The comparative cartridge dem -- a thing of the past

Posted by: Joe Petrik on 04 February 2001

Most of you who have run good tables over the years have noted an all-too-common problem. You can't get a decent comparative dem of cartridges any more.

It certainly isn't the mid-to-late '80s, a time when the better flat earth dealers used to have several (!) LP12s on the floor to give customers a comparative dem of various arm, cartridge and power supply options. Yup, those days are as extinct as the dodo.

And it's easy to understand why. From a business perspective, it makes little sense to stock several (fragile) multi-thousand dollar cartridges just for the occasional sale to an analogue nutter. But all the same, it is frustrating that you can't compare the Linn Archiv B to the Dynavector Te Kaitora to the Lyra Parnassus -- all on the same table, through the same gear, in the same room.

I didn't do that, but I had a chance to try a DV Te Kaitora in my system this weekend. As part of the 12-step Audiophool Anonymous program I've been asked to not list my system in every post but I'll be forgiven here. I have a Rega p9 with RB900 arm, 102, napsc, Hi-Cap, 250, and Royd Sorcerers. Usually, a rebuilt Linn Karma sits on the p9... but not his weekend.

I'll get the nerdy stuff out of the way first. The p9, like all Rega decks, doesn't allow you to easily adjust the VTA. Rega sells spacers you can put under the arm, but they don't allow for fine adjustment or easy A/B comparisons. Fortunately, the Te Kaitora doesn't seem to really need them. With needle in groove, the arm seemed parallel with the record but I understand that adjusting by ear is the only way to ensure the VTA is right. If you're a real nutter, you might want to fiddle.

Unlike the XX-1L (the other DV cartridge p9 users seem to like), the Te Kaitora is fairly light at 8.8 grams. You can get by with the stock counterweight Rega supplies. Again, it's not a big deal but it is nice to try a cartridge without having to hang a brick off the back to balance it.

I'm not certain which phono boards are best with the TK since I only had my K-boards on hand. For what it's worth, if the S-boards make the TK any better, that cartridge is truly a coup de grace for analogue replay. It's one of those products where it's hard to imagine extracting more music from them thar grooves.

And that it did. It's hard to describe the TK because when something is done right, it seems silly to describe it. But much the rug in the dude's apartment (reference to The Big Lebowski, a Coen Bros. film), it just held the music together. That's the word I'm looking for: coherence. The separate instrumental lines work together to create a whole greater than the sum of its parts.

And da riddim, mon. Yup, it has that, too. I half expected the TK would smack me over the head with groove but after listening to several records, it seems that its portrayal of rhythm is just like what you get from real musicians. Sometimes it's fast, sometimes it's slow, sometimes it's in between. The Karma, by contrast, seems more "beat-like" -- it certainly gets your toes tapping, but it doesn't seem to fully understand that toes can tap at different speeds.

The TK is the most sophisticated and detailed cartridge I've heard. Cymbals have a nice bite but without the nasty edge. Kick drums have wallop but without the false bass "thump" many systems produce. And hidden instruments appear from what was once haze. My only reservation is that on the p9, in my system, the tonal balance is a bit too forward. I assume that the S-boards would fix that but I didn't have a pair on hand to try.

The only other high-end cartridge I've spent quality time with is the Troika, and I'd put the TK clearly above that. So if vinyl is your thing and you have the bucks (the TK retails for $2,450 US), put this sucker on your short list.

Joe

[This message was edited by Joe Petrik on SUNDAY 04 February 2001 at 23:21.]

Posted on: 11 February 2001 by Bob Edwards
Hey--

Cartridges appear to be right up there with speakers as far as being a personal choice. They are similarly extremely dependent on associated equipment. As in--Linn was right to say a K18 in an Ekos was better than a Karma in an Ittok; and no one is going to run NBLs or DBLs with 92/90, right ?

The fact that both cartridges and speakers are both electro-mechanical transducers contributes, I think, to the variability of opinion. I generally agree with CK about the Dynas--they just don't do it for me, and I would take a Troika over any of the Dynas I have heard. OTOH, I hear what people like about them--they're just not for me. The Helikon is Chris K's system was absolutely spectacular--one of the very few times I have heard something clearly and obviously better than a Troika (others include the Clearaudio Insider, the Arkiv B, and the original Parnassus).

I also think someones choice of transducers highlights what they are looking for--Chris K and I both are after the highest level of tune possible--and the Dynas, while good, are not the last word in this area. Similarly, SBLs, at their price point, are the last word in tune that I have heard, but they don't do other things that people find important. Interesting that people with SBLs usually stop hunting for speakers, unless they move to NBL/DBL.

Bottom line I suppose is to find what cartridge works best for your own priorities.

Cheers,

Bob Edwards

Ride the Light !P

Posted on: 11 February 2001 by mark dunsford
Isn't the new Archiv (2) supposed to be like the old Troikas. I heard the Archiv 1 when it first came out in a Linn dem against the Troika and the Archiv then sounded thin (Nat king Cole sounded like Jimmy Summerville) but detailed against the Troika. I kept my Troika.
BTW Practical Hifi (UK) I think it is, reviews the Archiv 2, this month.
Posted on: 11 February 2001 by Paul B
The Arkiv II (or B for boron cantilever) has the better qualities of both the Troika and Arkiv I. The Troika was very good for its day (but did mistrack occasionally), the Arkiv I was faster with a more defined bass but not as warm-sounding as the Troika. I felt it was a sideways step for Linn, better in some ways than the Troika, not as good in others. The Arkiv II is better all round sound-wise and tracks exceptionally well. I must add that I have used both Arkivs with a Linto as well.

Ken:

Sorry Ken, I have never found a dealer who does these kind of demos. I find few dealers (even Linn) with a turntable, let alone two for comparisons. Perhaps Frank would be able to help.

Paul