External Zeus Review "New external Zeus, a winner for me"
by Alun R. from Maidstone
My LP12 has never sounded so good. The timing and clarity of the instruments, especially on sustained notes is much improved. Overall, I am extremely happy with my External Zeus in how it performs and how it sounds. An added bonus is that you can tweak many on-board parameters via the use of the on-board software and a laptop, if you desire to do so. I have not heard a Lingo 4 equipped LP12 but to be honest, I really struggle to believe that it could possibly sound any better.
I have been using this new PSU / Motor controller on my Linn LP12 for the past 3 months now.
When it comes to purchasing most products, I am a very considered buyer and commit a lot of effort into exploring what the market has to offer before choosing which option to purchase.
Whilst exploring several different products, I came across the Zeus. I was looking for an alternative product to replace my existing external Mose / Hercules PSU. However, the Zeus was only available as an internally housed product at that point in time.
I had carefully considered all my other options, a new Lingo 4, an older generation Linn Lingo 1, 2 or 3 or a Vinyl Passion Revolution internal PSU. One by one, I discounted these alternatives. The Lingo 4 was £1,000 more expensive and I felt that aesthetically it looked more like a power supply for a laptop computer with cables emanating from both ends. I discounted the Lingo 2 & 3 as the external enclosures were too large and they were only available in the used market. The Lingo 1 enclosure had a small footprint but again was only available in the used market. I really wanted an external unit and therefore I discounted the VP Revolution. I was not keen on the futuristic looking switch either.
I really liked what the internal Zeus had to offer, especially the speed sensor monitoring and fine speed adjustment. Of all the others, only the Lingo 4 could offer that!
If only the Zeus could be available in an external enclosure. Therefore, I contacted Steve and discussed my preferences and the External Zeus was born. My preferences for an External PSU are that I honestly prefer the mains power and main electronic circuitry to be away from the deck itself and away from the sensitivity of the phono cartridge. Some may disagree, but that is my preference.
Installation in the main was quite straightforward, which I undertook myself. The trickiest part was feeding the ribbon cable for the speed sensor through the centre hole in the LP12 top-plate then between the underside of the top-plate and sub-chassis. It required reducing the tension on the springs on the sub-chassis quite some way to allow the ribbon cable to pass through. The installer would need to be willing, able and confident to re-adjust the springs and arm-board alignment afterward. [See our reply below].
The customer service that I received from Steve from first contacting him with my many initial questions, through to purchase, installation and after-sales has been first class.
Our reply to Alun R.s comment regarding ribbon cable fitting. Alun had an aftermarket machined top plate installed with the Karousel bearing which meant installing the cable was more difficult than with a usual Linn LP12 configuration. On a standard LP12 there is a gap created by the bearing nuts and the top plate which results in a natural 5mm gap in which to feed the ribbon cable through without any need to alter the tension springs.
