Conference hips::uk_audioo

    The Linn Sondek has been around for about ten years. Although no
    toy in its early days, it has developed into a highly specified
    and reliable performer. Early LP12's (as the Sondek is also known)
    were prone to suspension drift and therefore variable performance;
    whilst it still needs the skill of a Linn-trained engineer to get
    the best from it, the good news is that it only requires a reset
    about once per year. A continuous programme of retro-fittable upgrades
    has ensured that even the earliest models can be brought up to spec,
    and the LP12 can hold its head up among the "latest'n'greatest".
    
    Construction is deceptively simple; while there are few
    gadgets'n'gizmos to attract the fashion-concious buyer, the precision
    engineering employed in the LP12 gives it consistent sound and
    reliability. It uses a two-part cast platter, driven by a synchronous
    motor through a rubber belt; the motor is driven by an ac supply
    derived from a mains synthesiser, to eliminate variations in sound
    due to poor ac mains. The suspension is three-point, and the various
    parts of the baseplate and suspension are assembled using high tensile
    steel allen bolts; the main bearing, crucial to the excellent detail
    resolution of the LP12, is machined to such a degree that it is
    rumoured that if you were to examine it through a microscope, all
    you'd see is a large eyeball, staring back at you....
    
    The sound of the LP12 is lively and detailed, with an inviting tonal
    balance; its sound is dominated by an overtly musical nature and
    tunefulness, a real sense of musicians playing in time and in
    tune, the nett effect being to concentrate the listener's attention on
    the pure pleasure of listening to music. Critics point to a slightly
    overfull upper bass and slightly vague imaging in some systems,
    but this shouldn't be a problem in most systems where an LP12 is
    used. This points to the need to find a good dealer who can demonstrate
    this fine machine in the right context.
    
    The Linn Sondek costs around 470 pounds; on top of that you have
    pay for an arm and a cartridge, which makes it an expensive music
    source. Not only that, it is single speed (33rpm only) with an adaptor
    available for occasional 45 rpm use. In these days of compact disc
    there are many who could argue that this expense isn't justified,
    but that's perhaps an argument for another topic, if someone wants to 
    take it up. But I've used an LP12 for over two years, and I've heard
    no other source that would persuade me to change, at any price. 
    
    Not that I'm recommending the LP12 per se, but if you're in the
    market for a turntable at this price point, you owe it to yourself
    to audition one.
    
    Dave

    I know its a strange thing to play records on, but it is important,
    and it is connected to turntables.
    
    My introduction to shelves for turntables came when I was a poor
    sutdent in the frozen north (Nottingham), you know, ice on the inside
    of the window and all that.  At that time I was the owner of a Trio
    Kd33B, in fact I've still got it in the loft.  I was getting fed
    up of the needle bouncing around on the record every time I walked
    across the extra-springy floorboards, so one day I picked up a piece
    of contiboard (teak, not that it matters) for 75p and a couple of
    large brackets and fitted same to the wall.  I knew that you were
    supposed to isolate a Rega by putting it on a shelf, but I thought
    that the Trio, which has a sprung plinth, wouldn't really need it.
    I couldn't have been much more wrong.
    
    The next turntable was a Royce Spectrum, which looks more than a
    little like a black Linn, but isn't nearly as good went on the same
    shelf immediately.  The supension is more like a Linn's as well,
    certainly much better than that of the Trio.  So when I moved to
    a new flat I thought, the floor isn't as springy, I don't need a
    shelf, or hardly at all.  Within a week, musical starvation led
    me to minor vandalism -- I put my shelf back up.
    
    Finally, this Christmas, when I got a real turntable (see .1), I
    thought, this had better go on a shelf pretty quick, I don't want
    people knocking it on the floor, I want it out of harms way.  When
    I finally got around to putting the shelf up (31st July), my wife,
    who was in the kitchen, noticed the sound had improved more than
    somewhat.  I didn't say anything, I was listening.
    
    
    So, after three turntables, what can I say?  This:  regardless of
    how well you think your turntable is isolated from feedback because
    of its suspension (and they don't come any better than the Linn),
    you will get an enormous improvment if you put the turntable on
    a shelf on a (structural) wall.  The effect is to bring everything
    into *sharp* focus, not just the fuzzy sound (by comparison) that
    you thought was clear.
    
