Linn Karousel

[Red Chris]

I absolutely adore the Karousel - it is a marvellous product and sonically phenomenal. Resistance is completely futile.

[Mr Onion]

I absolutely adore the Karousel - it is a marvellous product and sonically phenomenal. Resistance is completely futile.

... and somewhat of a bargain at the price IMHO.

[vincent]

I absolutely adore the Karousel - it is a marvellous product and sonically phenomenal. Resistance is completely futile.

Based on their experience and feedback from customers, the guys at Audio-T are saying that the Karousel joins the list of best ever upgrades to the LP12:

Linn Basik Plus or Grace to Ittok
Valhalla to Lingo
Lingo to Radikal
Cirkus to Karousel

It's somehow very satisfying that this upgrade is based on material science and engineering rather than electronics or digital tweakery.

[Wenge1]

I absolutely adore the Karousel - it is a marvellous product and sonically phenomenal. Resistance is completely futile.

....................... ................. 7/9 ..................

[wiltshireman]

"I absolutely adore the Karousel - it is a marvellous product and sonically phenomenal. Resistance is completely futile."

I am now wondering how much I might be able to raise with my Circus and Tranquility.

[Mr Onion]

£300 - £400 (maybe a bit more) dependant on condition and how well you 'sell' them (based on ePay results)

[Red Chris]

I am now wondering how much I might be able to raise with my Circus and Tranquility.

I'm trying to decide what to do with my Cirkus and Tranquility. I planned to put them on my 'cooking" LP12 in the study, and sell or PX the older Cirkus on that deck. Now I'm thinking, just bite the bullet, get a new LP12 with Karousel for the study, transfer some bits and sell the rest.

[vincent]

I am now wondering how much I might be able to raise with my Circus and Tranquility.

I'm trying to decide what to do with my Cirkus and Tranquility. I planned to put them on my 'cooking" LP12 in the study, and sell or PX the older Cirkus on that deck. Now I'm thinking, just bite the bullet, get a new LP12 with Karousel for the study, transfer some bits and sell the rest.

Choices choices - wonder how Etna SL will sound with that Karousel bearing?

[evil_C]

Yesterday I drove up the Fosse Way to Cymbiosis for the Cirkus-Karousel bearing upgrade. It’s the first time I’ve been there in these times of Covid. I had planned to go and listen to the Karousel and Kandid back in March, when Linn initially offered the ‘free’ Karousel deal, but unfortunately that got cancelled owing to lockdown. But as it seems the offer is back on, I thought I’d better get on with it.

We started by listening to two Magic spec LP12s, one with Cirkus, the other with Karousel, but Peter didn’t tell me which was which. I chose to hear the first track, Pharaoh’s Dance, from Miles Davis’s Bitches Brew. There was a lot of noise apparent during the quiet introduction, which was a bit disappointing, but I guessed this was an album often played, which would account for the noisy surface. However, when it was played on the second turntable, it became a lot quieter and far more listenable. After I’d declared my thoughts, Peter confirmed that the second unit was indeed fitted with the Karousel. Does that mean that all these years of listening quite happily to the Cirkus, a considerable part of the noise was due to the bearing?

Peter then took the Magic decks out and brought in one closer to the build spec of my LP12, although fitted with a Karousel and, like mine, an Aro, so that I could hear different cartridges. We started out with a Krystal, being the same as mine, and played Birdland, the first track from Weather Report’s Heavy Weather album. This is a track I know well, but here it really cooked! The arm was swapped to one fitted with a Kandid - the Kandid would have triggered the free Karousel offer. I found this to be quite noticeably more revealing than the Krystal, seeming to give more space between notes, the music seeming less congested.

The Kandid arm was then swapped to one fitted with a Lyra Kleos (actually the SL version), but although pleasant, lacked the incisive nature of the Kandid. Leading and trailing edges of notes were more slurred and so the space which the Kandid created was lost.

