Seriously, though, my insurance company has agreed to provide me with a new LP12 to my original spec., plus new phono stage and headphone amp (long story, bit of a plus this one) - total around £4000 to spend.
Wanted to hear a P9, sadly, no-one nearby has one so I may end up going back to an LP12 in the absence of alternatives.
Anyway, assuming that I want to spend no more than around £500 to £750 of this amount on a cartridge, what should I get. I'm not going to be able to hear cartridges dem'd. I'm going to be getting a new Aro, hopefully an Armageddon, Rosewood LP12, maybe a Lehmann Black Cube (unless someone can recommend a better phono stage for around the £400 mark).
Any thoughts?
John
Posted on: 19 July 2001 by John G.
I'd go for an ES rebuilt Troika. Give them a call, they sometimes have some ready for sale.
Email me if you want a source for Troika's for $100 sans cantilevers that can be rebuilt by ES or Linn.
If you want brand new, a Klyde is very similar to Troika. I tried a Dynavector XX-1L a year and a half ago and was not at all happy with it. 
Good Luck,
John
Posted on: 20 July 2001 by Rockingdoc
I use an Ortofon Rohmann. Like it a lot. Should be available mail order for GBP650
Posted on: 20 July 2001 by Rob Doorack
quote:
maybe a Lehmann Black Cube (unless someone can recommend a better phono stage for around the £400 mark)
Naim Stageline. Unless the Black Cube has improved a lot in its latest version, it would be a bad match for a Naim system. It does spatial things quite well but has a definite PRAT deficiency. You'd be putting a pacing filter on the front end of your hi fi.
Posted on: 20 July 2001 by John G.
I'd check out Creek for the low-end of the budget.
For more money, Prefix, Stageline, Linto, Exposure 13.
Posted on: 20 July 2001 by Top Cat
...I may not be heading back down the LP12 path after all - I've arranged a demo of a P9 (with a view to buying the purportedly much-improved P9 due any time now) against a Clearaudio linear tracking model.
The reasons for this about turn are complex and in some ways outwith my control (call it insurance company politics)...
More later...
Cryptic John
Posted on: 20 July 2001 by Evan D. Jay
I use The Groove and it is as close as you are going to get to a prefix powered by a supercap.
Posted on: 21 July 2001 by John G.
"Go and see Robert Ritchie.
He stocks Linn, Naim 'and' Rega but best of all he is not a 'male cow dropping' merchant." Mr. Pig
Do they offer demos of the 3 and in what configuration. Does the store have a preference?
I'd like to someday hear these three in a Mana system.
LP12/pre-cirkus/lingo/ekos/troika vs
LP12/pre-cirkus/armageddon/aro/troika vs
Rega 9/troika
Posted on: 21 July 2001 by Top Cat
...but he doesn't stock Rega TTs anymore. He personally prefers the LP12, and was very much in favour of the LP12 when I spoke to him, but it doesn't help me much... I want to hear BOTH!
John
