Help with cartridge choice for Linn LP-12, Ittok turntable
I need some advice, gentlemen. I have owned and loved what is now a vintage Linn LP-12 with a late production Ittok tonearm (black!) fitted with the matching Troika cartridge I bought new in 1989. Properly sited on a wall shelf, it is the only component that has survived my audiophile journey, consistently performing and sounding beautiful without ever a hitch.
Until now.
As you would expect, the Troika has been retipped/rebuilt four times now, the first three by Linn, the last one just a couple years ago by Soundsmith, who installed a jeweled (ruby or sapphire, I forget) cantilever and a micro ridge stylus rather than the aluminum cantilever and Vital stylus Linn installed. The problem since that last retip/rebuild is now I get excessive woofer flutter where there has been little before. The subsonic filter on my Luxman L-590AxII usefully helps, but I realize that’s a bandaid and it’s time to rip that bandaid off.
I narrowed my cartridge choices down to three that fit my taste and budget: the Luxman LMC-5, Ortofon Cadenza Bronze, and, obviously, the Linn Krystal. Since there’s no Luxman dealer <300 miles away, that would be mail order and self-installed and at $2700 I would insist on that service, so that’s probably a no go. The Linn Krystal is an obvious choice, attractively priced and there’s a trade-in available for my Troika, but reviews have been scarce for a cartridge that’s been out for so long and the reviews I did see often mention that the sound can lean to forward and a bit bright, but more concerning is the cantilever failure frequently mentioned..
My first choice, and still is, is the Ortofon Cadenza Bronze highly reviewed as having a relaxed sound without sacrificing detail, and a propensity for rejecting surface noise. Ortofon maintains that it is a good match for my Ittok. Plus, the Ortofon dealer is also the guy who’s kept my LP-12 maintained and is local. My reservation concerning the Bronze is the Replicant stylus profile as being very severe, even more so than the Shibata profile, and would be extremely sensitive to VTA and stylus rake adjustment. I’m a set and forget kind of guy at my age and the Troika was fine with the Ittok arm tube dead-nuts parallel to the record surface with every LP I own from tissue-thin 85G Dynaflex RCA’s to the 200G patio stone audiophile releases sold today. FWIW my associated components are a Luxman L-590AxII integrated, an Ortofon ST-80SE SUT, Sonus Faber Maxima Amator speakers, and VPI HW-16.5 RCM.
Your thoughts and experiences would be greatly appreciated!
@daveyf Yes, I’m aware of how the Lyra suspension works. That’s a matter of getting the VTF right, but I set to within the suggested range and fine tune by ear. I track both my SL and Mono at 1.65 gr. I still contend setting up a Lyra is no more special than setting up other cartridges of the same caliber. They all need care doing so. VTF and loading always should be fine-tuned by ear. My Dynavector XV-1s is no more harder or easier for setup than my Lyra Atlas cartridges.. |
I am quite familiar with the Replicant which is on a Windfeld I hear a few times a Year, the Windfeld owner also is an advocate of the FGS, which is nearly the same form. I have heard Ortofon Cart's used as a A/B Demo, with the Replicant - FGS - FG 80 - Ogura Vital. The System and TT>Tonearm were identical for each demo'. All Vinyl LP's used were the very best Source Materials. There is absolutely no need to concern oneself about Surface Noise when the Source Material is very high quality. I have also been demo'd a Paratrace (shares very similar form as the Replicant and FGS ) on a few Cart's. One Cart' was a Ceramic Model from a very olden era, after a search the same Cart' minus Paratrace was purchased, as the impression made is indelible for the enjoyment that was experienced, not bad for £20 delivered. The very best Vinyl Experience I am having in all my years, is after following the directions for Manual Cleaning in Neil Antin's PAVCR Document, my Vinyl is no linger Clean, it is Purified, and Purified Vinyl is audible. The Cleansing in relation to the End Sound, it is like a Sixth Sense in the audible realm, there is something extra but not exactly describable for the positivity it creates. |
A few years ago, I had a chat with the folks at Audio Technica, I told them what I had used and was still not drawn in by the music in the way Linn LP12's can. They gave me this information and recommended the Art9 MC. Tonearm effective mass (Ittok is ~11–13g) Cartridge compliance (ART9 is ~16 x 10⁻⁶ cm/dyne dynamic compliance) Cartridge weight (ART9 is ~8.5g) Using the standard formula, the ART9 + Ittok combo typically lands around 9–10 Hz, which is perfect. I must say, they were so right, I had excellent results with Audio Technica ART9 but make sure your phono stage can handle the ART9’s low output (0.5 mV) and has appropriate gain and loading options (recommended load impedance is 100 ohms). I now use the built in one inside the EAR 912 Tube Pre-amp, which is amazing but I also had great results before the 912 up-grade, using the Project Phono Box RS & RS Power Supply. Other Cartridges I have used Lyra Delos Benz & Micro Glider both worked well but I felt neither had the chops over the Art9 even though both are more expensive. Benz was a little less detailed and softer than both Art9 and Delos. Delos was very transparent but I found it a little cold and analytical. The Art9 not as expensive as the Delos but has a wonderful balance between the two rivals I think its line contact stylus and Boron cantilever gets it to within a whisker of the Delos in micro detail retrieval but retains a sense of neutrality and balance that allows it to shine with more genres, however complex. I think it’s fantastic for the money and a genuine bargain. Make sure you spend time with proper set up with all 3 but particularly with the Art9 do that and it will be a delight with the Linn. |
I'm using a Grado AEON3 cartridge with very pleasant results on my LP12/Ekos table. Prior to the Grado, I had my Transfiguration Proteus D on the table which also sounded wonderful The only reason I changed to the Grado was out of curiosity only and it worked so well that I have been too lazy to change back. |
