Krystal Upgrade - Wow.

Congrats Dupree, it's a fantasic cart.

i thought the older kandid was much better. More PRAT, more cohesion

Robiwan posted:

i thought the older kandid was much better. More PRAT, more cohesion

But the Kandid is three times the price of the Krystal...

I upgraded my DVX20L to a DVXX2 a few months before the Krystal came out which was a shame as they are at a similar price point and as Im using LP12/Ittok it would have been nice to do a comparison. Next time when its time for DVXX2 to be replaced......

Richard Dane posted:

Robiwan posted:

i thought the older kandid was much better. More PRAT, more cohesion

But the Kandid is three times the price of the Krystal...

Yes, hardly a fair comparison. A bit like saying the 282 is much better than the 122. It should be!

Premmyboy posted:

I upgraded my DVX20L to a DVXX2 a few months before the Krystal came out which was a shame as they are at a similar price point and as Im using LP12/Ittok it would have been nice to do a comparison. Next time when its time for DVXX2 to be replaced......

Similar here. Although I 've had my XX2 just over two years. Keen to hear the Krystal. Hoping it shares some of the DNA of the Troika soundwise, a cartridge that I recall very fondly. My dealer doesn't stock it so will have to travel to hear. 

Good move Dupree  

The Linn Krystal is a cracking little cartridge that punches well above its price imho - have fun 

Richard Dane posted:

Robiwan posted:

i thought the older kandid was much better. More PRAT, more cohesion

But the Kandid is three times the price of the Krystal...

sorry i meant the one that is replaced by the Krystal, the former one, ik like better.

Marksnaim posted:

Premmyboy posted:

I upgraded my DVX20L to a DVXX2 a few months before the Krystal came out which was a shame as they are at a similar price point and as Im using LP12/Ittok it would have been nice to do a comparison. Next time when its time for DVXX2 to be replaced......

Similar here. Although I 've had my XX2 just over two years. Keen to hear the Krystal. Hoping it shares some of the DNA of the Troika soundwise, a cartridge that I recall very fondly. My dealer doesn't stock it so will have to travel to hear. 

I got the Krystal after a year with DV20XL.  No demo, but I'd travelled thousand miles with Ittok to get it done. Thanks to Peter who reserved the 2nd batch when it came out.

I think perhap Robiwan is referring to the Klyde.

My next upgreade is to a Krystal from DV20XL. Really can't wait!

The Krystal is unbelievable value for money and allows LP12 owners to reap all the benefits of the improvements of moving up the LP12 chassis / power source / arm hierarchy; in other words it does not sound out of its league on the Klimax spec TT.

Interesting thread... right now I have an (aging , but not yet dead) Akiva on an Ekos2 with Kore Subchassis.

Am wondering whether, when the Akiva reaches its end, to replace the Kore with Keel and the Akiva with Krystal or just replace the Akiva with a Kandid.

My dealer advises the latter.

AlanJ posted:

Interesting thread... right now I have an (aging , but not yet dead) Akiva on an Ekos2 with Kore Subchassis.

Am wondering whether, when the Akiva reaches its end, to replace the Kore with Keel and the Akiva with Krystal or just replace the Akiva with a Kandid.

My dealer advises the latter.

 

I suppose it depends what your intentions are with respect to long-term upgrades for your LP12. Conventional wisdom would say take the first option to extract the biggest improvement from the Kandid that you might ultimately buy; my point in the post above was that the Krystal is good enough to take you through to top spec - including Ekos SE.  Clearly the best approach is to decide for yourself with a demo, if that's an option for you.

Yep.. understand your points. My comments are taken from the context that retirement is not so far off and I have to decide if I want to replace a Kandid on what will ultimately be a more frequent basis (given more time to enjoy my system).

Ive heard lots of good things about the Krystal, and just wonder if Keel+Krystal would be better than Kore+Kandid in the context of my system... already have Radikal and Urika.

Improving things is less of a priority than ensuring I do nothing that sounds worse.

It's a tricky decision if you're not planning to upgrade further; if you're concerned about the replacement cost of the Kandid in your retirement years the best decisions IMO would be to maximise the benefit you're going to get from the Krystal - in other words invest your money in either a Keel or an Ekos SE. Received wisdom would say do the Keel first, but I don't know what the real difference in SQ would be if you kept the Kore and added an SE compared to your Ekos 2 with a Keel; again this is where a dealer who has the various LP12 configurations is useful.  

