Just wondering if anyone has tried this power supply on their Linn? Looks like a Valhalla but does 45rpm also, available for around £150. I already have one fitted to my Linn but I'm not sure whether I like it, just seeking other opinions really.

Just wondering if anyone has tried this power supply on their Linn? Looks like a Valhalla but does 45rpm also, available for around £150. I already have one fitted to my Linn but I'm not sure whether I like it, just seeking other opinions really.

Sold a few of these now, every customer I have supplied is very happy with it.
Put a few pictures up on my website < here (http://www.hifi-repairs.com/hercules.htm)> :)

You need more than 12" to land one of those suckers surely?

You need more than 12" to land one of those suckers surely?


Eh ???

Just wondering if anyone has tried this power supply on their Linn? Looks like a Valhalla but does 45rpm also, available for around £150. I already have one fitted to my Linn but I'm not sure whether I like it, just seeking other opinions really.

I fitted one to my LP12, and from listening to it, it doesn't sound worse than the Valhalla, but it's hard to say if it sounds better (if you know what I mean!). Perhaps there is slightly more bass, but I may be wrong.
What I do know is that fitting was a doddle (it took me longer to get the Valhalla out than to fit the Hercules), and the blue 45rpm LED is bloody bright! It lights up half the room when in use!
Gary

So How many folks on here have a Hercules PSU fitted to their LP12. I have been considering one of these on the back burner for quite some time now.

Stamford Audio had one on demo at the Scottish Hi-Fi show today, with a 'de-glared' blue LED fittted ! It looks exactly the same as a Valhalla and seems to be well manufactured, the Lingo type bi-colour button looks pretty neat too.
Whilst it seemed perfect on going from 0 > 33rpm, it seemed to struggle a little getting up to 45 rpm from standstill. My Fluttebuster/Linn Basik combo spins up no probs, however out of habit i usually establish it at 33 rpm first then put the switch over to 45 rpm whilst it is still spinning.

Comments from owners, sellers and dealers most welcome....

isn't it just the same as the valhalla but with a bit more digital circuitry to engineer the 45rpm frequency from the same single clock ?

Certainly looks as though the majority of it is the same design

Since I posted the original thread on this subject I have now had a longer time to evaluate the Hercules. The main difference sound quality wise between it and my old Valhalla is a much leaner and tighter bass, I have no idea why this is the case because the circuit looks virtually identical to the valhalla apart from the extra 45rpm widgets. I suppose changing a 15 year old circuit board for a brand new one is going to make a difference, even changing (if it were possible) to a brand new Valhalla would make the same difference so sound quality wise it's probably very similar. The deck does take a while longer to get up to speed, I sometimes wonder whether it will start at all without a push especially on 45rpm, perhaps it runs the motor with a lower voltage than the Valhalla?
I am very happy with my Hercules and at the price it's a steal, I have seen dodgy old Valhallas on epay fetch over a ton, so I reckon it's a bit of a bargain.

I've got one at home waiting to be fitted, but I won't be there until Christmas. I'm fettling my LP12 then with new springs, rubbers, belt, oil and of course the Hercules. I even have a custom sub-chassis made from Titanium that I had made up in 1998 and have never got around to trying. Perhaps I will give it a go as well.
I will post my findings when all is complete and back up and running.

Mike

If you change all those other things, you won't be able to attribute anything to the Hercules on its own.

Done a bit of O/T last month so bought myself a couple of new toys, a Hercules PSU bein one of them. Been promising myself to try for a while and so thought what the hell. It was a little more complicated for me to fit as i had a Linn Basik PSU fitted powered by my Moth Flutterbuster.

I've not had a chance to actually listen to it as yet, as I decide to give my LP12 a thorough spring clean whilst i was at it.
I have it running right now though. According to my strobe disc it runs at 45 rpm with the 'de-glared' blue LED on and at 33 with the Red LED on so I'm not expecting too many problems. Unlike the one that was on demo at the recent Jock Hi-Fi show mine doesn't seem to struggle to get upo 45 rpm from standstill, the show item often needed a little shove...