    I still use that piece of contiboard supported on the same brackets
    which now cost 3.15 (ish) from B&Q, Homebase or wherever.  They
    were the hardest part to get hold of at the time, it's not easy
    to find brackets that will support a shelf just 18" square.  They
    still are, really, the brackets have arms 12" long, the really should
    be 15" long to give a nice stable support, but the shelf is screwed
    to the brackets in my case: I don't want the turntable falling off.
    
    								jch
                                                                   
    
    PS I agree wholeheartedly with Dave about the Linn, even though
       doesn't have the Ittok etc.  And I still haven't heard a CD to
       touch it.
    

    re .3.....
    
    A turntable on a light shelf as described will sound better than
    if on a piece of furniture, I agree, but.....
    
    It will sound even better if the shelf is placed on, but not tightly
    coupled to, the brackets - on, say, upwards-facing spikes
    
    A purpose-made shelf, such as those made by Target or The Sound
    Organsiation, make the turntable sound even better
    
    Either way, the shelf must be on a load-bearing wall, as stated
    in .3
    
    But....
    
    A stand-alone table from the above makers will make a turntable
    sound even better, but is not recommended in homes with rampaging
    small children
    
    Finally, if none of the above are feasible options and a turntable
    must be used on a rack-top or sideboard, a sub-table from the above
    makers is a pretty nice-sounding compromise, or you can make your
    own from 3/8" chipboard and some of those screw-in drawer handles
    from B&Q.
    
    And if CD users are wont to snigger at this, don't; the same rules
    apply - but if you want argue about it, let's do it in another topic.
    
    Dave

Moved from note 55.0 by moderator, with some additions.
    
                   <<< LARVAE::DISK$USER2:[JEFFERY]UK_AUDIO.NOTE;1 >>>
                            -< Audio discussions. >-
================================================================================
Note 55.0                     The Linn Ekos tonearm                   No replies
YARD::BRIGHT "Mornington Crescent"                  183 lines   7-NOV-1988 17:28
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The following article has been extracted from Hi-Fi Review magazine,
November 1988 issue.


				EKOS SAY
				--------

	    Chris Frankland listens to a �900 tonearm from Linn


A new super-arm from Linn Products has been rumoured for some time now, but
since Linn play things closer to their chest than ever these days, the first
time we new that it really existed was when one of their dealers phoned up
and said that his first consignment had been despatched to him.

The arm definitely is here, and it is called the Ekos: apparently after the
French word 'ecosse', meaning Scotland. Price will be �895, and it is
impressively packaged in a strong wooden box, as befitting a product of this
quality and price.

From a cursory glance at the Ekos, it is not easy to spot the differnces
between it and the Ittok. This is because thay are mainly under the skin, but
there are some immediately noticeable changes that the keen Ittok-owning
observer will spot instantly.

The lift/lower device and arm rest are now all located on a platform attached
to the pillar, which will greatly improve the arm's compatibility on decks
other than the LP12. It is therefore not necessary for a separate hole to be
drilled for the rest. I am told that the lift/lower device, which is damped
on both up and down, no longer rattles in the way the old one did.

The headshell is some 5mm shorter than that of the Ittok, and it has a
strengthening web at the side for increased resistance to twisting forces.
Comparing it to that of the Ittok, it is tangibly less flexy. What you cannot
see, however, is that it is now machined from the same aluminium alloy from
which the arm tube, Troika body and arm base are made. It also has a line
machined on its underside for aligning Linn cartridges such as the Asaka and
Karma.

In an attempt to further maximise rigidity in the arm, you will note that the
three retaining screws at the shell/tube joint have been eliminated. It is now
glued in with a special aluminium loaded glue, and the tube is likewise glued
at the bearing end. Technical director Martin Dalgleish confirmed that with
today's glueing technology, the joint can easily be stronger than the
material. He also confirmed that the use of aluminium loaded glue helped to
make the whole assembly more like a one piece arm than most of the one-piece
arms currently on sale!

All the machined parts of the arm are now manufactured in Scotland, rather
than Japan. The materials used are the same as before: shell and tube from
aluminium alloy and bearings from stainless steel. The ball races used in
the bearings are now two grades better, and they are further selected and
sorted into micron steps. The recesses into which they locate are also very
precisely engineered in their Floors Road factory to ensure optimum alignment
accuracy. Many designers have claimed this is impossible as the work must be
turned during machining so as to drill in from both sides, but Dalgleish
proudly boasts that they can do it due to the accuracy of their lathes.