As a bit of a left field suggestion - on a maxed out LP12 the Krystal is great but not, to my ears, better than a low hours Akiva. There might still be some people trading in low hours Akivas for Kandids through your dealer.  That's what I did a few years ago (pre-Krystal) when I wanted to upgrade to Ekos SE and could not also afford the Kandid so I replaced my worn Akiva with a low hours trade-in.  That would give you a few years of great music for a fraction of the price of a Krystal.

AlanJ - I know that I would rather have a Keel/Krystal than a Kore/Kandid but your preferences may be completely different. 

You really do need to go to a dealer who can demonstrate the differences to enable you to make your own decision. 

Have fun   

AlanJ posted:

Interesting thread... right now I have an (aging , but not yet dead) Akiva on an Ekos2 with Kore Subchassis.

Am wondering whether, when the Akiva reaches its end, to replace the Kore with Keel and the Akiva with Krystal or just replace the Akiva with a Kandid.

My dealer advises the latter.

 

Hi Alan,

I thought the advice generally from The Skottish Company was to upgrade from inside out. i.e. - start with the bearing and the sub-chassis comes next. Those two items are the heart of the beast.

As ever; a good dealer should have the ability to light the appropriate fires.

Good luck.

John.

AlanJ posted:

Yep.. understand your points. My comments are taken from the context that retirement is not so far off and I have to decide if I want to replace a Kandid on what will ultimately be a more frequent basis (given more time to enjoy my system).

Ive heard lots of good things about the Krystal, and just wonder if Keel+Krystal would be better than Kore+Kandid in the context of my system... already have Radikal and Urika.

Improving things is less of a priority than ensuring I do nothing that sounds worse.

Certainly that crossed my mind when I ultimately ruled out going with the Kandid. You are in that dollar plus a record realm with the Kandid and if you have an opps with the cantalever you will not be quite as badly devestated on a Krystal than a candid. Ultimately for me I decided that was the top of the price range I was willing to pay for a cart and that having a consumable, fragile component with the price point of the Kandid was simply something I would be nervous about and didn't want having. If I had unlimited money I might have a totally different opinion. It is also helpful that the Krystal turns out to be so good; I am not sure that with my somewhat untrained ears that I could identify which was better without extreme effort. Very happy with the purchase and won't be purchasing a more expensive cart.

AlanJ posted:

Interesting thread... right now I have an (aging , but not yet dead) Akiva on an Ekos2 with Kore Subchassis.

Am wondering whether, when the Akiva reaches its end, to replace the Kore with Keel and the Akiva with Krystal or just replace the Akiva with a Kandid.

My dealer advises the latter.

 

Of course they do, it's 3 times more expensive. They are in business and a tough business at that.

So thanks for all the comments. I am, of course, familiar with the "Scottish Company's" view on the upgrade path and ultimately I will listen before making  my choice. Just interested in the opinion of other members of this forum  on this, given the diversity of views Ive had.

As for telling the difference between cartridges, i am reminded of the moment I first heard the Linn Troika (many moons ago) in comparison to the Empire MC3000 I was using at the time. It was like night and day and I realised, then, the difference the cartridge can make. For me, that was one of the most significant upgrades I ever made.

As i say, the priority is to maintain the LP12 so that it is at least as good as it is now (and it is very good). If i can do that by using Keel+Krystal it will, of course, be more cost effective in the long term.

Incidently, in reference to your point about the fragility of cartridges, my son, when very very young, took an early interest in my LP12 and snapped the cantilever off one of my Troika's.....

Fortunately I was able to to claim for a replacement on the house insurance....

I raised the LP12 on a wall mount after that... well out of his reach.

I have lost a Klyde that way as well as had to replace an Adikt. Neither one by my own hand, but I know I am not the most graceful person on earth. A Krystal I could encounter that as an unexpected expense; but not a Kandid. I am at the top of the rung of where I am ever going with carts which is just fine because the Krystal is splendid.

You are roughly at Akurate level so this makes sense to me.

C.