn headquarters couple of days ago and they emailed me copy of that 58 page manual. Gonna be a lot of printer ink to print it out.

Obviously a design flaw with those hinges as both mine have same problem. Great link to your innovative fix. Thanks for that!
Regards,
Ted

schwarcw

Whoa! Congrats Ted! Did the guy have any vinyl? You picked up some very nice pieces.

I'll be at the Cape sometime this Summer. I'm going to check out the newspapers for estate sales. I'll be happy to buy you lunch in Chatham if you can find the time.;)

Congrats!

capecodder

Carl- Obviously you should give me a call when you are out here. Yard sales are always a total hit and miss but like all odds, keep playing and you will hit at some point. I was hoping this last dealer was a tad less knowledgeable of the value but it was still nice stuff for a good price.

No quality vinyl per se. The guy that left in a huff without the TT did grab about 6 albums and I saw about 3 or 4 also go (didn't see titles) but what was left was all typical Herb Albert, Sergio Mendes and Tom Jones type stuff. Surprising for the quality system he had.

BTW, can I interest you in a nice set of Naim amp/pre-amps? How about a real nice tuner? Got some vintage Sansui stuff. Need some Advent speakers; Bostons? Sony TT....?:rolleyes:

SCompRacer

Thanks for the kind words Ted. You are in a good serial number range with your LP 12. Some of the notable improvements are the thicker braced plinth, Valhalla power supply with diode upgrade, the motor with the spring loaded ball bearing thrust and the improved suspension. The upgrades I mentioned just address some problems inherent in the design of the sub chassis. The table sounds mighty fine without them. Many turntable manufacturers offer some sort of power controller upgrade to ensure the motor spins at the precise RPM instead of relying on just what comes out of the wall. You will find the upgrade path by year and serial number range in the back of that 58 page manual.

This Linn pdf document goes into great visual and written detail should you have to change the cartridge.

I don't know if they reinforced the replacement hinges at all, but they are still mostly plastic and a common complaint among Linn owners. I always removed the dust cover when spinning vinyl, but it was easier to get it back into the brackets on the plinth with tension on the hinges. I also learned that Linn does not recommend using a record clamp. Partly due to the design of the table, and the added weight it puts on the bearing.

capecodder

Again, valuable insight. Intereting news on the clamp. I don't have one but was thinking of getting one. I may now wait a bit.

disneyjoe7

Ok now I what to see a picture of that turn table

schwarcw

capecodder wrote:

How about a real nice tuner? Got some vintage Sansui stuff.

Hi Ted! Tell more about the Sansui tuner? I'll talk up the Niam around my Pal at work! Send me a PM, we can talk. Thanks!

Carl

wingnut4772

Sounds like an exciting morning! Pics?

capecodder

Pictures will have to wait unless you would like to see the box. TT is all packed up awaiting proper (not by me) set-up/tune-up. Amps etc being "evaluated" for proper working condition.

capecodder

disneyjoe7 wrote:

Ok now I what to see a picture of that turn table

Click on Scomp's showcase and view one of his earlier 2-chnl pictures showing the Linn. Mine is identicle except his base is "lighter" (in color). Don't confuse with that big black beast of a TT he is using now. Man, THAT is piece of machinery!:eek:

steveinaz

Cool score Ted. Isn't garage sailing fun? LOL

AndyGwis

So. . . how do you go about discovering when/where the estates sales are and which ones will have audio gear? Check the paper and try to contact the seller beforehand?

I found a couple places this morning doing Th-Sun sales, but none of them listen electronics, stereo, or audio gear in the description. I'm not waking up before 7:30am unless I know there's a good chance I can score some good gear

bikezappa

Capecodder

How do you find out about the local estate sales? I tried goggle and got nowhere.

Thanks Peter

AndyGwis

I think local papers usually list them in the classifieds. I'm trying to figure it out locally here, inspired by Cape's great score. Any tips from the old pros?

capecodder

Yes, yard/estate sales are listed (usually) in the local paper in classified section. Topic may vary depending on paper.

Estate sales are run by professionals who go in and essentially try to clear out the house for the owner or for an estate (owners died). If there is high end equipment sometimes the owner will tell the dealers and it may be listed in the ad. Last year there was some mint MacIntosh stuff that was listed and I called the dealer (not always a possibility) about it before the sale. The dealer had researched it and while it may have been still worth the money it was way more than I was willing to pay. More often if it is "typical" but stilll good equipment it is just gets a price stuck on it as the dealers go through and price things. Most dealers don't know audio so you can get some real bargains, turntables in particular because they are seen as dinosaurs (Dual 1229 with mint cartridge last year for $20, Denon DP-52F w/ Signet cartidge which I am using now $15). In general, estate sale prices can be higher than standard local yard sales.