The actual stainless steel bearing shafts are machined to one micron
tolerances! That's five times the degree of accuracy applied to the LP12
turntable bearing.

This is only possible thanks to Linn's Jones & Shipman and Hardinge lathes 
and grinders, which allow the fine tolerances to be achieved. Apparently 
the lathes and grinders used in Japan simply are not good enough, and this 
is why they had to make the Ekos in Scotland. They also have the 
measurement resources of the National Engineering Laboratory just down the 
road, where they can carry out measurements on surface irregularities and 
shaft roundness so fine that they could never afford the equipment to do 
it in house.

Finally, the arm cable has a metal plug so that it can be adequately 
tightened into the pillar without risk of damage.

If you already own an Ittok, the installation of an Ekos is not difficult, 
but although in theory you could swap it straight over in two minutes, it 
is as well to go for a new armboard, especially since you will otherwise be 
left with a hole and plug where the arm rest base used to fit. Also the new 
metal plug on the arm lead is worth having, and that will necessitate a new 
P-clip to clamp the arm cable. Not a long or costly job at all and one your 
dealer can cope with quickly and simply.

In use, you'll hardly notice the difference, apart from the fact that the 
lift/lower device works properly, and that the fingerlift is easier to get 
your finger under: a boon for those who don't like using the lift/lower 
devices like myself.

Mounting the cartridge is just as easy as the Ittok despite the shorter 
shell length, and the machined line underneath does aid alignment, although 
with the Troika that is taken care of with the rear fixing bolt. The nut is 
also slightly recessed in the Ekos headshell, although sadly as it was 
machined rather than cast, there could be no hexagonal cutout to remove the 
necessity to hold the nut with a spanner when tightening.

So cursorily like the Ittok does the Ekos look, that one is little 
prepared for the magnitude of improvement that has actually been achieved. 
Unlike the Naim arm, which sounds totally *different*, the Ekos, being 
derived from the Ittok, does bear a family resemblance.

As with any product that is such a substantial leap forward in quality, I 
spent a delightful week acquainting myself with the benefits of the Ekos in 
my Linn/Naim active six-pack system. And it does not take long indeed to 
realise that the Ekos is a quantum leap better than the Ittok in every 
important area.

Inevitably you reach for your current favourites, and for me that meant 
that Eric Marienthal's 'Voices of the Heart' was first on the platter. 
Marienthal's sax lead came across on the Ekos with a degree of detail, 
presence and power that I had not heard before, while bass lines were much 
fuller and more articulate. Pat Kelly's brilliant guitar work was more 
sharply etched and harmonically richer than before, and the whole 
production simply held together decidely more coherently.

Playing 2AM from Teddy Prendergrass' 'Joy' album also brought a delightful 
surprise: not only was his voice charged with a good deal more emotional 
impact than on the Ittok, but backing vocals on the choruses were a good 
deal better defined and easier to follow.

Ben Sidran's 'It didn't all come true' is an all-time fave of mine, and I 
was staggered at how much more dynamic and in control the Ekos was compared 
to the Ittok. Sidran's vocals were open and crystal clear with a degree of 
reality and presence not heard before, yet without glare or shrillness. The 
acoustic bass lines really motored along where they had been vaguer on the 
Ittok, and when Erskine really hits a tom or snare, it has so much more 
power on the Ekos that you really sit up and take note.

All the time one is aware of the vast areas of improvement over the Ittok, 
it is also apparent that there is indeed a family resemblance, but changing 
to the Ekos from an Ittok will give you broadly a similar perspective and 
sound, but improved beyond all recognition in terms of dynamics, 
separation and rythmic integrity.

Bass lines that were before occasionally vague in places, suddenly snap 
sharply into focus with a degree of verve and rythmic snap unheard on the 
Ittok. Yet, even more immediately apparent, is the phenomenal top end 
performance of the Ekos. Its crispness, clarity, sonorousness on stick-hit 
cymbal are utterly breathtaking, while the degree of definition as a hi-hat 
opens or closes will make your mouth water.

The uncanny ability of the Ekos to sort out detail where confusion has 
reigned before brings out a plethora of undiscovered nuances on tracks one 
knows well. It is not that things were not there on the Ittok, simply that 
occasionally you could have a good guess at what was being played, but in 
all honesty it was obscured by other more dominant instruments. In such 
instances, the sheer grip and poise of the Ekos allow one far greater 
insight.

