Bargains on ebay?

[REM]

Remember, I sold the Trak with 1980's Naim... The high treble was very "scratchy" when compared with the Asak, although most of the Asak character was there (being the same thing basically). My favourite of the three was the Asak "T," which was the best selected one at a very profitable price premium.



You know Marco, at today's prices an Asak would sell for nigh on a grand (well, several hundred anyway). Would I pay that much for one when the AT33PTG is less than half the price, or a ZYX R100 or Lyra sell for the same, let alone the Royal N SPU? Nah.....

I got my Asak in '84 and IIRC it cost £200 which made it an expensive cart at the time but at todays prices it would be around £450/600, depend on whether you measure price or wage inflation, so in contemporary terms a more mid range item.
My particular Asak died on one channel after about 8/9 months and Linn refused to repair/replace it as they had just introduced the Asaka, it took the intervention of my dealer to get them to replace the thing, so much for Linns' customer support. The Asaka was a huge improvement, made me realise that much of the Asak 'character' was in fact mis-tracking!
The pricing shows how the market has changed (become more expensive) over the last 1/4 century, however the Denon 103 cost £100 back in the day when Ian Rankin 'didn't' review it for TFR and still does today, food for thought.

[Marco]

I've just noticed your edit, Dave....

The high treble was very "scratchy" when compared with the Asak, although most of the Asak character was there (being the same thing basically).

I couldn't say, as I never used an Asak. However, the treble definitely wasn't "scratchy" with the Trak on the LVV. Perhaps the better quality (heavier) headshell I was using on the LVV made the difference?

I know from experience that headshells can make a significant difference to how a cartridge performs, and the Trak was quite low compliance, if I remember correctly, so probably liked a bit more mass. That's another reason why the LVV worked so well with the 103 (particularly with a higher mass magnesium headshell), as the arm had a standard effective mass of 13.5g (further increased by the heavier headshell), compared to the 10.5g of the Basik Plus - and this extra mass probably also benefited the Trak.

Sounds like a reasonable theory, no?

P.S. One characteristic of the Trak and Asak design was a lack of the 3-D image in a good recording, something you and I value hugely Marco.

These days, yes, but I'm not sure how important such things were to me as a 17/18 year old jumping around his bedroom like a dafty to Duran Duran or Heaven 17!

It worked for me because that system boogied like a bastard and was FUN with a capital 'F' (I've still got that sound in my head now...) When my mates came round we always had a riot, and they loved it compared to the stack systems and music centres they were using at the time, which sounded shit in comparison.

I agree that they were good at reproducing 1980's contemporary music, but the Karma and Troika were so much better, especially today with less "fruity" turntables and an EsCo re-tip

Well that's all I listened to in those days, so for me it wouldn’t have mattered a jot what the Trak sounded like with anything else. Perhaps then we can agree that it was a good 'pop' cartridge for playing the likes of your Human League and Frankie Goes to Hollywood 12" singles?

Yes the Karma and Troika were much better, as I later discovered, but I always kept the 103, as none of the Linn cartridges I used quite had its addictive sheer verve and 'get up and go' qualities, when partnered with the right ancillaries.

You know Marco, at today's prices an Asak would sell for nigh on a grand (well, several hundred anyway). Would I pay that much for one when the AT33PTG is less than half the price, or a ZYX R100 or Lyra sell for the same, let alone the Royal N SPU? Nah.....

Nah, an Asak wouldn't interest me these days, but then neither would an AT33PTG or a bloody frigid sounding Lyra (!) ZYX are quite nice, but the Royal N is more my cup of tea - or a Decca!

Marco.

[Rare Bird]

I've got a Ariston RD110 special edition with corythuim plinth with a 3009 fitted, has anyone had or seen one of these before?
I'm currently using a AR legend fitted with a Linn Basik LVX and Goldring 1010 which sounds better than my Grado Gold

Found the 110 sub platter, just shoved the spindle in to hold it up

[Themis]

Nice in a Japanese kinda way

Notice the Pinch Roller is situated above the Capstan

Yes, oh well... it's an Akai...

[Rare Bird]

it's an Akai...

[DSJR]

Jonboy, The best of the cheaper Grado's is the basic model. Any dearer and sound gets softer and softer and softer and softer............ Some call it refinement, I call it dullness!

Marco, we're not so far aprt you know. I had a whale of a time in the eighties and bought loads of 12" singles - all played on an Asak before the karma. I also have a home pic of an LVV on an LP12, but I don't think I had the thing very long as I don't remember using one.....

[DSJR]

In case anyone wants to know what the heck I'm going on about -







The Asak pic is wrong incidentally... By the way, these cartridges were tested AND auditioned in an LP12/LVX (ferchrissakes) through - wait for it - a CYRUS 2!!!!! - oooh my head aches at the thought.....

Trak review comin' up..

[DSJR]

[Rare Bird]

There a typical company thats for sure *get worse as the get on*..

[Marco]

Hi Dave,

I've got that very copy of Hi-fi Choice - in the days of its 'mini' format! I've read it many times

I'd agree with their summary of the Trak - only thing is, I got it to 'sing' very nicely indeed on an LVV with a heavy headshell, with no need for anything more expensive to "do it justice"!



Marco.