Yard sales are by individuals just trying to clear stuff out, often price is secondary to getting rid of it. I have picked up some real bargains of vintage equipment this way. Often the ads again don't mention much of whats being sold other than a few general items. It's a real hunt and peck thing. You need to hit 10 to find 1 worthwhile item sometimes. Frankly my house is full of stuff from yard sales. For example, I have never bought a new Weber grill (charcoal style baby, no gas crap for me) but i have used about 20 of them over the years. I ALWAYs see these things in great condition for about $10-15 because people just want to get rid of them out of their garage. When one rusts away I just grab another.

The focus on audio has become a by-product as I realized how much good equipment was being "given away".

One key to any "picker" as we are called is to get there early. If it says it starts at 8:00 and you get there at 10:00 (you SHOULD get there at 7:30) you will have usually missed the "good stuff". That being said, audio just isn't on the radar screen for the other dealers that hit every sale they can in order to stock up on buy and resell stuff.

Actually, if you search my early posts in this forum, I discuss this same topic and list a bunch of my finds. There are many others that have posted similar success, some of which put mine to shame.

Good luck, just stay the hell away from the outer Cape;)

miner

capecodder wrote:

Again, valuable insight. Intereting news on the clamp. I don't have one but was thinking of getting one. I may now wait a bit.

Try the Clearaudio record clamp - a lightweight plastic small disc that somehow clamps the LP down. I think about $40 for it.

hearingimpared

How in all that is good did I miss this thread, thanks to Polk65 I didn't miss it entirely.

Great catch Ted, congrats. Linn turntables, as Rich informed you very well, are much sought after and much maligned but one thing is for sure you can't go wrong with one. I just saw and article about an upgrade to the Linn in a recent copy of Sterophile magazine. That is saying something if a reviewer is writing about an upgrade to a table that is aprox 20 years old.

Good luck.

capecodder

Hearing- Thanks for thoughts. These tables seem to have a huge following and it is a nice step up for me, even though I was very happy with my Denon. I took the Linn to a high end audio store outside Boston (Natural Sound) two weekends ago. Linn USA specifically mentioned this shop as one of the better/more knowledgeable places to have it setup. The technician looked it over and gave me a 2 thumbs up for overall condition etc. May need power supply down the road but OK for now. Suspension was perfect. He was pretty amazing to watch. He did everything by eye and when I asked how he knows how well things are aligned he said "practice" as he has set up hundreds of them. He then brought out alignment tools etc to show me and everything was spot on.

This audio store had some very impressive stuff. I don't go to audio shops to drool anymore like I did years ago and I am way out of touch with modern equipment. This place had a room of used/demo stuff that made my knees go weak (and my wallet firmly staying in the pocket).

So anyway, TT is now back in my system and doing quite nicely thank you. Looking forward to your assessment of your various cartridges and your final conclusion that you absolutely HATE that Sumiko Blue and need to throw it away (after you gently place it in a padded box with my address on it:rolleyes: ).

Also had the Naim equipment (amp and pre-amp) looked over and everything checked OK. Brought it home and ran it through the basement rig last weekend. Damn, it is nice stuff! Only 45 wts and it was pushing my Energy C4s with no problem. It is SO clear and crisp. I was sitting in basement listening to just released CD of Neil Young's acoustical concert (from early '70's) "Live at Massey Hall" CD (great cd btw) and it was fabulous. I really should sell the Naim stuff to make some money back but damn, I don't want to. I am curious to see how they would perform with my main system's Polk CRS+ speakers. Not sure 45wts will do it though. Crap, if it outperforms my 225wt NAD 218THX amp I may have some real decisions to make.

bikezappa

Natural Sound

I guess I should drop by that store but leave my wallet at home and do some serious drooling in the used equipment dept.

I work perrty close to the store, it's on Rt 9 i think.

hearingimpared

capecodder wrote: »

Hearing- So anyway, TT is now back in my system and doing quite nicely thank you. Looking forward to your assessment of your various cartridges and your final conclusion that you absolutely HATE that Sumiko Blue and need to throw it away (after you gently place it in a padded box with my address on it:rolleyes: ).

Unfortunately you are going to have to wait a while. I have the worst cold I ever had in my life. I haven't been able to taste food since Thursday nor listen to music. When I have attempted to listen it sounds like a friggin transistor radio to me. Each day the symptoms move to another part of my upper respiratory tract but the day before's symtoms don't improve. I went to the doc yesterday and he can't do anything for it cause it's viral. So I can't taste, smell or hear. Thank goodness I have two other senses that work, partially!!!!

tonyb

Has to be torture for a Philly boy not to eat.:)

capecodder

bikezappa wrote: »

Natural Sound

I guess I should drop by that store but leave my wallet at home and do some serious drooling in the used equipment dept.

