Innovative Virtual Demos
Since 1972, we have welcomed customers into our relaxed Showroom environment to audition components side-by-side. This is still the best way to hear how a system sounds … but now in 2020, we are re-envisioning the A/B demo process with these new Innovative Virtual Demos.
How to Get the BEST Virtual Demo Experience
WHY? The goal of these Virtual Demos is to represent the differences between components in a real stereo system.
HOW? We have been meticulous in making these recordings. We’re using the same records, cleaning them before each recording session, taking care to set up everything correctly to not unfairly disadvantage or favor one thing or another, setting the gain levels via a reference track to -6dB to avoid clipping, digitizing the line-level-out audio signals via a high-quality Analog-to-Digital converter at 32-bit depth and 96kHz sampling rate.
Therefore the BEST “correct” way to listen to these demo tracks is ON your stereo system.
BEST METHOD🥇 = Stereo System
If you have a stereo system with digital music playback, then click the buttons below to download the relevant files to your system, and play them back through your full stereo system. This will undoubtedly give you the BEST results.
Why is this method best?
You will hear proper stereo imaging, as though the musicians are on a stage in front of you. (We tend to hear live music performed on a stage in front of us, so this is the most natural and normal way that our brain processes sound information.)
You will hear the audio through your own speakers. The only downside is that the audio quality is being limited by your existing Digital-to-Analog Converter, but otherwise it’s as close as possible to having the real components in your system.
The volume control will be through your actual pre-amplifier.
OKAY METHOD🥈 = Good Headphones
If you don’t have a stereo system with digital music playback, then your next best option is to use a good pair of headphones. Click the buttons below, and download files to your headphone system. This will give you OKAY results.
Why is this method just okay?
Headphones are close to your ears, so they don’t have to move a lot of air to make soundwaves. Therefore they tend to be efficient, and allow details and nuance to be revealed.
On the down side, you will hear the audio “inside your head”, which is very unnatural.
You’ll also be limited by the quality of the Digital-to-Analog Converter and Heaphone Amplifier.
Unfortunately a lot of headphones also have a “Bass Bump”, to make contemporary music more “thumpy”…but that’s not a good thing if you want to hear the music sound “natural”.
LAST RESORT 🥉 = Computer or Phone
Let’s face facts: the speakers built into your computer or phone are pretty crappy. But if it’s the only option you have, then please use a pair of headphones or ear-buds. Seriously, even earbuds are better than those built-in speakers!
Why is this method the last resort?
Even the newest devices still have tiny speakers and tiny amplifiers that just aren’t as good as even the lowest-cost equipment we offer. Nothing against them, but they’re computers and phones, not a stereo system. It’s a simple matter of physics: there’s no way to adequately reproduce the full range of detail and nuance that a good stereo system can effortlessly make.
At least headphones or earbuds are close to your ears, so they don’t have to move a lot of air to make soundwaves. Therefore they tend to be more efficient.
On the down side, you will hear the audio “inside your head”, which is very unnatural.
So, with that disclaimer…let’s start listening!
Linn LP12 Karousel
What’s the difference between the old Linn LP12 Cirkus bearing and the new Linn LP12 Karousel bearing upgrade? Have a listen to our sample tracks! We created these recordings as a “before” and “after” comparison during an upgrade of a client’s Linn LP12. The only difference between “before” and “after” is the bearing upgrade kit itself. In fact, the client’s LP12 had recently already been “tuned up” with new springs and grommets, so what you’ll hear in the test files below are really just the differences between the Cirkus and the Karousel bearings!
New ceramic technology = Less mechanical vibration to improving timing and articulation.
Quieter bearing = Lower noise floor to reveal more detail in the music.
Less low-frequency noise = Deeper, more-defined bass and better sense of musical pacing.
Less high-frequency noise = More timbral accuracy and focus in the midrange and treble.
Classical Solo Piano = Imagine you’re sitting at a piano. Listen for the space between the notes from the lower notes on the left to the higher notes on the right. Also notice the harmonic structure of the piano. The Cirkus sounds pleasant but is also a bit amorphous, and the harmonics are almost indistinguishable over the melody. With the Karousel, the notes are more clearly delineated (less “blurry”), the space between the notes is more articulate and distinct, and the harmonics of the piano are much more natural!
Jazz Solo Piano = Transport yourself to the Vanguard jazz club. It’s just you and the pianist. Listen to the depth and delicacy of harmonic structure, the space between the notes, and the The first few notes sound a little wobbly on the Cirkus bearing, and the harmonics are present but a bit blurry. On the new Karousel, the pitch stability is better (even though it’s the same motor and power supply!), the harmonics are deeper and more detailed, and the space between the notes is more distinct.
Instrumental Jazz = Listen to the pacing of the music, the sound of one hand slapping the guitar while being strummed by the other hand, and the nuance of the bowed violin at the end.. The Cirkus sounds slower, the slapping is a more hollow “thud” noise, and the violin is a bit whiny. On the new Karousel, the timing is much more “foot-tapping”, the sound of the hand hitting the guitar is more “fleshy” and in time with the strumming, and the violin is much more expressive!
Female Vocal Jazz Trio = Time-travel back to 1964 in a Stockholm jazz club. Listen to the scale of the singer’s voice, the tonal depth of the double-bass, the lilting notes of the piano, and the burnish on the snare drums. The Cirkus sounds pleasant but more like it’s a recording. On the new Karousel, the recording sounds more immediate and live: her voice is more focused to the scale of the microphone; the double bass notes are cleaner and deeper; the piano is more natural, and the snare drum has more “sizzle”.