On truly difficult tracks too, like Roy Ayers' 'Hot' from his 'You might be 
surprised' album, the Ekos springs some outrageous surprises: here the 
track gets up and literally sprints along compared to its tempo on the 
Ittok. The complex synth sequences are conveyed with a precision and lack 
of distortion that is like a breath of fresh air.

The rediscovery of one's record collection is an overused cliche in hi-fi 
magazines, but there is an element of truth in it. As I tried more and 
more of my favourite albums, I was hearing more of everything. And, I am 
pleased to say, there were no instances where any record sounded worse than 
before.

As I sat enjoying the extra dynamics, life and energy that the Ekos 
injected into all of my record collection, my thoughts inevitably revolved 
around how much better the Ekos was than the Ittok. Quantifying such 
differences is never easy, but at the end of the day Linn have quantified 
it as being worth just over double the price of the current Ittok, and if 
pressed, I think I would have to say that the kind of change it has brought 
to my system is like that I got from changing from a Karma to a Troika.

When something comes along that improves so dramatically over the best 
you'd heard to date, and thus redefines the meaning of 'best', one fails in 
ones ability to pick holes in it. Compared to the live event, clearly it is 
lacking, but outside that context this is the most remarkably detailed, 
dynamic and musically coherent I have heard. It has superfine detail 
resolution, and always keeps a tight grip of the music, no matter how tough 
the going gets.

Many of you will no doubt want to know how I felt the Ekos compares to the 
Naim arm reviewed elsewhere in this issue. Well, you might like to know, 
but I'm not going to tell you: not yet at least. The Naim arm was with us 
so briefly as to preclude the time for a comparison, so watch this space.

In the meantime, I can recommend the Ekos as beyond all doubt the finest 
arm I have heard to date, and its margin of victory over the Ittok more 
than justifies the increase in price. You owe it to yourself to hear one.

    
    Addition by moderator......
    
    I read this review in HFR and decided that, like Mr. Frankland said,
    I owed it to myself to hear one. I already have an LP12/Ittok/Asaka.
    Until now, the next logical step would be a Troika at #645, less
    around #60 for the old Asaka body comes to #585; an Ekos at #900,
    less around #300 for my 1.5 year-old Ittok would be near enough
    the same cost. Which would be the most cost effective?
    
    The dem session in York went much the same as the review except
    with different records, so it would be a waste of space going into it 
    in detail. The gospel according to Ivor Tiefenbrun would indicate that
    the arm *should* be the right way to go, and he's right, dammit. I
    still have two years or so life left in the Asaka, and the Troika will 
    probably cost a lot more than #645 by then, as its price is tied to
    the yen/sterling exchange rate, so clearly (to my ears, anyway), the
    Ekos is a *very* cost-effective upgrade. Having the weaknesses of
    what is generally regarded as one of the best audiophile arms
    illuminated so well is an unsettling experience.
    
    The choice I then had was to order an Ekos, or forget I ever heard it.
    I opted for voluntary poverty and ordered; the Linn goes to York
    next Tuesday.

    Dave

	Ever since my Asaka clocked up over 2 years use, I've been
	umming and arr-ing about whether to buy another, or to
	upgrade; and if I upgrade, what to? In the end I decided to 
	go for an upgrade and bought a Troika.

	For those who don't know, the Troika is Linn's top-of-the-line
	cartridge; it uses basically the same stylus assembly and
	generator as the Karma, but the body is hewn from a solid lump
	of aluminium. That isn't the only peculiarity; the top-plate
	has shallow standoffs around the fixing holes, instead of a
	flat plate - Linn say they can guarantee good coupling to the
	headshell more easily - and the connecting leads are hard-
	wired. The most peculiar thing, though, is the third fixing
	hole, ensuring the body is held very rigidly to the arm; this
	precludes getting the full benefit of this cartridge in any
	other arm than the later Ittoks or the Ekos, unless a
	third hole is drilled - early Ittoks have a third hole but
	it needs drilling out. The beast costs around �670.