I've now fitted the Hercules and the new belt, but so far I haven't changed anything else so that I could evaluate it better.
On first listening it seemed the bass was considerably heavier and overall the sound seemed to me to be bit muddled. However after leaving the deck running, on 33rpm, for about 3 or 4 hours continuous it changed considerably and it now sounds far better than my old Valhalla. I can't really describe how, just everything seems more listenable, possibly slightly warmer but just as detailled if not more so. Overall I am very pleased, I'm not sure now if I should mess with it by changing the springs etc.

Mike

Just wondering if anyone has tried this power supply on their Linn? Looks like a Valhalla but does 45rpm also, available for around £150. I already have one fitted to my Linn but I'm not sure whether I like it, just seeking other opinions really.

Yes, I have one. Sounds much better than the Valhalla I had, is better built and does 45s to boot!

I actually went via a home made geddon and the Hercules is much better than that!!

I'd have loved to try a Hercules on my LP12 but I'm not a pilot.

Mickhick1, interesting that you describe your LP12 as sounding warmer with the Hercules fitted, my deck sounds leaner thats why I wasn't sure whether I liked it or not. My system sounds a bit thin as it is, the famous Linn bloom or tubbyness that many people say is part of the LP12 sound is entirely absent in my system, I now wonder whether the deck is performing as it should.

RockabillyRebel,
With my old Valhalla in place my LP12 souded very lean and I was attributing it to the cartridge; AT OC9. I tried to improve the sound by modding the loading impedance which did improve it but not by a large margin. Since fitting the Hercules it seems the problem has dissappeared.
Some details about my LP12. I bought it second hand c/w Ittok and a worn out Asak in 1991. I believe it was new in 1983. I first changed the cartridge to an AT OC5 and was very pleased with the sound. Previously I had an Axis with K9. In 1998 I had a custom plinth made in Ash by a local cabinet maker, an exact copy of the original fluted Linn plinth with extra corner bracing but of course in a very light finish. It looks superb. It was at the same time that I had the Titanium sub-chassis made, but because some additional drillings are required, I have never got around to trying it.
During the strip down and rebuild, the OC5 got damaged and I replaced it with the OC9. It sounded excellent until a couple of years ago when it started to sound thin and harsh to me and I hardly ever used it, sticking with CDs instead
Anyway all seems fine now and I want some more vinyl again!
The rest of my system is as follows:-
Nac 62/ NAP 140 both Olive
Homemade HiCap
Quad CD77 modified with ALW super regs, sounds great.
Alpha A5+ also modded, better than standard, but not as good as the Quad
Linn Keilidhs, late last models made.

I hope you get yours sorted.

ATB
Mike

Rockabilly

Do you have the cirkus mod because that is supposed to remove the bloom this might be the cause of you lean sound. My LP12 has it and the bloom is no longer there. I had a old 1980 Lp12 before which had the bass bloom. I prefer the new cirkused sound.


Dean

Hi Whizzkid, yeah my deck is circused, I bought it new in 94 with a secondhand Valhalla, Akito and K9. I changed the K9 to an Adikt but still have the Akito. I think the leanness is either the Akito/K9 combination or the 88 Nait 2, which probably needs servicing, and the revealing Kans. The Hercules has probably just leaned it out too far, in a warmer sounding system this would probably be an advantage but my system errs on the lean side anyway. My old 81 Lp12 certainly sounded warmer and fuller but also a little woolly and blurred at times which was also annoying.
Mickhick1, glad the hercules worked for you, i used to love the sound of those AudioTechnica OC models and still have a brand new 25th anniversary gold OC5 still in it's box, maybe I'll bolt it on my old Systemdek and play Surfa Rosa really loud just for old times sake.

Interesting posts here and the consensus seems that the valhalla is improved upon. Out of interest, how would it stand up against an early Lingo 1? Has anyone done the comparison?

Cheers,

Nic.

I think the leanness is either the Akito/K9 combination or the 88 Nait 2,

The K9 for sure.

Replace it with a £70 Denon high output MC and you'll be sorted.

Whoops, a slighty erroneous posting by me. I meant to say I am using an Adikt on my Akito not a K9.
Robert, do you think the Denon would be an improvement over the Adikt? I just want a bit more warmth and fullness to the bass in particular, it just sounds a bit cold and clinical at the moment, it's too tight and up it's own arse, it won't 'let go' and boogie.