Advice sought re. MC phono stage for Linn Krystal

I have had the Trichord Dino with the Never connected psu for a couple of years now and can recommend it highly it has seen me through many cartridges ranging from a Denon DL110 up to my present Dynavector 20x2L none in Krystal price bracket but a well varied selection. 

Your budget of €1500 would get you a second hand Superline which you could power off your NAC 202 powered input.

Willy.

Willy posted:

Your budget of €1500 would get you a second hand Superline which you could power off your NAC 202 powered input.

Willy.

Which would be good, but lead to upgrade itch, Hicap DR, Supercap DR. 

Marksnaim posted:

Willy posted:

Your budget of €1500 would get you a second hand Superline which you could power off your NAC 202 powered input.

Willy.

Which would be good, but lead to upgrade itch, Hicap DR, Supercap DR. 

but still... this is what i would do, were i to choose something without a demo -- simply because there's such a strong track record of folks successfully using the Superline with Linn carts. synergy between cartridge and phono stage is key.

I run a Krystal into a Prefix powered by the pre-amp (Nac-52). Sounds lovely to these ears. I've a middling LP12 by current LP12 standards (Ekos, Lingo 1, Kore, Cirkus), may be a Radikal next but in no hurry to ditch the Prefix.

Just a thought...

Yes, a Prefix has to be the obvious choice (if you can find one!). You could even get a HiCap within your budget. 

A Prefix is what I used with my LP12, before upgrading to a Radikal/Urika 1. Used and powered a Supernait, it was excellent and very discreet. I bought mine through the excellent team at Cymbiosis and this one has just been serviced. Looks like a good value buy!

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Thank you all for the suggestions so far. To be clear, I'm looking for an external phono stage.

Thanks.

I really liked the original Michell ISO - at the time it was a revelation, being reasonably resolving compared to what was around at the time, yet also good fun too. I then "upgraded" to the ISO HR and Hera - much more resolving, yet much less fun. Since then I have tried the Dino - I preferred the original ISO - and also the Tom Evans Groove which was like the ISO HR on steroids, yet no more fun, and just too cerebral for me.

So, if a Prefix is out of the running - it's a great phono stage, very engaging if a bit dark and not the most resolving - then if I were in your shoes I'd be looking for A secondhand Superline.  It will sound great straight off your NAC202, and even better with a separate dedicated PSU.  So there's scope for upgrades in the future and it could just be all the phono stage you'll ever need.

Why not a Naim Stageline K powered by a Hicap or, as many have said a Superline? I'm using a Krystal/Aro/Armageddon on and average spec LP12 and the Superline has allowed me to access the true performance of the Krystal. My turntable is now competing with my CD555 and I've not even optimised the loading yet! With a 576R loading it may even push it beyond!

There were a few Superline's available on that we'll know auction site recently, so your budget may be achievable?

Trichord Dino with LP12/Ekos/Krystal into 552/300 

Dip 1 and 2
Capacitance 1nF (1000picoF). S1 on

Dip 3 and 4.
Resistance 53ohm. S2 on
Gain +64dB S3 on

Slightly different to recommended loading but works better for me. 

(TriedSuperline/HiCap but no obvious improvement to me)

Rega Aria or even better a Naim SuperLine - it is a spectacular phonostage.

I upgraded from 15 years of an AHT-Non-Signature phono stage, which was the Dan Fanny antecedent of the Lloyd Walker phono stage, to a second hand Superline.  It was a major upgrade.   It may be your last phono stage.  The power supply is always there for an upgrade option.  

In a world of obscure audio variables, it is nice to have a constant, particularly in the context of a Naim or Linn system.

As you are using an Akurate level LP12 I would be more inclined to focus on power supply then sub-chassis  

I still think for the money a Trichord Dino is hard to beat.   The cost of Hicaped or Supercaped Superline which is what you would end up with, in my view is an extremely overpriced piece of kit. 

Chris Dolan posted:

As you are using an Akurate level LP12 I would be more inclined to focus on power supply then sub-chassis  

Thanks, but moving to Radikal and Keel would be a huge outlay and I'd then still have a sub-par phono stage ... (source first is a fine principle, but IMO it needs to be seen within the context of system balance - not so great to have a super source if the output is (significantly) limited further down the replay chain).

All - many thanks for the inputs, much appreciated.

I heard an Aria on a friend’s Akurate with Krystal and it sounded superb, admittedly in a 552/500 system.

My LP12 approximates to Akurate standard, with a Kore, Ittok, Dynavector XX-2, Armageddon. I’m using a Stageline into a 252, Supercap DR, 300 DR and it already sounds better than the NDS in many respects.

My next upgrade will probably be a Lingo 4, but I am also drawn to the Aria if it’s significantly better than the Stageline as it’s so much cheaper than the Superline and Uphorik.

Keith