	Now, �670 is a lot of bunce; an Asaka costs around �275, which
	is plenty, and I could get a respectable CD player as well for
	the cost of a Troika. So how can anyone justify charging that
	price for something that'll wear out in 3-4 years, in this
	digital age? And more importantly, how can an LP12/Ekos-owning
	punter like myself justify paying it? Quite simply, it gives
	access to more music from more records, regardless of condition
	or recording technique, than anything else I've heard; on those 
	terms it's the most cost-effective piece of hifi ever made. It
	renders surface noise and vinyl "whoosh" inaudible, the sound
	welling up from an inky blackness, going incredibly loud - for a
	given volume setting - but without the slightest tendency to
	compress or break up, one of which most cartridges do when
	subjected to a good recording turned up high; vocals are
	rendered with a realism that you can almost touch. In tech-
	nical terms, the bass is extended and tight, whilst the mid
	and high ranges are smooth and clear; vocal inflections
	and instrument technique become obvious, as do the structure
	- rhythm, timing, melodies/counter melodies, backing and bass 
	riffs - of the music.

	I've no doubt that there are  transducers in the Koetsu or
	Kiseki catalogues that may do some or all of these things
	better, but then they cost an awful lot more; and there's
	probably a lot of over-priced exotica that won't come any-
	where near. If you're in the market for a cartridge of this
	calibre, you owe it to yourself to hear the Troika.

	Dave (broke *again*.....)

    Well, after getting my Record player repaired, I thought I'd do
    something about my cartridge.
    
    I'd been getting more and more dissatisfied with my A&R E77. The
    sound I thought lacked clarity. When I connected it to Steve Brights
    Linn amp/Isobarik set-up, the distortion was easy to hear. Comparing
    it with Compact Disc, I found that the record sounded more "full",
    but really sounded a bit dull. A friend of mine with a REGA planar
    III has had similar disappointing experiences with the A&R P77.
    
    So, when I got my record back, I asked Reading HiFi what they would
    recommend as a replacement for my E77. I was thinking of the Linn
    K5 or something like that. What they suggested was the REGA Bias.
    I must admit I was sceptical as they had lukewarm reviews from "HiFi
    Review".
    
    I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised. The cartridge itself is
    pretty ugly. It is coloured "greenfly green", and has a thin tapered
    front with a vertical line for easy record cueing. It appears much
    less tall than the A&R cartridge. The cartridge sounded great for
    the really clear bass, wonderful voices, and dare I say it, maybe
    even some "imaging". (I don't generally believe in 3-D special effects
    from my music --- Bring back Mono, that's what I say!!!)
    
    Suffice it to say, that I am very pleased, except that I'll have
    to re-record all my cassettes for the car now.
    
    Mark.

I went to an all-day session at the S�und �rganisati�n in York
last Saturday. Myself and a group of others were invited along
to hear Linn's new Aikito arm, compare Linn's Ittok to the 
similarly-priced Naim ARO, and finally compare the ARO to Linn's
Ekos. Not that I'm in the market for a new arm, but I couldn't
resist the offer, not to mention the wine!

Cartridge used in the Aikito was a Linn K5; the Ittok and ARO
both were fitted with Linn K18's, and the Ekos was used with a
Linn Troika. All arms were fitted to latest-spec Linn Sondeks,
and amplification was via Linn's LK1/LK280 pre/power combo and 
Naim NAC72(new model)/HICAP/NAP135 monoblocks. Speakers used 
were Linn's new Kaber floor standing model, tri-wired. I'll 
try to cover the Kabers in a seperate note.

Music used  was Martin Stephenson & The Daintees (can't recall
the album name), Lou Reed's "New York", and a recent WEA re-
release of Paul Simon's eponymous first album. Oh, and Leonard
Cohen's "Greatest Hits" album.

The Aikito is Linn's new entry-level arm which will replace the 
LVX+ Basik, and costs around �150. Construction appears similar 
to the LVX+, but it incorporates some lessons learnt with the Ekos. 
The Ittok was the industry standard for a long time; even now,
compared to other audiophile arms it's a doddle to instal, set up
and use; it normally sells for around �400. The ARO is a unipivot
design, very light and thin, and appears to go against the current
received wisdoms of arm design; it costs around �550. The Ekos is
Linn's top arm, and sets new standards in vinyl reproduction; it
costs around �900, and is reviewed elsewhere in this conference.

