Help me, I'm LP12-less!

Andy,

Your post made me realise how precarious life is becoming for those of us without a back-up plan for cartridge failure.

Has anyone tried a Rega Exact (275GBP) in an LP12?.

If I didn't have an XX-2 I'd be so tempted to try it. The excitement and enjoyement of music in a humble tt like P2 I haven't heard in another cartridge. Of course, many will think this is "all wrong" but it just might be "all right"!

When my ARO arrives I may buy a spare arm tube and put one in to try it! Would be a great back-up to have, even if you get an XX-2 later.
I believe Rega also have a trade-in discount for your old cartridge when it wears out.

Dreaming and reckless,

Jeremy

Sorry, didn't spot you have a K Prefix. A good quality c.10k series resistor should do the job should it not? May actually sound better than the MM Prefix.

Not sure you can get a fully rebuilt cartridge for that, certainly not via Linn without one to exchange.

I'm aware the Linn rebuild is another cartridge (turnaround is same day at present, there's obviously some on the shelf!), but it's a complete rebuild, promising 'as original or better' performance - I'd be happy with that.

As for the ARO, I've not compared side by side with Ekos, neither am I likely to be able to, but I've heard enough ARO-based LP12's now (using similar level of cartridge) to know it makes mine sound rough.

Also, if the hype is to be believed (and I know of no supporting evidence) the ARO can extend cartridge life by several times, owing primarily to much reduced forces acting on the stylus (no stiction). For a cheapskate like me, the long term running costs appeal

The ease of arm tube removal, for cartridge change / comparison gives it great appeal to me. That said, if an Ekos arrived at the right price though my allegiance would change without a second thought.

As for TW / Bias IIRC I've always set the Klyde around 1.7 grams, TW in the same region, with minor adjustment by ear.

Jeremy, there is no MM prefix, and having gone MC I'm unlikely to go back (although I never wanted to be here anyway, I only upgraded to Klyde 'cos Linn pulled support for the K18 I used!).

If I were sensible I'd have saved money specifically for this time, but I'm not, I didn't, and now want a cheap(ish) option out

Andy.

Andy,

My Ekos will become available soon (next few days/week), and should be a reasonable price. Email me privately if you're interested.

Jeremy

Have you considered the 'humble' Karma? IMHO in many ways I preferred it to the Troika, heresy I know....

FWIW I owned 2 of each.

Bob

Andy,
If you have access to a microscope and a very small pair of instrument pliars you can pul the cantilever in. The Linn rebuild at £300 is a con given that it doesn't cost them that much per new piece from their supplier . the Klyde has a full balance with a prominent bass, an Dynatvector 17d2 is brighter and leaner and the Lyra Lydian is more dynamic overall. If you like the Klyde get another one or get it fixed, or else get an Arkiv 2. People swear by Troikas and the like but frankly they are way to noisy in my view.
regards
Dev

No vinyl, you poor chap.

I've got Garyi's 'knackered' DV17D2 strapped to my Ittok - might be worth a listen - I think I prefer it to the rebuilt Troika: not entirely convinced by these ES rebuilds, I'm sure my old 'real' Troika was a lot better. The Linn rebuild sounds expensive though. There is the DV20X but I wasn't that keen on the one I had.

Alex

I'd get the Klyde rebuilt by Linn. The Linn rebuilds are like getting a brand new cartridge. The only parts from the old cartridge that aren't replaced are the body and magnet.

Take very good care of it and after ~3,000 hours when the diamond wears out have it rebuilt by Expert Stylus. If you've taken good care of it all that should need to be replaced is the diamond.

With the Linn rebuild you will at least know that you're starting with the real deal and the turnaround as you say is very quick.

Troikas too noisy? Not mine.

Dev,

The Linn rebuild may look expensive, but the same argument applies for all new products too. It's still significantly less than a new Klyde. Relative to an Expert Stylus retip, at more than 50% of the rebuild cost it's not bad value. All the other cartridges you mention are just too expensive, unfortunately.

Alex,

Having heard a marvellous 17D2 recently (in an ARO) it's tempting, but I couldn't be ar**d with the Aggro of getting the Prefix modded from a K type , only to find I don't like the result.

Vinyl is a real pain these days, the sound is appealing, but you're at the mercy of dealers or others opinions, since comparative dems are a thing of the past. I'm pretty certain my dealer would give me two options if I asked the same question of him - Klyde or Arkiv.

