New Cart for LP12 Akito

id get it serviced (at Cymbiosis preferably) and get a new Adikt fitted, or Dyna 10X5.

Agree about getting the LP12 serviced/set up. I would go to Cymbiosis, but i live just down the road. 

Your power supply is...?  I dont think we can discuss that. Unless it is a Naim Armageddon. 

Whats the rest of your system...? Cartridges really need to be heard, rather than just recommended. Having said that, I have used the Dv 10x series for a long time...

Thanks peez! I forgot to mention that I live in Denmark which greatly limits my ability to seek up experienced dealers... 

Sigh....  Well, Cymbiosis is a bit far then..... As its right in the middle of the UK....!!

DIY setup of LP12's is not recommended, AFAIK. I really think you need to find a good dealer to do this for you. Or you may well waste your money, buying a new cart.

Thanks ianrobertm, My PS is not a Naim's Armageddon. Forum rules is such that its nature cannot be discussed but just assume its quite similar to the Geddon...

The rest of the system is not Naim anymore -but I plan to get a stageline or prefix to use with one of my spare hicaps once I have settled on a cartridge. 

How do you find the Dv 10x in comparison to other similar priced carts, say the Addikt, Ortofon's or?

I think another related question is how much cartridge I can put on the Akito arm. -At what point will a better cart be waisted unless I get a better arm? -Or is more a matter of getting a cart which compliance and weight work well on the Akito?...

cheers,

I cannot compare the DV10X to anything, really. As  I said, I have been using the 10X series since 1979, apart from when I used Linn carts - an Asak & an Asaka. I changed back to a 10X4Mk2, in 2001, because the Linn carts were too expensive. Simple. 

My original 10X (Ultimo...not DV)  was better than my AKG P7E. The Asak was better than the 10X2. The Asaka was similar to the Asak. The 10x4Mk2 was good enough, and a lot cheaper, than any Linn cart I was prepared to consider. Oh.. and I got a trade in for my 10X2....

I really dont think I can help you. Sorry.....

Thanks again ianrobertm!

There should be one or two guys in the Copenhagen area who are capable of proper LP12 setup. I will see whether I can locate them and whether they are still offering their services. Setup does indeed seem very critical and no more than a week or two ago I leveled the rack on which the LP12 resides -to great effect indeed!

I appreciate that carts should be heard in the context of one's own system -which is unfortunately difficult to do in lesser, barbarous countries like Denmark where we unfortunately do not share the same developed hifi culture as that of the GB :-( I completely agree with you but unfortunately probably have to do cartridge roulette :-/

Thanks!

i would still contact Peter at Cymbiosis as he does sometimes travel - or at the least seek out a good local dealer.... the Adikt and 10x5 are both very good 

It seems that there is lots more love for the Adikt than I thought.

Is it simple the best adapted MM for the LP12? What should I expect that it brings to the table then coming from the K18? Any ideas of how an Ortofon 2M would stack up in comparison? 

cheers,

Another vote for the Adikt here. I replaced my K18 with one a few years ago, and it was a nice step up. Sorry I can't offer you any advice about how it compares to the current competition, but I doubt you will be disappointed with one.

Adikt is most fun!

Much livelier and dynamic than K18 or high output Dynavector. ( this was on an ARO or Ittok )

If you love your current K18, Dyna might be ok but I was coming off from K9 and AT95 and after going through series of MM/MIs, Adikt turned out to be my everyday cartridge. I much prefer it over entry level low output moving coils, too. ( which tend to be polished but no fun )

I'm using Adikt on my LP12/Akito. It sounds great. I haven't heard anything else though ;-) I had my LP12 serviced at Hi-Fi Forum on Falconér Allé in Copenhagen. They did a really good job.

Although I am sure my present combination isn't the ultimate in many ways it walks all over things I have had in the past. SME, Shure v15 and then an Ittock and Asak and then Asaka the one thing none of these combinations could ever do is track well. Yes they sounded wonderful but tracking was crap! My present stuff shouldn't work that well together but it does and the one thing it does do is track to perfection AND it can track the Telark version of the 1812 overture everytime I put it on (twice tonight!). I use an LP12, earlyish Akito arm and a Denon 304 moving coil cartridge. Peter at Cymbiosis set it all up for me and I am as pleased as punch. I think the Akito arm (Japan built) is a very under rated arm, no its not as good as an Ekos or newer Akito but it walks all over the Rega (I speak from experience) and handles my cartridge effortlessly. What i am saying is that although the Linn Adikt may well be an ok cartridge if you do fancy something a little tastier then the arm may not be a problem, Peter at Cymbiosis will advise if you contact him. 

Linn Adikt MM is best!

Thanks for all the inputs and great advices!

Before I wasn't seriously considering the Adikt. But thanks to ya'll, now I am! 

