In this department the Dual 1219 from my early student days would have bested the LP12
Just a heads-up: While my re-tipped Akiva is back from Italy since mid February, I'm still waiting for shops to re-open after the lockdown, to have it properly installed by Speakers-Corner. Being busy with other things right now, I may need more time to get the Akiva set-up done. Stay tuned. Once we are there I shall report.
At this moment I can only say, that everything looks very promising, and the whole process with Roberto Torlai went smooth and professional.
At this moment I can only say, that everything looks very promising, and the whole process with Roberto Torlai went smooth and professional.
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Update:
I drove to Kiel last Saturday, and droped my LP12, and the re-tipped Akiva at Speakers Corner to have the Krystal replaced. Today I had a chat with Kay over the phone. The LP12 is ready to be collected now. According to Kay the Akiva sounded quite terrible at first. After carefully re-adjusting the tonearm height Rolf and Kay were unsure, however, whether the re-tipped Akiva, or the Krystal sounds better. If it plays on par after re-tipping, then the re-tipping is already a bargain at half of the Krystal's replacement price. If it sounds better, than this is just an added bonus.
As I recorded some LPs with the Krystal, I can re-record some of them with the Akiva, and compare the recordings one on one, later. But first I need to collect the LP12. My plan for tommorrow is shopping on the farmers market at Kiel's Exerzierplatz - just a walk away from Speakers Corner HiFi. Kay warned me that I'd enter his shop at my own risk. His demo New Klimax DSM, and Hub have arrived, and I might leave the shop very sad, so he said. Apparently, they sound great.
Stay tuned!
I drove to Kiel last Saturday, and droped my LP12, and the re-tipped Akiva at Speakers Corner to have the Krystal replaced. Today I had a chat with Kay over the phone. The LP12 is ready to be collected now. According to Kay the Akiva sounded quite terrible at first. After carefully re-adjusting the tonearm height Rolf and Kay were unsure, however, whether the re-tipped Akiva, or the Krystal sounds better. If it plays on par after re-tipping, then the re-tipping is already a bargain at half of the Krystal's replacement price. If it sounds better, than this is just an added bonus.
As I recorded some LPs with the Krystal, I can re-record some of them with the Akiva, and compare the recordings one on one, later. But first I need to collect the LP12. My plan for tommorrow is shopping on the farmers market at Kiel's Exerzierplatz - just a walk away from Speakers Corner HiFi. Kay warned me that I'd enter his shop at my own risk. His demo New Klimax DSM, and Hub have arrived, and I might leave the shop very sad, so he said. Apparently, they sound great.
Stay tuned!
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TooM...les, (less is better :rofl: )
I can second your dealer here: the first hours with the retipped Akiva were terrible and obviously I did just the same they did. You must just spin
records for a while. That was my experience and I hope it will be the same for you.
P.S. Are you sure digital stuff is Covid free? I wouldn’t take this kind of risk these days. Stay safe with your LP 12
.
I can second your dealer here: the first hours with the retipped Akiva were terrible and obviously I did just the same they did. You must just spin
records for a while. That was my experience and I hope it will be the same for you.
P.S. Are you sure digital stuff is Covid free? I wouldn’t take this kind of risk these days. Stay safe with your LP 12
.
I can positively confirm this. Having played a couple of LPs now, the SQ is very colourful, and I think better than the Krystal. I still didn't steal the time to do a proper recording / comparison, 'cause I'm too much occupied with just listening. I was a bit in doubt, whether I waste my money by ditching the Krystal before it reaches it's best before date. Now I'm happy that I did go for it.TooM...les, (less is better :rofl: )
I can second your dealer here: the first hours with the retipped Akiva were terrible and obviously I did just the same they did. You must just spin
records for a while. That was my experience and I hope it will be the same for you.
P.S. Are you sure digital stuff is Covid free? I wouldn’t take this kind of risk these days. Stay safe with your LP 12
Special thanks to @Tendaberry and @Bertox for the encouragement. Akiva #0084 is back in business.