Next up was the Kandid again to confirm my views and finally back to the Krystal. It confirmed my feeling that I really ought to buy the Kandid and thereby get the Karousel ‘free’. However, there was also in my mind a significant expense I have coming up and cash flow thoughts led me to choose simply to buy the Karousel and live with the Krystal. However, roadworks on the Fosse Way increased the drive home to three and a half hours, which was long enough for me to realise that I’d made the wrong decision - the Kandid was too good to ignore. It looks like I’ve got another trip to Rearsby in the near future, particularly if I’m to benefit from the offer!

[Scooter]

Yesterday I drove up the Fosse Way to Cymbiosis for the Cirkus-Karousel bearing upgrade. It’s the first time I’ve been there in these times of Covid. I had planned to go and listen to the Karousel and Kandid back in March, when Linn initially offered the ‘free’ Karousel deal, but unfortunately that got cancelled owing to lockdown. But as it seems the offer is back on, I thought I’d better get on with it.

We started by listening to two Magic spec LP12s, one with Cirkus, the other with Karousel, but Peter didn’t tell me which was which. I chose to hear the first track, Pharaoh’s Dance, from Miles Davis’s Bitches Brew. There was a lot of noise apparent during the quiet introduction, which was a bit disappointing, but I guessed this was an album often played, which would account for the noisy surface. However, when it was played on the second turntable, it became a lot quieter and far more listenable. After I’d declared my thoughts, Peter confirmed that the second unit was indeed fitted with the Karousel. Does that mean that all these years of listening quite happily to the Cirkus, a considerable part of the noise was due to the bearing?

Peter then took the Magic decks out and brought in one closer to the build spec of my LP12, although fitted with a Karousel and, like mine, an Aro, so that I could hear different cartridges. We started out with a Krystal, being the same as mine, and played Birdland, the first track from Weather Report’s Heavy Weather album. This is a track I know well, but here it really cooked! The arm was swapped to one fitted with a Kandid - the Kandid would have triggered the free Karousel offer. I found this to be quite noticeably more revealing than the Krystal, seeming to give more space between notes, the music seeming less congested.

The Kandid arm was then swapped to one fitted with a Lyra Kleos (actually the SL version), but although pleasant, lacked the incisive nature of the Kandid. Leading and trailing edges of notes were more slurred and so the space which the Kandid created was lost.

Next up was the Kandid again to confirm my views and finally back to the Krystal. It confirmed my feeling that I really ought to buy the Kandid and thereby get the Karousel ‘free’. However, there was also in my mind a significant expense I have coming up and cash flow thoughts led me to choose simply to buy the Karousel and live with the Krystal. However, roadworks on the Fosse Way increased the drive home to three and a half hours, which was long enough for me to realise that I’d made the wrong decision - the Kandid was too good to ignore. It looks like I’ve got another trip to Rearsby in the near future, particularly if I’m to benefit from the offer!

Brilliant write up. I recognised when you realise that not getting the Kandid may have been a mistake. My wife was the best because she just said get it you’ll only regret it and get it later so get it and enjoy it now. Enjoy refunding your music again.

[Dan Steel]

Yesterday I drove up the Fosse Way to Cymbiosis for the Cirkus-Karousel bearing upgrade. It’s the first time I’ve been there in these times of Covid. I had planned to go and listen to the Karousel and Kandid back in March, when Linn initially offered the ‘free’ Karousel deal, but unfortunately that got cancelled owing to lockdown. But as it seems the offer is back on, I thought I’d better get on with it.

We started by listening to two Magic spec LP12s, one with Cirkus, the other with Karousel, but Peter didn’t tell me which was which. I chose to hear the first track, Pharaoh’s Dance, from Miles Davis’s Bitches Brew. There was a lot of noise apparent during the quiet introduction, which was a bit disappointing, but I guessed this was an album often played, which would account for the noisy surface. However, when it was played on the second turntable, it became a lot quieter and far more listenable. After I’d declared my thoughts, Peter confirmed that the second unit was indeed fitted with the Karousel. Does that mean that all these years of listening quite happily to the Cirkus, a considerable part of the noise was due to the bearing?