The sound of the Aikito was very close to that of the Ittok - lively,
coherent and musical; ultimately it lost out to the Ittok in terms
of accuracy and detail resolution, although a better cartridge than
the K5 may have made the margin closer. Indeed, unless the user wished
to go for exotic moving coil cartridges, I could hear very little
justification for the extra cost of the Ittok with the MM cartridges 
installed. The ARO sounded a little odd, although my perception of
its sound may well be influenced by the way it tried to rotate in
the vertical axis when being cued. The sound was very detailed, the
K18 clearly being held in a vice-like grip, (despite the wobbly cueing
action), in order to retrieve this amount of information from the groove.
The sound was tonally very well balanced and extended at both ends of
the spectrum, and in this respect was superior to the Ittok and the 
Aikito. Ultimately though, it seemed to be flawed in how it played
tunes; whilst the ARO made us want to try more records to hear what
else we hadn't heard first time through, the Ittok and the Aikito
made us just want to sit back and listen - I felt this even with the Martin
Stephenson album, which was not up my street *at all*. In this respect 
the Aikito was better than the ARO at less than 1/3rd. the price, and 
with a better cartridge could well have "seen it off" altogether. The 
reference Ekos/Troika clearly outperformed all three in terms of smoothness,
extension and detail, as well the above-mentioned indefinable
"listenability" - which of course it should, at its price.

My perception of all this is that unless Linn modify the Ittok then
it will lose sales to the Aikito; in its current form the Ittok
is not a cost-effective upgrade unless �100+ moving coil cartridges
are to be used. You can of course use real exotica in the Ittok,
but then you're into the "is it better than an Ekos/mm combo for
the same price?" debate. As for the ARO, personally I ended up
preferring the Aikito, never mind the Ittok or the reference Ekos;
some reviewers rave over the ARO, but an Ekos-(or even Ittok)beater
it ain't. Of course if *you're* in the market for arms at this
level, then *your* ears should be the final arbiter.

    Dave

    This is my first note of this style, ie as an informative sort of
    review, so forgive me if it is'nt awfully good. I will never get
    a job with Hi-Fi answers for sure.
    
    Last night I took my Turntable (Revolver/Basik/k9) around to someones
    house to see how it compared to a friends Source, a Marrantz CD
    65 II.  I must admit, when taking around my Turntable, I did expect
    it to be totally outshone by the C.D player.
    
    The system used was an Arcam Alpha amp, through Linn Helix speakers.
    
    At this point, I must admit I did not set up the turntable properly
    for the evenings entertainment, as time was just a little on the
    tight side. 
    
    First up were a couple of tracks from the Marillion album "Clutching
    at straws" 
    
    Firstly the Revolver went first, playing incommunicado.
    At first I was shocked, the turntable sounded flat and undynamic.
    I don't know about the C.D owner, but I was NOT impressed. Letting
    the C.D player have a go, reaffirmed my worst fears. My turntable
    sounded fairly appalling......
    
    Secondly from the same album, we played "warm Wet Circles".
    Again, Revolver first...
    It definetly sounded a hell of a lot better. Still not that Good,
    but much better. The C.D owner said he thought that it was sounding
    better every muinute. I had to agree. Then came the C.D player,
    and again, the sound was better. The drums came more to life, rather
    than a drummer flogging paper bags. The bass was deeper, and the
    stereo came to life, with the sounds a bit better seperated. The
    C.D soundstage generally was more impressive, although the margin
    was a little closer than with the first track.
    
    Next up was the INXS Album "Kick" playing Guns in the Sky.
    
    Again, first went my Revolver.
    As soon as this album started, I was a whole lot more impressed,
    and after 3 tracks, I was beginning to  believe my turntable was
    not so bad after all. Even the C.D owner said he was quite impressed.
    Then came the C.D's turn....
    
    Wow, I was a little surprised. The C.D player wasn't sounding quite
    as superior as I imagined it would, and the 3 of us (there were
    3 people, one an unbiased observer) aggreed that the margin of
    difference was by now slight. The C.D revealed a little amount more
    detail, with the reverb effect on the guitar slightly clearer. However,
    to my ears, some of the distorted guitar sound was slightly painful.
    
    I do feel the C.D player was a lot better on poorer quality records,
    but give both sources a good recording, and the difference was a
    lot closer than I imagined.  I did also feel that the speakers were
    responsible for showing up the deck a little, but not too much.
    
    We ended up going through my disc collection, and I think I was
    quite impressed with my revolver. O.k, the CD player was better,
    but only just, on well recorded music.
    
    I have had my faith in analogue reaffirmed......
    
    Roll on the Sondek.....
    
    Juju
    xxxx
    

    Being the person with the Marantz CD65 mentioned in the previous
    reply I thought I'd put a few comments about what I thought about
    the comparison.
    