I work perrty close to the store, it's on Rt 9 i think.

Yep, in Framingham: http://www.natural-sound.com/ They also list their used stuff on line but there is even more of it in the store.

capecodder

tonyb wrote: »

Has to be torture for a Philly boy not to eat.:)

Yo,ain't dat da truth.

Sorry about the cold Hearing, Looks like we got another extended cold spell comin' too so you can't even hang outside and air things out.

hearingimpared

tonyb wrote: »

Has to be torture for a Philly boy not to eat.:)

Not being able to listen to music is even worse!!! Do you remember the song by Meatloaf, "Paradise by the Dashboard Lights?" Well the part where the baseball announcer is calling the rounding of the bases. . . that is what I hear when I listen. . .now I can really appreciate not being completely deaf.:)

halo

That sucks Joe. Hope you feel better soon.

SCompRacer

I am glad to hear your Linn checked out OK and you are enjoying your system. I threw a work stand together out of some old steel laying around to service mine. It beats stacking books under each side and it securely clamps the table to the stand. Felt strips protect the plinth from the painted steel. The stand has leveling feet allowing the plinth to be perfectly leveled for precise suspension setup. The stand allows easy access under the table at a comfortable work height on a bench. It is based on the stand Linn techs use.

Setup isn’t too difficult, though experience will cut that learning curve down. The position of the springs determines how the suspension functions. Though the ends of the springs are ground flat, there is a starting and ending coil on each spring. Some have fussed about exact clock position of each spring, while Linn just says talc the bushings, assemble and turn the springs until you get the suspension to bounce properly. 1/8 of a turn on one spring can shift the sub-chassis and bind smooth movement. Did he use the Kinky tool? That measures the center of arm to center of platter bearing dimension. I just used some long dial calipers to check mine.

When selecting a cartridge, be aware of tonearm compatibility. Read about it here. Mismatches can cause undesireable resonances and mistracking. Per Linn specs, your LV II arm is 11.5 grams, which is on the low end of a Moderate Mass arm (11-25 grams). Cartridge manufacturers will list Compliance in their specifications. 12 or below is considered low compliance while 10 to 20 is moderate compliance. Moderate mass tonearms should be paired with moderate to low compliance cartridges. The Sumiko Blue you are considering has a Compliance of 12, which means it should be a good match. After that, all you have to do is ensure the cartridge output (listed as mV) is supported by your phono pre amp.

hearingimpared

SCompRacer wrote: »

I am glad to hear your Linn checked out OK and you are enjoying your system. I threw a work stand togehter out of some old steel laying around to service mine. It beats stacking books under each side and it securely clamps the table to the stand. Felt strips protect the plinth from the painted steel. The stand has leveling feet allowing the plinth to be perfectly leveled for precise suspension setup. The stand allows easy access under the table at a comfortable work height on a bench. It is based on the stand Linn techs use.

Setup isn’t too difficult, though experience will cut that learning curve down. The position of the springs determines how the suspension functions. Though the ends of the springs are ground flat, there is a starting and ending coil on each spring. Some have fussed about exact clock position of each spring, while Linn just says talc the bushings, assemble and turn the springs until you get the suspension to bounce properly. 1/8 of a turn on one spring can shift the sub-chassis and bind smooth movement. Did he use the Kinky tool? That measures the center of arm to center of platter bearing dimension. I just used some long dial calipers to check mine.

When selecting a cartridge, be aware of tonearm compatibility. Read about it here. Mismatches can cause undesireable resonances and mistracking. Per Linn specs, your LV II arm is 11.5 grams, which is on the low end of a Moderate Mass arm (11-25 grams). Cartridge manufacturers will list Compliance in their specifications. 12 or below is considered low compliance while 10 to 20 is moderate compliance. Moderate mass tonearms should be paired with moderate to low compliance cartridges. The Sumiko Blue you are considering has a Compliance of 12, which means it should be a good match. After that, all you have to do is ensure the cartridge output (listed as mV) is supported by your phono pre amp.

Once again you amaze me Bro. Excellent and very informative.

I use two chairs and place the VPI between them!!! That is what the VPI manual recommends LOL.

hearingimpared

Halo wrote: »

That sucks Joe. Hope you feel better soon.

Thanks Vic. If I never see chicken broth again in my lifetime it will be too soon! LOL can't taste that either WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!

SCompRacer

Get well soon Joe! I've been without my ModWright SWL 9.0SE pre amp for 13 days, 12 hours and 14 minutes. It is being upgraded to the SWLP version with tube phono stage and outboard tube rectified power supply. It will support sub mV cartridges should I decide to go there and will provide me with a superb Class A phono stage. Talk about ModWright withdrawl....talk about that deep dark rabbit hole vinyl can be....LOL