Peter then took the Magic decks out and brought in one closer to the build spec of my LP12, although fitted with a Karousel and, like mine, an Aro, so that I could hear different cartridges. We started out with a Krystal, being the same as mine, and played Birdland, the first track from Weather Report’s Heavy Weather album. This is a track I know well, but here it really cooked! The arm was swapped to one fitted with a Kandid - the Kandid would have triggered the free Karousel offer. I found this to be quite noticeably more revealing than the Krystal, seeming to give more space between notes, the music seeming less congested.

The Kandid arm was then swapped to one fitted with a Lyra Kleos (actually the SL version), but although pleasant, lacked the incisive nature of the Kandid. Leading and trailing edges of notes were more slurred and so the space which the Kandid created was lost.

Next up was the Kandid again to confirm my views and finally back to the Krystal. It confirmed my feeling that I really ought to buy the Kandid and thereby get the Karousel ‘free’. However, there was also in my mind a significant expense I have coming up and cash flow thoughts led me to choose simply to buy the Karousel and live with the Krystal. However, roadworks on the Fosse Way increased the drive home to three and a half hours, which was long enough for me to realise that I’d made the wrong decision - the Kandid was too good to ignore. It looks like I’ve got another trip to Rearsby in the near future, particularly if I’m to benefit from the offer!

Brilliant write up. I recognised when you realise that not getting the Kandid may have been a mistake. My wife was the best because she just said get it you’ll only regret it and get it later so get it and enjoy it now. Enjoy refunding your music again.

Diane said something similar but her words were “I couldn’t stand looking at your gob”.
Bite the bullet a go for it Clive my only problem is I’ve bought tons of vinyl since.

[Wenge1]

Yesterday I drove up the Fosse Way to Cymbiosis for the Cirkus-Karousel bearing upgrade. It’s the first time I’ve been there in these times of Covid. I had planned to go and listen to the Karousel and Kandid back in March, when Linn initially offered the ‘free’ Karousel deal, but unfortunately that got cancelled owing to lockdown. But as it seems the offer is back on, I thought I’d better get on with it.

We started by listening to two Magic spec LP12s, one with Cirkus, the other with Karousel, but Peter didn’t tell me which was which. I chose to hear the first track, Pharaoh’s Dance, from Miles Davis’s Bitches Brew. There was a lot of noise apparent during the quiet introduction, which was a bit disappointing, but I guessed this was an album often played, which would account for the noisy surface. However, when it was played on the second turntable, it became a lot quieter and far more listenable. After I’d declared my thoughts, Peter confirmed that the second unit was indeed fitted with the Karousel. Does that mean that all these years of listening quite happily to the Cirkus, a considerable part of the noise was due to the bearing?

Peter then took the Magic decks out and brought in one closer to the build spec of my LP12, although fitted with a Karousel and, like mine, an Aro, so that I could hear different cartridges. We started out with a Krystal, being the same as mine, and played Birdland, the first track from Weather Report’s Heavy Weather album. This is a track I know well, but here it really cooked! The arm was swapped to one fitted with a Kandid - the Kandid would have triggered the free Karousel offer. I found this to be quite noticeably more revealing than the Krystal, seeming to give more space between notes, the music seeming less congested.

The Kandid arm was then swapped to one fitted with a Lyra Kleos (actually the SL version), but although pleasant, lacked the incisive nature of the Kandid. Leading and trailing edges of notes were more slurred and so the space which the Kandid created was lost.

Next up was the Kandid again to confirm my views and finally back to the Krystal. It confirmed my feeling that I really ought to buy the Kandid and thereby get the Karousel ‘free’. However, there was also in my mind a significant expense I have coming up and cash flow thoughts led me to choose simply to buy the Karousel and live with the Krystal. However, roadworks on the Fosse Way increased the drive home to three and a half hours, which was long enough for me to realise that I’d made the wrong decision - the Kandid was too good to ignore. It looks like I’ve got another trip to Rearsby in the near future, particularly if I’m to benefit from the offer!

Yes Clive - the Karousel is a no brainer and the item you need to get first and indeed you did, so much congrats to you. Also the Kandid is a lot superior to the Krystal. So if you can financially swing it then it also becomes a bit of a no brainer. Enjoy man.

