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Help ! Best MC cartridge for Linn LP12?

I have a LP12 with new EkosSE arm with Skale weight. The TT has Keel chassis, Radikal power, AQ Leopard cable. I use a Krystal MC now. I'm asking what cartridges mate best with my setup from a compliance standpoint- weight mount, suspension table etc.  From that list I'll try narrow down to good selections that mate to my phono/pre. Hopefully I will have a few that I can choose from to suit my listening tastes, knowing that compatibility isn't coloring what I hear. My budget limit is $10k. I have some thoughts already, but don't want to bias comments by naming them. So please help me to narrow my options down to the best candidates. 
papafrgog
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 

''Best cart for a turntablé'' make no sense. The question should be

the best cart for x tonearm and y phono-pre.

clearthink
1,421 posts
 

''Best cart for a turntablé'' make no sense. The question should be the best cart for x tonearm and y phono-pre."

This is correct the problem here is that there are now many newcomers to the world of vinyl used in Music Reproduction Systems and they don't understand the intricacies of the interactions among the various component parts used in vinyl playback. More and more I see comments here that reveal the level of ignorance and while some here are willing to learn there are others that seem to be a hopeless case especially the ones who use the wrong terms yet insist that they know what they are talking about but thank you nandric for correcting this one misconception!


papafrgog OP
103 posts
 
Thanks. I have considered scrapping the LP12 and moving on. I drank the Linn Kool Aid and I'm still trying to improve it. I hate losing money on the rig. 
For you other guys, maybe I didn't phrase my question perfectly enough for you. The first thing I mentioned was the arm and  I know that's what the cartridge needs to mate with. I listed the rest of the table because I knew other Linn owners would say first upgrade other parts of the TT before spending $ on a new cartridge. So with that clarified, do you have a thought on cartridge or was this just a poke at my poor grammar?
i have an Aesthetix Janus Eclipse pre w phono and the regular Etna is a better match. 
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 
''clear think(er)'',  I hope you are not referring to chakster (grin)?
lewm
13,259 posts
 
Just back to first principles: I would match any cartridge, no matter what type, to its tonearm, without much regard for which table the two are mated with.  The only limitation with a spring-suspended chassis like the Linn's would be the weight of the tonearm and whether that constrains the choice of tonearm to go with the cartridge you may have in mind. I am no fan of Linn LP12, but I am not going to tell you to scrap it, if you like it. (EMT 927s are not readily available items, and only a few shops in the world seem to know how to restore/rebuild them properly; by all accounts, they are as finicky to get right as is a Linn LP12.)

In other words, I guess I find myself agreeing with Clearthink and Nandric.
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