Without a 'formal comparison' it's already clear to me, that Roberto Torlai definitely knows what he's doing, I can wholeheartedly recommend his service to every Akiva owner on the continent. Your Akiva will sound like new.
If you're located in UK, though, sending pickups to Italy, and back maybe a bit complicated regarding the customs declarations these days.
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And now: My conclusion after the more "scientific" comparison
To cut a long story short: My partner just entered the room while I was comparing my Soundcorder tracks of Krystal #724 and Akiva #84 (Torlai refurbished). She was ranting about Yours truly - listening to the same stuff again, and again (rather than doing something more useful).
I asked her: "Hold on a second, and just listen." I played a few seconds of each track, and asked for her opinion. "This one is clearly better", she answered.
So much to those ones who own the house, and have no interest in hifi 'cause buying a ticket to live music is so much cheaper, anyway
So which one's which now, you may ask - and how big is the difference?
The difference is subtle, but apparently clearly audible to the unspoiled ear.
The Krystal sounds snappy and dynamic, exposing a lot of notes, and space around them. But the Akiva adds a dash of musical glue to this, rendering the notes more cohesive. To me the voice of Kate Bush (I used her album The Kick Inside as my test object) sounded more human and lively. Had Linn not just released the fabulous New Klimax DSM / Hub, I had called the Krystal more "digital", and the Akiva more "analog". These are probably the wrong qualifiers, but I guess you get the idea.
Don't get me wrong. At half the asked price for a new pickup in comparison to the Akiva's original price point, the Krystal is certainly a good buy.
But as a Torlai refurbishment of an Akiva is less than half the cost of a Linn replacement of the Krystal, things reverse - for those lucky ones who still own a worn-out Akiva. Looking for a used worn-out Akiva to have it refurbished, maybe worth the effort, unless you can pocket a Kandid.
I almost offered my Akiva on the Uig, before I had the idea to utilize the wisdom of the crowd in this forum. My Akiva journey came to a very satisfying conclusion, and this hopefully inspires one or another.
Should I re-record all the records, which I have recorded so far? Or better wait for a Keel, Ekos SE/1, Urika II/1, or whatever. The torture never stops as Frank Zappa rightly observed
Happy listening!
To cut a long story short: My partner just entered the room while I was comparing my Soundcorder tracks of Krystal #724 and Akiva #84 (Torlai refurbished). She was ranting about Yours truly - listening to the same stuff again, and again (rather than doing something more useful).
I asked her: "Hold on a second, and just listen." I played a few seconds of each track, and asked for her opinion. "This one is clearly better", she answered.
So much to those ones who own the house, and have no interest in hifi 'cause buying a ticket to live music is so much cheaper, anyway
So which one's which now, you may ask - and how big is the difference?
The difference is subtle, but apparently clearly audible to the unspoiled ear.
The Krystal sounds snappy and dynamic, exposing a lot of notes, and space around them. But the Akiva adds a dash of musical glue to this, rendering the notes more cohesive. To me the voice of Kate Bush (I used her album The Kick Inside as my test object) sounded more human and lively. Had Linn not just released the fabulous New Klimax DSM / Hub, I had called the Krystal more "digital", and the Akiva more "analog". These are probably the wrong qualifiers, but I guess you get the idea.
Don't get me wrong. At half the asked price for a new pickup in comparison to the Akiva's original price point, the Krystal is certainly a good buy.
But as a Torlai refurbishment of an Akiva is less than half the cost of a Linn replacement of the Krystal, things reverse - for those lucky ones who still own a worn-out Akiva. Looking for a used worn-out Akiva to have it refurbished, maybe worth the effort, unless you can pocket a Kandid.
I almost offered my Akiva on the Uig, before I had the idea to utilize the wisdom of the crowd in this forum. My Akiva journey came to a very satisfying conclusion, and this hopefully inspires one or another.
Should I re-record all the records, which I have recorded so far? Or better wait for a Keel, Ekos SE/1, Urika II/1, or whatever. The torture never stops as Frank Zappa rightly observed
Happy listening!
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