Well, based on the feedback from this thread I decided to take a trip to my dealer and am very, very glad I did. Somewhat unexpectedly, I placed an order for a black Linn Akurate LP12 and will be keeping both my Triton 2s and my Mc MA252 for the foreseeable future. Saved a little money staying with the Adikt cartridge per their recommendation. That’s the gist, but thought I’d summarize my experience and impressions for those interested.
First, my dealer had about a 30 minute conversation with me where we covered what I envisioned for my system. She steered me away from the Mc separates (C1100 + MC312) I was considering, saying that the price difference would probably be better applied elsewhere at this point. We’d listen to speakers, but she suspected I’d be happiest upgrading my TT.
We started with a pair of blood-red Wilson Sabrinas. They were fed by a MA252 as well as a Clearaudio Concept (close cousin to my Marantz), so comparisons to my system were about as close as you could get. We could isolate sound difference in speakers. With the Sabrinas, I found the timing and "togetherness" to stick out. We were not spinning Kid A, but I kept repeating "everything in its right place" in my mind. From a PRAT standpoint it was reminiscent of the $200k Wilson-based setup I’d heard a few years prior, but a little less clarity and dynamic control with the sound. Maybe the latter was the D’Agostino amp magic. Who knows? The lows to me sounded a little less controlled and musical than the Titans, with a little less authoritative slam. The Concept table with stock cart was about on par with my Marantz -- maybe a bit smoother, but I actually found the noise floor to be higher than my deck and the sound a little less rich.
She swapped out the Concept for a Linn Majik LP12 and bam -- there was what I was looking for. Superior in every regard is the simplest and most succinct way to put it, and I found the overall sonic signature more pleasing. Haven’t been a fan of the retro look, but then I saw one in black. Much better.
Finally, we swapped out the Sabrinas with the Sonus Faber Olympica IIIs, which I was most interested to hear again, keeping the Majik and MA252. To me they didn’t have quite the PRAT of the Wilsons, but a sweeter, silkier midrange I very much enjoyed. The bass, again, was less controlled, defined, and authoritative than the Tritons. To my ears, Goldenear have really done a nice job with the active sub sections to please folks who can’t (or prefer not to) have a dedicated sub. It makes a difference. I also learned that I’m apparently a little bit of a basshead because I found that dimension to be a non-negotiable while PRAT and a sweet midrange were nice-to-haves. I listen to quite a bit of hip-hop and electronic, so that’s what does it for me. My dealer said taking the Olympica IIIs and adding a dedicated sub would be a logical next step to get the best of my top 2 priorities and she’s probably right. However, we are both aware that a dedicated sub is impractical and spacially impossible in my current listening environment. Just for fun, we ended by swapping the MA252 over to a MA8900, and in that particular system, I’d had about enough after 30 seconds. Everything was much sharper, forward, and "in your grill." I felt better about the MA252 and convincing me to go back to a SS pre would take some doing, I believe.
In the end, she recommended I keep my Tritons and MA252, upgrade to the Linn Majik table, and see how it settles into the system. Separate electronics and speakers/sub would be considerations when my living situation becomes more permanent in the coming year(s).
Now we just had to talk the table. She explained the relative merits of each of the table components, and I decided I just wanted to go ahead and get something that would perform admirably with my future setup. Akurate level it was, but they talked me into sticking with the $600 Adikt cartridge over the $2k Krystal because the MA252’s phono stage doesn’t support MC and it’s an easy upgrade (to Krystal or other) later. I was more than comfortable going bigger on the TT than I’d expected because I’d just heard Exhibit A that better source equals better sound. They offered a discount if I assembled the deck myself, but heck no. I’d already talked to their technician who had 25+ years experience with the brand and was like the Cesar Milan of Sondeks. I’d have been a damn fool.
In the end I paid list price plus sales tax, and yet in reality I feel like I got a substantial discount by not buying a bunch of gear I didn’t need or like as much as what I have. I walked in openly admitting I’d spend $30k and walked out extremely confident in my purchase with $20k still in my pocket. Only downside -- it’s a shame this dealer has stopped offering Goldenear because I think one day I’ll want a showdown between T-Refs and Olympica IIIs + sub. We’ll see about that, but regardless, I do expect to be doing business with this dealer regularly for as long as I’m in the area.
The new table will be in and ready for pickup in 2 weeks. Way better than Christmas...