[Coyote Jim]

Yesterday I drove up the Fosse Way to Cymbiosis for the Cirkus-Karousel bearing upgrade. It’s the first time I’ve been there in these times of Covid. I had planned to go and listen to the Karousel and Kandid back in March, when Linn initially offered the ‘free’ Karousel deal, but unfortunately that got cancelled owing to lockdown. But as it seems the offer is back on, I thought I’d better get on with it.

We started by listening to two Magic spec LP12s, one with Cirkus, the other with Karousel, but Peter didn’t tell me which was which. I chose to hear the first track, Pharaoh’s Dance, from Miles Davis’s Bitches Brew. There was a lot of noise apparent during the quiet introduction, which was a bit disappointing, but I guessed this was an album often played, which would account for the noisy surface. However, when it was played on the second turntable, it became a lot quieter and far more listenable. After I’d declared my thoughts, Peter confirmed that the second unit was indeed fitted with the Karousel. Does that mean that all these years of listening quite happily to the Cirkus, a considerable part of the noise was due to the bearing?

Peter then took the Magic decks out and brought in one closer to the build spec of my LP12, although fitted with a Karousel and, like mine, an Aro, so that I could hear different cartridges. We started out with a Krystal, being the same as mine, and played Birdland, the first track from Weather Report’s Heavy Weather album. This is a track I know well, but here it really cooked! The arm was swapped to one fitted with a Kandid - the Kandid would have triggered the free Karousel offer. I found this to be quite noticeably more revealing than the Krystal, seeming to give more space between notes, the music seeming less congested.

The Kandid arm was then swapped to one fitted with a Lyra Kleos (actually the SL version), but although pleasant, lacked the incisive nature of the Kandid. Leading and trailing edges of notes were more slurred and so the space which the Kandid created was lost.

Next up was the Kandid again to confirm my views and finally back to the Krystal. It confirmed my feeling that I really ought to buy the Kandid and thereby get the Karousel ‘free’. However, there was also in my mind a significant expense I have coming up and cash flow thoughts led me to choose simply to buy the Karousel and live with the Krystal. However, roadworks on the Fosse Way increased the drive home to three and a half hours, which was long enough for me to realise that I’d made the wrong decision - the Kandid was too good to ignore. It looks like I’ve got another trip to Rearsby in the near future, particularly if I’m to benefit from the offer!

Great writeup Clive and I'm very pleased that your enjoyment listening to LPs has had a good outcome.
The Kandid blows away the Krystal it's in a different league altogether.
I love reading all about everyone getting the Karousel it gives me something to look forward too.
I'm very familiar with that album too and having that much energy in the mix demands something really good the sharpen the focus.
Great stuff and very encouraging congrats.

[vincent]

However, roadworks on the Fosse Way increased the drive home to three and a half hours, which was long enough for me to realise that I’d made the wrong decision - the Kandid was too good to ignore. It looks like I’ve got another trip to Rearsby in the near future, particularly if I’m to benefit from the offer!

At least this way you get to appreciate what the Karousel is doing in your LP12, and can look forward to another big step up when you get the Kandid.

[evil_C]

Thanks for all your positive comments, chaps! Just waiting for final confirmation, but it looks like next Tuesday could be Kandid day! Woohoo!

[Wenge1]

Thanks for all your positive comments, chaps! Just waiting for final confirmation, but it looks like next Tuesday could be Kandid day! Woohoo!

.... ... .... .... ...

[Pediatrik]

Karousel and Kandid within one week Clive? Wow! Not jealous at all...

[evil_C]

Karousel and Kandid within one week Clive? Wow! Not jealous at all...

Hi Mikael,
It’s not SO outrageous since it means I can use the current deal being offered by Linn and get the Karousel for ‘free’ (that’s free if you use a bit of female sale shopping logic!)

[Dan Steel]

Thanks for all your positive comments, chaps! Just waiting for final confirmation, but it looks like next Tuesday could be Kandid day! Woohoo!