Just gotta prise my wallet open - god this hurts

A.

Andrew,

If you are unsure about the bias on the arm affecting the cartridge, you should make sure you are doing this through a knowledgable Linn dealer who will insist on installing it themselves.

Andrew

Andrew Randle
Currently in the "Linn Binn"

The LP12 is due for a service, so I planned to get the dealer to fit it, whilst giving it the once over. That way I'm not responsible for breaking the new one if I sneeze at the wrong moment

I'm not convinced most dealers would be able to tell if there was anything wrong with the bias setting though.

Mr Hodgson at Expert says he sees large numbers of carts with this problem, it's been mentioned on the forum before. I am surprised though that the modest amount of adjustment available gives rise to this problem.

Does make one wonder more about arm bearings and stiction, making an ARO ever more appealing.

Andy.

Andy,

saw a s/h Klyde was available at Jeffries, I think for 150 pounds (www.jeffries.co.uk). Also a rebuilt Karma for 350 pounds IIRC.

I find it very unlikely that bias could cause this problem. Have you checked the Ittok's bearings? The procedure is simple. Balance the arm (the cartridge has to be in there - or at least a weight of some sort at the headshell). With the arm near the armrest position, tap it lightly at the headshell toward the spindle. Lightly! It should move slowly and surely to the centre without stopping abruptly. If it stops suddenly while on its way, the bearing's had it. If it slows down continuously, even with a firmer tap, then the bearing needs a service at the least, and may be on its way out.

Bias is a very low application of force. The cantilever should be capable of handling it easily. OTOH, the stiction caused by worn bearings can cause significant force to be applied to the cartridge. Now in my experience, this causes the cartridge to mistrack - it shouldn't bend an aluminium pipe. That said, Mr Hodgson knows his stuff...

Regards,
Frank.
All opinions are my own and do not reflect the opinion of any organisations I work for, except where this is stated explicitly.

Andy,

When I ran a Klyde, both in a loaded LP12 and, later, in a P9, I distinctly preferred the S boards to the K. The S boards sounded right; the K's sounded harsh and bright.

I understand your Prefix is a K version, but if you get another Kylde or have it rebuilt you might want to explore if an S Prefix is a better match.

Joe

JC said:

quote:

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Why don't you have your klyde rebuilt by Experts? do you expect better work by Linn?

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From what I've read, Linn completely replace the motor mechanism whereas ES only retip. As Andy's Klyde is 5 years old, then a new motor may be a good idea.

Andrew

Andrew Randle
Currently in the "Linn Binn"

I'm aware of the details of the work ES can carry out. I've had a number of detailed chats with ESCo and have no doubt about their abilities or knowledge.

I just have nagging doubts, being confirmed elsewhere that the retipped cartridge will no be the equal of the original Kylde and therefore would rather spend the cash and get what I originally had.

Frank,

Thanks for the info - I've certainly checked bearings on my Ittok in the past, but had another check last night and can confirm there's no problems AFAICT. Both axes are free and frictionless.

I found an inspection loupe last night though and had a closer look, it would appear that the cantilever is actually bent rather than biased, so it looks as if a case of heavy handling (v,. unlikely), or a surreptitious dusting attack have got it - ho hum.

Here's a pic...

that one's definitely had it's nose broken, and reset badly!

Rico - SM/Mullet Audio

Glad to see your Lingo survived the operation!

Joe,

Interesting re: K/S boards - perceived wisdom is K types for Linn carts, and this is what my dealer recommended and it sounds marvellous (when the stylus is straight!).

Anyone else using S boards with a Klyde?

A.

Andy,

quote:

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Interesting re: K/S boards - perceived wisdom is K types for Linn carts, and this is what my dealer recommended and it sounds marvellous (when the stylus is straight!).

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I suppose there is no right or wrong answer on phono boards. Use whichever one sounds better to you. With my Klyde in my system I preferred the S boards.

Incidentally, this is what Julian had to say on the subject:

quote:

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The S & K are the same circuit but with different input RC networks (filters), we opened up the bandwidth on the K boards with the arrival of the Karma, which has (along with the Troika) very low out of (audio) band output. So it follows that other excellently designed cartridges would probably sound best using K boards. The input filter on the S boards rolls off the HF hash that comes from less well engineered cartridges.

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Joe