Linn Basik Question

[fhsa8]

I have managed to obtain a Linn Basik / Akito / K18mkII FOC (free of charge) for a friend who loves vinyl, but whose 1980s B&O music centre has given up the ghost. Unfortunately, it came without the mat and money is very tight for him and buying a basic integrated amp has stretched his finances for now. No problem, I thought, I changed my mat before Christmas so he can have my old one. Can I find it? No.

The alternatives are: Genuine Linn mat – about £18-20; Rega mat – about £10; felt slip mat from Maplin £6

Will the performance be seriously compromised by either of the other 2 mats? Obviously, we can try the Maplin or Rega vs my mat, but only after they have been bought.

Also, I took the counterweight off of the Akito when I brought it home, but although there is a dial to adjust the tracking force, there is no mark on it to show which way to turn it or where to measure from.

Many thanks,

John

[Linnism]

Mats
No, IMO, a substitute will not seriously degrade performance, unless it's something unusually heavy/unbalanced.

That said, the mat can make a surprising difference, and has been the subject of some fiddling 'up north' over the years. There have been a number of different Linn felt mats, so I guess Linn's liking for felt is clear.
Today's Linn mat is quite thin, and rather firm, and IMO sounds better than the thicker ones supplied a few years ago. All the felt mats I've used seemed much better than Linn's very early mat (rubber, with radiating ribs).

I recently tried a very thin cork mat, which I would describe as a 'different' presentation. Some will prefer it, others not...



Counterweight
You were right to take the counterweight off prior to transport.

I'm not sure I understand your problem with the counterweight, so forgive me if I start at the beginning (you might spot the answer you need part way through):

1. Ensure the clue lever is in the down position and set anti-skate at 'off'.
2. Balance the arm by rotating the weight fore and aft until the stylus floats just above the notional surface of a record (btw, now is an opportunity to test the anti-skate device is working).
3. Now calibrate the counterweight, by holding the main body of the counterweight steady (it must NOT rotate), while rotating the dial ONLY: align the "0" with a fixed point on the arm stub (if necessary, imagine a white line drawn along the centre line of the stub, as found on, for example, a Linn LVX -- see Google Image.)
4. Having calibrated the counterweight against this reference point (hereafter the "RP"). Check again that the stylus floats at the same height as before. All being well, the stylus is now floating just above record level (1 or 2mm), and the dial on the counterweight reads zero against the RP.
5. Rotate the entire counterweight (taking care that the dial and weight now move together, as one), until the desired tracking force value is lined up against the RP. [It's essential that the same RP be used through out the entire operation.]
6. Finally, reset the anti-skating device to a value equal or similar to the tracking force.

I hope this helps.

PS
As you probably know, old cartridges can misbehave due to deterioration of the suspension grommet that supports the cantilever. If the sound seems a bit hard or gritty, it could be to do with this (if not a worn tip).

[salamonscream]

Hi
I think what has been obtained is a BASIK t/t produced by linn in the early 1990's not a Basik LP12!! Who in their right mind would give away a LP12!!

Any of the mats will work ok but a proper linn one or as rega will be better than a slip mat designed for DJ use.

The counterweight will turn anti clockwise when viewed from the front

Regards

[Linnism]

Oh, the penny drops! I was thinking LP12 with "Basik" power supply. Oh well, still generous, just not insane generous :-))

[fhsa8]

Thank you both for your help, especially Linnism’s excellent instructions. Why on earth did they not put a white line on the akito?

I will keep looking for my old mat. It sounds like it was tidied away by my family when they were preparing for a surprise party for me; for the party for the mat

WRT “Oh well, still generous, just not insane generous :-))” and "Who in their right mind would give away a LP12!!" -- I still have the pre-cirkus stuff that was taken out in 1993 and the original basik arm plus the Valhalla that was taken out last month. By the time Peter has finished with it, I should have all the bits bar lid, hinges, outer platter and baseboard (because I didn’t think to ask to keep it) to make another LP12

Best wishes, and thanks again

John

[salamonscream]

Hi
Another thing to watch out for is I presume that he is using the speakers from the old B&O system.
I seem to remember that B&O passive speakers were a 4 ohm load so his basic integrated amp may struggle to drive them to high levels!!

Regards