Mine’s just back from its Goldring rebuild, and is sounding very nice with the Ryan Sound Lab MC boards in my NAC 32.5… still prefer my Mac Mini / Audirvana / Topping E30 font end, though: the LP12 / Troika was to just nicely book-end my CB / ‘Briks system (and as a present to my seventeen year-old self).
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No other way of saying this - Surely that deck should make your mac/dac sound musically strangled. What seems better about the digital source ?
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Hi @ratrat,
Not the Superline, although a friend uses one so I have some idea of its strengths. Next up is the EAT E-glo followed by the Allnic 5500,
M
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Just about everything: a subterranean noise floor, MUCH better bass articulation, speed and resolution (the LP12 still has that ‘hump’, even with a Cirkus), better detail retrieval, better separation of instruments / voices and absolutely no surface noise, pops clicks, tracking distortion or scratches to distract me from the music: the sound just emerges from an inky, black silence, something that my seventeen year-old self would never have thought possible.
I actually don’t notice the pops, clicks and surface noise of vinyl unless I consciously listen for it and I suspect that’s true for a lot of people who prefer vinyl replay. Instead I’m drawn into the music more due to the things that vinyl can do so well - immediacy, tunefulness, cohesiveness. More than that though I find that digital replay somehow requires more a more conscious effort to follow. Each to their own!
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It also depends on the quality of your vinyl and a number of other things. I found that moving to a modern MC cartridge (Linn Akiva) that it was much less sensitive to the snap crackle and pop issues. Probably the stylus profile has much to do with it. Also earthing arrangements seem to help w.r.t. static. Some vinyl was damaged though and therefore not possible to make a silk purse out of…
That said I also have lots of pleasure from digital replay be it CD or music streaming with the Auralic Altair G1.
There are some fantastic performances recorded that I have on vinyl and yes a real pleasure to listen to them even with the occasional pop.
Similarly for some of the great performances on CD
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Doing sterling work with the Troika.
I really like this phono stage. Great fun and reminds me strongly of my EAR stages. Well laid out controls that make adjusting it a joy, no manual required.
Good stuff.
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So I’m seriously considering scratching my Troika itch!
I have great memories of a friends LP12/Troika and Naim set up back at the end of the 80s and that experience is probably a good part of why got into them and still use both now.
In terms of buying a s/h Trokia for rebuilding is there any don’ts/steer clears to be aware of?
Does a Goldring rebuild Troika still stand up well in a more modern LP12 spec with say a Karousel and Kore/Keel sub chassis albeit still in an Ittok?
Same applies really in terms of amps, while I intend to stick with the prefix/hicap the Olive amps have in recent years been swapped for 272/XPSDR and 250DR (although I have been playing with a Nait 3 recently and I do wonder if I’ve gone in the right direction here…), does the Troika still sing with these more modern amps and their slightly different sound signature and lower noise more revealing nature?
If anyone has any experience to share with the above in mind it would be most appreciated before I dive in. Thanks in advance!
The EAT Petit was a pleasure, just started listening to the Project Tube DS2.
In the meantime I have bought myself a second hand Tron 7 GT phono stage …wow. This Phono Stage seems to somehow combine all the best parts of the phono stages I have been working my way through over the past year.
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Hi, I found your nice photo of Proac D2R on Solidsteel, is this an oak colour? Thanks a lot
Its a question to Fift-Fifty 
Hello. 
My take on this is a few months down the line. I love the Trioka in the Linn. It’s settled down and performing beautifully. Not at all bright. The Linn needed a bit more fettling from Andy at Winchester HiFi.
The ProAcs are immense! Yes they are on Solid Steel SS5s and Oak and I’ve now got a pair of REL T9i’s to just slip under their bass out put. They make perfect even more perfect. (?)
Hope this is helpful for you…
Good luck
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Hi
Thank You, your oak looks very bright, whitened and not yellow like on official photos, can you send me some more pictures please? SS5 is better than SS6 re tweeter hight? Thanks a lot
Adam
Let’s make it clear that the shot was only taken on my iPhone 8 in available light. The north facing single window of the room is surrounded by high green hedges so there’s obviously a cool colour balance with a certain green component. So I think it’s not wise to make colour judgements on shots from an iPhone. I’m a professional advertising photographer and I know about this stuff. I suggest you stand in front of any ProAc that’s finished in oak. They all use the same veneer and they are all beautifully made. Finally, yes the SS5 is the way to go.
Did you compare how they work on heavy Atacama heavy stands vs SS-05?
Sometimes good product design creates an item that is both a great listen and also aesthetically pleasing.
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It’s also a great name for the product. imho.
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Troika: a Russian sledge pulled by a team of three horses abreast.
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