I have a couple of questions I was hoping some more experienced audiophiles could help me with.
I’m about to inherit my Dad’s Linn Sondek LP12 from the ‘70’s with Lingo 2 , Stageline and Moving Coil Cartridge.
I have a Nait 50 which I correctly use with a Rega Planar 2.
Are there any options for using My Nait 50 with has a MM phonostage with the LP12 with its MC cartridge?
Also this maybe a silly obvious question, but if I were to change the current MC cartridge with a MM cartridge, would the LP12 work with my Nait 50 as it has built in MM phonostage?
Using the Stageline which is a phono preamp you can plug the Linn into one of the line inputs of the Nait. That’s how I have my LP12 with moving coil cartridge. However the Nait won’t provide the necessary power for the Stageline so you need a power supply like the HiCap. Alternatively you could change to an MM cartridge and plug it into the phono input of the Nait.
Firstly welcome and there is no such thing as a stupid question as many people may be wanting the answer to the same question. I use an LP12 fitted with MM cartridge with my N50. You will no doubt get lots of advice, but firstly well worth getting the LP12 serviced. It would be nice to keep it original as possible as it is very personal to you.
In answer to your question you can use MC with N50 but you will need a phonostage/SUT.
Might be easier and cheaper to get a new MM cartridge and use internal MM stage which on N50 I can say is very good.
I’ve used the Audio Technica AT 630 SUT for some time and it’s ideal no power supply needed just plug it inline sorted.
On an LP 12 Ittok and Asaka MC into Mission Integrated.
One on the bay just now.
Very rare especially original and un modified.
I think a Dynavector DV-10X5 MkII would be the answer to your problems. It is a high-output moving coil cartridge so will work into the MM input of the Nait 50.
I should probably have mentioned that I had the 10x for several years on my LP12 and only changed it to get a higher-spec cartridge in the Dynavector range. I think for the money, it is a great cartridge.
I felt that my Planar 2 was a better match for the N50 (in terms of balance) than either my Valhalla/Ittok/VM95 or Lingo/Ekos/Adikt decks. Maybe they were both a poor cartridge match which hopefully you won’t have.
To be fair I’ve been pretty happy with my Planar 2 (with a VM95ML cartridge) paired with the Nait 50. Looking forward to hearing how the Linn compares after a service and cartridge upgrade.
Can anyone recommend any good establishments in London that could service an LP12?
If you’re West London and don’t mind a short trip up the M40, then Colin Macey at What You See and Hear in Beaconsfield is excellent. He’s been working on LP12s since the early 80s and sets up some of Linn’s decks for magazine review. You’ll need to leave it with him though so that the suspension can settle down afterwards, and be fine-tuned a day or two later, if necessary. They are also a Naim dealer.
I wouldn’t underestimate the capability of the Nait 50 - it thrives with high quality sources. I would recommend consulting the dealer who will service your LP12 about using the Stageline with a moving coil cartridge - do you know that the existing cartridge is worn out? A second hand power supply shouldn’t be very expensive. I have not used a Stageline but others here (or the dealer) will be able to advise on possibilities. Of course the Nait only has two line inputs so it may be you need them both for other sources, in which case fitting an MM cartridge to the LP12 makes sense.
You can see on the Naim website which power supplies can be used with the Stageline.
A bit further North is Peter Swain from Cymbiosis inn Leicester.
I’m in North Bucks and the journey is fairly simple. He used to service my LP12 whilst I was waiting, including getting the suspension spot on.
Carried it back home on back seat of car with adequate packing and no issues. Add counterweight on when got home and good to go, no re-tuning after a day or so needed.
Replacing the MC cartridge with a decent MM one is probably the more cost effective way to go.
Adding on an external MC stage, especially the Stageline is quite expensive as you cannot power the Stageline with the NAIT 50 and need at least a FC to get it working, and even after that, the Stageline is a very ordinary phono stage.
If your LP12 is 70s vintage with a MC you probabably either have a Grace or an Ittok tonearm.
You would be amazed by how brilliant some MM cartridges sound in an Ittok…even a trivial Basik cartridge has great boogie factor in an Ittok, yet is harsh, abrasive and almost unlistenable in an LV-X.
The best MM cartridge I had in an Ittok was a Supex SM100E that sounded every bit as good as the Asak I replaced it with…and in some ways maybe even better.
Keep the box count down, and just get a MM cartridge.
Hello 88paj , firstly as Dazza03 says , there is no such thing as a stupid question. There is such a thing as a stupid answer …
I have a Nait 50 and can tell you that the phono stage is very good , I have been downsizing my box count and as a result “retired” my Graham Slee phono stage which was very good .
The advice from Clive B is spot on to what I would have given, my other advice is to have your Dad’s LP12 serviced .
If Brighton isn’t too far, pop down to Audio-T and ask John Killick the branch manager to have a look at it. He is the only person I would trust my LP12 to for the last 30 years or so.