Nice one Clive

[Coyote Jim]

Thanks for all your positive comments, chaps! Just waiting for final confirmation, but it looks like next Tuesday could be Kandid day! Woohoo!

[Fruitbox]

Very interesting thread and whilst I used to post to the Linn forum, just catching up here. I have Rubikon and TranQ in place and was very interested in comments on those upgrading from Tq. I like the Tq but found it did lose drive and bass volume compared with none. But I much prefer it overall for its delightful vocals and vocal harmonies more open and engaging sound that was less mechanical.
I was attracted to the Karousel.. But then I wondered about Rubikon compatibility....
The Rubikon is a fine product and runs a Keel reasonably close at a much cheaper price, and is of course no longer made. It is a couple of mm or so thicker than the Keel and would as a result require some surgery to a Karousel... the surgery would cost...or the alternative... Keel with a free Karousel.
Wonder what I should do ....?
Would I lose any of the magic Tranquility sound, for those of you who like(d) it/ own it?

Any thoughts... and thanks for the info in the posts on this thread guys

Bruce
....temporary signature
LP 12/Cirkus/Rubikon/Khan/Ekos1/Radikal/Transfiguration Proteus
Moon Simaudio Martin Logan Spire Velodyne DD12+ sub, Stax 009 Audeze LCD XC

[Dan Steel]

Welcome Bruce
I can’t comment on the Rubikon as I’ve never heard it. But the Keel was probably the best upgrade to my deck and the Karousel moves it on further. I would swap to the Keel and take advantage of a free Karousel you certainly won’t regret it.

[Mr Onion]

Welcome to the Kabin

Having moved from a Cirkus/Tranq to the Karousel its a no brainer. Its gain in every area and TBH I don't even think about the Tranq any more.

As for Rubikon compatibility I would guess that if the Cirkus fits (which it obviously does) , then so should the Karousel. They are both fitted from underneath the only questionmark would be the mounting nut. There are no bolts holding the Karousel in place, just three lugs the fit into the three holes in the subchassis. The nut is then screwed down from the top (see the instructions here LP12 Manual & Set Up Guides ) If the chassis is too thick the nut might not seat properly or far enough down the bearing.

Peter Swain (Cymbiosis) will know but I can't remember if any HiFi Kabin Rubicon owner has tried the bearing.

EDIT:- Plus what was said above BUT the KEEL is 'only' £2660 so you wont get a free bearing with just that. Its a £3K+ spend to get the bearing free.

[Dan Steel]

Welcome to the Kabin

Having moved from a Cirkus/Tranq to the Karousel its a no brainer. Its gain in every area and TBH I don't even think about the Tranq any more.

As for Rubikon compatibility I would guess that if the Cirkus fits (which it obviously does) , then so should the Karousel. They are both fitted from underneath the only questionmark would be the mounting nut. There are no bolts holding the Karousel in place, just three lugs the fit into the three holes in the subchassis. The nut is then screwed down from the top (see the instructions here LP12 Manual & Set Up Guides ) If the chassis is too thick the nut might not seat properly or far enough down the bearing.

Peter Swain (Cymbiosis) will know but I don't know if any HiFi Kabin Rubicon owner has tried the bearing.

EDIT:- Plus what was said above BUT the KEEL is 'only' £2660 so you wont get a free bearing with just that. Its a £3K+ spend to get the bearing free.

Or make the difference up to 3k +

[vincent]

Very interesting thread and whilst I used to post to the Linn forum, just catching up here. I have Rubikon and TranQ in place and was very interested in comments on those upgrading from Tq. I like the Tq but found it did lose drive and bass volume compared with none. But I much prefer it overall for its delightful vocals and vocal harmonies more open and engaging sound that was less mechanical.

Welcome Bruce. I think you've captured very nicely what the Tq did for my system. I definitely preferred the sound with the Tq than without, but thought there was a trade-off (some loss of drive and slam being the the price paid for a more delicate and engaging sound particularly with vocals). I could see why some people did not like the Tq, and why it did not suit some set-ups. After more than four weeks listening with the Karousel, I'm in no doubt that it is a significant upgrade on the Cirkus + Tq.