Replacement for Troika?

Posted by: mark dunsford on 29 August 2003

The time has come, well nearly, to replace my Troika which has had its day.
I am looking for a sweet, smooth, snappy cartridge with good vocal presence and emotion. Reduced surface noise would be a bonus and it has to fit an Ittok (medium mass).
The Linn Arkiva looks good in reviews but is it a bit too analytical- too like a Arkiv 1 ?(very thin and clinical sounding to my ears).

The Dynavector series (the XV) seems to have good reviews but have been slated as dull replacements for the Troika on previous forum.

Clearaudio cartridges seem to have what I am looking for, particularly a strong emotive mid range, on the sweet side of neutral but not many reviews around for the Troika to Archiva range of prices.

Final cartridges were the Transcriptor series which seem very rare in review but a rather expensive one got an excellent review in HiFi plus last month.

The Ittok is on the end of a LP12 (Mana'd and Vall'd, open base), Silver hybrid arm cable, Lingo1, Linto, Kairn, 135s, Nac5, Isobariks mana'd+SB)

Suggestions for a replacement cartridge gratefully received!

Posted on: 30 August 2003 by Tarquin Maynard - Portly

Mark

This seems to be a copy of another posting....dicussed within the last month

Regards

Mike

On the Yellow Brick Road and happy

Posted on: 30 August 2003 by mark dunsford

Hmm, yes I posted it in the Pink Fish forum with only little response, so I thought the Naim forum might yield a larger audience/view.
Hope you don't mind, Mike.

But perhaps everyone has moved over to CD as their primary source...

Posted on: 30 August 2003 by Tarquin Maynard - Portly

Blimey how daft do I feel

Blurring PFM with this. But at least I remember some things.....

My apologies.

My answer remains the same, BTW

Regards

Mike

On the Yellow Brick Road and happy

Posted on: 31 August 2003 by John G.

I'd get a Linn Klyde or have your Troika rebuilt or both and have a spare to rotate. They're very similar in performance.

Posted on: 31 August 2003 by kan man

Mark

You're probably not getting many responses because most people are faced with a similar dilemma when it comes to replacing cartridges. I can tell you that I chose a DV17D2 in preference to a Troika. I liked both and can fully understand why others would choose the Troika (it's bigger and lusher sounding). I wouldn't descrive the DV as boring, it rocks in a way that the Troika doesn't and this suits a bigger proportion of my listening which is why I went for it. The trouble is, this tells you very little since there are important differences in our systems, rooms and musical tastes.

From a brief listen I think that the DV XX2 combines some of the strengths of both cartridges but I wasn't willing to spend this sort of money until maxing out elsewhere.

The best advice I can give you is that a dealer who knows you well is probably best placed to steer you in the right direction. This worked in my case.

Fwiw I would also consider a cheaper cartridge and ARO/Ekos.

Regards
Steve

Posted on: 31 August 2003 by Toksik

Hello Mark,ok on your dilemma of cartridge replacement....i recently changed from Dynavector dv20 to the Dv17d mk2. i chose the 17d mainly 'cos of the trade-in costs involved (the Klyde was 500 as against 375 trade-in!).
my old Ittok 3 was destroyed in transit a couple of months ago and i now have the Ekos/T-cable and Cirkus on board.the deck is practically new with all the new bits and the Dv17d is sounding great.
i had the chance to have the Akiva here and it's a brilliant cartridge but the cost!.
have a listen to a 17d if you get the chance.
dennis

Posted on: 31 August 2003 by David Sutton

EXPERT STYLUS

Mark Expert stylus refurbished my Troika and it came back at least as good as new. Suggest you give them a call as its a low(er) cost (sound)high quality solution.

Posted on: 01 September 2003 by Simon Matthews

I would direct funds at either an aro or ekos, both will significantly out perform your ittok. Spending over £500 on a cartridge whilst keeping the ittok would be a false economy IMO.

If upgrading the arm keeps your cartridge budget low then I would recommend the Expert Stylus rebuild as a good idea. The result is normally pretty good value and if you don't like the result you can always move it on with no losses. As regards to the competition I have used a d17II and enjoyed it although it is much more forward in presentation in comparison to the troika. I have also used the clearaudio Victory H and found that to be thin sounding in my system. The clearaudios are big cartridges and present difficulties in terms of vertical arm height adjustement etc.

Aro/re tipped troika would be my recommendation.

Posted on: 01 September 2003 by JRHardee

I just replaced a clapped out Karma with a Lyra Lydian Beta. It was a substantial upgrade, and ought to be a big step up from the Troika as well. It's worth a listen if you can find one.
Having said that, I second the advice about arms. The Ekos is a big step up from the Ittok.A rebuilt Troika on an Ekos would probably sound better than a Lydian on an Ittok.

Posted on: 03 September 2003 by mark dunsford

Thanks for all the suggestions.
I have had both the Aro and the Ekos in my system and went back to the Ittok (now III) which I found more enjoyable at the time. However this was a long, long time ago when the Aro was first released so I may re-audition them. (Although I didn't get on with the shaky unipivot Aro and found the Ekos hard sounding and over damped(?)).

However I do need a replacement for my very worn cartridge!

.

Disappointed no-one has tried some the more esoteric cartridges in the classic LP12- Naim system e.g. Grasshoppers, Frogs, XVs, Clearaudios, Transcriptors. The XX in the Aro has been reported as dull sounding by other posters(?)

Can anyone tell me how the Troika compares in sound presentation to the new Arkiva (I would hope it excels it in pure hifi quality at that price!)
Cheers.

Posted on: 03 September 2003 by ejl

I can't answer your last question, but FWIW I replaced a Troika with a Klyde (on an Ekosed LP12). I've never been that thrilled with the Klyde; it's not that it's bad but it's always seemed a little sterile to me. At the price ($1K in the U.S.), you can probably do better.

Eric

Posted on: 03 September 2003 by Paul B

Mark:

I owned a Troika many years ago and have just recently moved to the Akiva. IMO, if you like the qualities of the Troika, you will like the Akiva even more. It is certainly not cold or clinical and perhaps closer to the presentation of the Troika than were the Arkiv cartridges.

However, I am not sure of using an Ittok with the Akiva. Perhaps you should try an Ekos again. In the meantime, a retip of the Troika might suffice but it may be quite a wait.

Paul

Posted on: 04 September 2003 by Simon Matthews

ejl

I agree, after having used asakas, karmas, and a troika I found the klyde to be a big let down. Also having used an arkiv1 I would take a troika over it without hesitation.