With no end in sight to the Covid lockdown where I live, I was thinking of upgrading (lateral move?) my turntable to a new Linn Sondek Akurate package with Karousel bearing/Akido tonearm/ Krystal MC/Lingo power supply. I have always desired a Sondek and with the years marching on it may be a good time to make the move. I would be upgrading (lateral move?) from a Clearaudio Performance DC with Clarify tonearm and Viruoso MM.
My questions arise from the fact that my local dealer is closed due to the lockdown and can only accept orders by telephone. So, here goes:
This may sound trifling, but important to me as my rack is in my living room: I cannot decide between the black ash and rosenut plinths. The rest of my rack comprises black Naim boxes and dark ebony Proac D20R’s. The black ash seems like the safer bet as none of the available wood stains are dark enough.
Does anybody have any feedback/opinion on the Linn Sondek Akurate package with Karousel and the Akido arm? Will it be a lateral move from my current Clearaudio Perfomance DC?
I am currently using a Rega Aria Mk3 and have been satisfied with it. Would the Aria be a good match with the Linn Krystal or would you think about trading in the Aria for a Linn Uphorik phono stage (which the dealer has recommended)?
Hey Stag, that’s big bucks you’re talking there. I won’t move from my LP12 Aro, but…
i recently heard a friends Well Tempered Versalex and a Dynavector cartridge. Wow, different but beguiling. If I were starting again I would consider a wider range if your are not 100% convinced of going LP12 without looking at the possibilities. Good luck
from my experience on the LP12 - I would look at the following in importance to the best muscial end game - Bearing, PSU, Sub Chassis, Arm and then cartridge - this is also what Linn believe the order to be, so I hope that helps
on phone stage I went Urika which my dealer had used, but needs a Radikal to power
On the plinth - I would look at some of the new Non Linn plinths - Simon Price certainly comes to mind, I am not sure where you are in the UK? I would make a phone call to @Cymbiosis ans speak to Peter who stocks them as well as others
Ouch- I have that finish and it works perfectly for me…I also has the Karousel fitted before Christmas and it’s was well worth the money. I also added the current current T-cable
The rosewood pretending to be something but looking rather good in the process! I also have the Khan top plate and the Radikal - also worth having…well, certainly the Radikal if you don’t like the Khan.
Really happy with the black ash deck I bought several months ago. Looks really sharp with black tonearm (Ekos 2). Might seem odd but the lids look better now too
The Uphoric is very good and will carry the tune very well. There’s also the Lejonklou Entity that was developed for the Linn Krystal using similar emphasis on tunefulness - it’s very neat and compact and works fine with Naim amps. However, if you like Naim amps then there’s a good chance you’ll prefer a Naim phono stage IMO…
That would indeed be a lovely turntable if money is of no real concern, testing against others is difficult these days.
I wouldn’t use Rega phonostage for a Linn Krystal, maybe dealer could provide a Uphorik loan for compare, if you don’t intent adding more Naim boxes.
When I was in the LP12 camp, a dealer nearby were necessary for me.
Finally got tired of that dependency, went to Rega and later Technics G.
@Murmur That is a beautiful turntable. I hope it sounds as good as it looks.
@PerF Unfortunately, money IS an object, but I wouldn’t mind squandering it if the performance improvement over the Clearaudio is significant (because the difference in price is certainly significant).