    As JuJu has already said he set up the turntable rather quickly not
    giving any time for things to settle down, this may have lead to the
    bad .sounds. coming from the first track on test, 'Incommunicado', if
    it wasn't, then I'm not very impressed in the way it handled that track
    as compared with the others. The top and bottom end weren't existant and
    the music seemed to be juggled together rather than seperated like the
    CD.
    
    Moving along to the 'Kick' album the revolver sound almost exactly the
    same as the CD version, the top and bottom end sounding that little
    bit more well defined, personally I didn't find it painful like JuJu
    did, but there again I've lived to the source for about a year now so
    I'm well adjusted of what to expect, having said it wasn't painful the
    turntable seemed warmer. Another noticable feature was the stereo imagery,
    the CD handled this no problem at all whereas the deck seemed to
    struggle to keep up.
    
    Some of the LP's tested were old and well worn, so the performance
    of these didn't show the deck up to it's full capacity.
    
    I'd say thought that if the LP was given the same quality recording
    as that of the CD then the sound quality would be almost identical
    with the CD coming out just on top (I would say that thought). I was
    very impressed with the overall sound of the Revolver, but haven't
    been converted into a turntable freak simply beacuse there's too
    many other factors.
    
    The main reason being that source for the CD is going to be of the
    same quality to begin with, but unless the LP's are taken very good care
    of (which I'm afraid I wouldn't do) the quality can deteriate drastically.
    This is also true of the machine themselves, all you have to do with a CD
    is take out the laser holders while with the deck, arms have to be
    adjusted, needles have to be cleaned etc.
    
    							Neil

    I've just replaced my ageing Troika cartridge with the new Linn Arkiv.
    What a gem.
    
    I had already auditioned a prototype "naked" version, mine came with
    the body fitted. Although not run in, the sound was cleaner and more
    detailed on mine than the prototype. After about two hours' use, the
    image became more tangible and "out of the boxes", whilst the sound
    stage became more and more coherent.
    
    Tracking was superb. Mitsuko Uchida's Mozart piano sonatas on Philips
    has the Rondo a la Turca on the inside cut. With the old Troika, Uchida's
    spirited playing on the rest of the album seemed to become heavy-handed
    here, occasionally coming unstuck. With the Arkiv, the spirited
    elegance of this recording continues unabated to the end of the side.
    Apparent mistracking on some tracks of the Getz/Gilberto album showed
    up to be the saliva in the mouthpiece of Getz's sax, with darting
    intakes of breath between phrases lending a hair-raising sense of being
    there; extraneous noises-off turned out to be Getz's fingers
    manipulating the sax keys, and the bass player's fingers moving around
    on the fret.
    
    Good productions come across as exactly that; on budget reissues,
    whilst still enjoyable, it is now more obvious where production corners
    have been cut, tape hiss and bad edits being more obvious. Surface noise, 
    whether caused by dirt, scratches, or just vinyl "whoosh", are subjectively
    at a lower level, giving an impression of wider usable dynamic range 
    compared to my old Troika, which was very quiet anyway. Crescendos
    (crescendi?) seem to soar endlessly, without any compression, even on
    inner cuts, and in parts where it least expected sound is felt through
    the floorboards, for instance on sax (Getz and Coltrane) and acoustic
    guitar (Dave Van Ronk and Los Romeros/Vivaldi). 
    
    The sense of realism is amazing; at one stage I put Anita Baker's
    Songstress album on while I did something else, and I almost felt as if
    I was being rude to Ms. Baker, not listening while she was in my house.
    
    The basic cost is the same as the Troika, which is being discontinued.
    For a limited period, Linn are offering �319 trade-in for a Troika,
    which pitches the Arkiv at around �570. I also had another �87 off for
    my old Asaka which my dealer can pitch against other orders to Linn,
    but getting this second trade-in deal will probably dealer-dependant.
    The total cost to me was �492, which isn't a lot for 1200 new records.
    
    I can't wait to hear what it sounds like when it's *really* run in.
    
    Dave

    
    I guess this means that your new speakers got pushed down the list
    again, Dave.

    re .12....
    Black, with "windows" on each side. It doesn't look like a Linn
    cartridge at all, but more like a Koetsu or Ortofon. I think the cover
    is removeable, but I'm not about to try it!
    
    re .13....
    Yes, the speakers are on the backburner again. Unless I come up on the
    pools, or get impatient and sell some DEC shares at a loss....
    
    Dave