Kuma, thanks for chiming in! I was actually hoping to get your perspective on this. Thanks for putting the Adikt into perspective relative to low cost MCs. So for sheer Fun and Boogie Factor, the Adikt is at the very top -if not the top. It may not be the last word in retrieving the very last  information and other booooring HIFI aspects, but for sheer fun -it excels :-)

I actually do like the k18. However, when I bought the LP12 used a few years back with included the k18, I found it a bit dull. Quite sweet, fairly refined and correct sounding -but not the most 'exciting'. After a while I changed the cable going from arm to RIAA with a design of my own and the sound was completely transformed. It seemed that the original cable held back the k18 -somewhat smoothing out its transient capabilities too much. I'm not sure I crave something much bouncier, but I do like the k18's immediacy and fastness on my deck and would of course not complain if I got evenmore of that + better boogie factor -but I would also like some more finesse.  

Wittshireman, thanks for giving me a heads up on the merits of a properly functioning Akito (Japan). That was a very worthwhile piece of information for me as it does indeed seem to be overseen when praise is shared. Mine does seem to work and sound very well -although I don't really have anything to compare it directly to. Is it your understanding that the Denon 304 is a particularly good (lucky) match with the Akito, or rather that a good Akito can hold its own and will work well with more 'refined' carts than the Adikt?

This is why I originally also mentioned the troika as a potential candidate for a rebuild. Would a proper rebuild of the troika translate Adikt money into much 'better' sound than what the Adikt and similarly priced MCs are capable of in each their respective way? Ultimately, I would love to gain some of that fun which the Adikt (and the Troika) are renown for and combine that with the refinement of good modern MC carts.

Wat, the best turntable I have heard was actually equipped with an Ortofon Kontrapunkt B on an Aro arm in a newly services LP12 run on a Naim Armageddon. There was a kind of synergy that just made you want to keep putting on record after record... 

Am I dreaming when thinking of spending Adikt money on an expert Stylus rebuild of the Troika?

I think you'll have more pleasure with an Adikt, DV 10x5, etc on the Akito. My understanding is that the Troika demands an Ittok as a minimum arm requirement.

Chris

Thank you Chris!

That is part of my worry too: That the Akito is too little of an arm for the Troika.

Personally, I have little experience with matching carts and arms but what I gather from others' experiences, it seems to be a matter of resonances where the weight and 'load' of the cart affects the mechanics of the arm (tube, bearings etc.). Since the Troika should only be 7g (less than the 7.9g of the k18), is it then more of a compliance issue with the cantilever suspension being too stiff for the mass of the Akito? Trioka is 10cu whereas the k18 is 12 cu. If so, I wonder whether Expert Stylus could take the Akito into consideration in a potential rebuild...

cheers, 

Hi Joakim,

I think you may be on the right lines though I don't have the technical know-how to back it up. I can report though that the guy who set up my first Linn in the late eighties had a Linn in his workshop fitted with an Ittok and AT95e which sounded blisteringly good through his bookshelf mounted Kans. Similarly, a Canadian friend who recently bought a used Linn with an Ekos also reports great results with an AT95e. 

So the real question is could you be happy with your original Akito and DV10x5, Adkit etc. ? or would a more upscale arm be better for you, opening up cartridge possibilities such as your Troika (if re-tipped) but maybe with an AT95e or similar in the first instance?

I think it's true to say that in Linn Lore, the cartridge is the least of it. The favoured order of upgrades is: deck, arm, cartridge.

Best,

C.

What about german dealers as an alternate? There is for example Speakers Corner in Kiel with great knowledge about LP 12 and Naim.

I use an Adikt with great pleasure.

I would stay clear of HO MC's and the Ortofon 2M - seem as they could have a loading mismatch with Naim phonostages

Adikt on Lejonklou phonostage are superb

I wouldn't go higher with old Akito, maybe just try to source replacement stylus to your K18 untill further notice

Setup is mandatory so don't do anything before this issue is solved

the LP12 is better on wallshelf or light rigid table

Placement on top of a heavy rack will hardly work IME

Total agree with Wat regarding Steve J's  Linn. Having been fortunate enough to listen at length. It is a sound that still lives with me and the reason I stick too the Linn upgrade path.

Regards Graham. 

Thanks again Chris!

I've lots of praise for the AT95e. You, Kuma and Cymbiosis (elsewhere) have brought it up as a solid low cost musical contender -which indeed makes lots of sense in my case since it would give me an idea of the state of my deck and my preferences in relation to a widely known size. A quickie on Ebay and I will be a lot wiser next week once I hold in my hand a brand new AT95e for only slightly north of 20 pounds!

If it gives me satisfaction, it is a very good point that I should start by directing funds toward a proper professional setup/tune up (new suspension parts and rubber belt are a very likely outcomes of this...) Then, I can consider a fancier arm or cart...

cheers,

I have absolutely no doubt that Steve J's deck is superior the one I've heard. 

cheers,

Joakim,

The AT95E is a great little cartridge for little or no money.  The problem with the AT95E is that it only really begins to perform minor miracles when it's mated to something like an Ittok or Ekos.  Such a combination asks many questions of running a more expensive cartridge in a cheaper arm.