Steve’s Quest for Analogue Nirvana – Part 1

I’ve spent a few years building up my turntable front-end, rediscovering my old vinyl collection in the process, and continuing to buy records, both new and used. I’m on a journey to finalise my long-term record-player/vinyl-playing set-up so that it will take me through to the end game.

The set-up starts with my Linn LP12 turntable, which I have ‘built’ over the last few years. The spec currently features a Linn fluted plinth in Black, a standard Linn top plate, a Linn Klimax Radikal 2 power supply, a Linn Keel (ARO) sub-chassis, and a Naim ARO Unipivot tonearm. Cartridge-wise, I have been using the famous old Linn Troika MC cartridge, which has now started to reach the end of its life but still sounds ok to my ears.

For a phono stage, I have been using an old Project Tube SE box, which was more for a laugh and to give me something to play with tube sound and various MC settings. My main bugbear with this box has been its noise floor, which has meant plenty of ‘noise’ alongside the signal. It was also time to recognise that the rest of the system beyond the deck had become a bit of a bottleneck, preventing the deck from really showing its best.

I’d heard a newish Linn Kendo MC cartridge on my deck, thanks to a friend with the same Linn set-up, and was literally flabbergasted by the improvements the Kendo brought to that mix – more information, greater dynamics, lower noise, and fantastic rhythm and flow in the music. I knew then that the Troika’s days were numbered. Whilst I couldn't spring for a cartridge quite at that level, I started to pay closer attention to the sound quality across the range of MC cartridges we had on offer here at our store, auditioning them on different decks. These included the Rega coils, Ania and Ania PRO, and the Apheta – all good value for money (sub $2k) moving coil cartridges. Also, the Lyra range, such as the Delos – a wonderfully fluid sound for the money ($2.5k). Then there were the new Vertere Acoustic options, the Mystic and Mystic II, and some of their new takes on the moving magnet design – the Sabre – although this was not quite what I was after.

Then we received a new brand of moving-coil cartridges – Skyanalog. Made in China, no less, this brand has been around for some 20-odd years, making OEM cartridges for other well-known companies, but in recent years has literally hit the ground running under its own name, Skyanalog. It features a range of quality-built MC cartridges at real-world, cost-effective prices - its range starts in NZ at $750 for the entry-level P-1M model, up to $12,500 for its top Anniversary model.

What’s also cool about the Skyanalog cartridges is the range of anodised body colours – check them out here.

Having listened to the P1 series and the G series on a range of our new Auris turntablesand being impressed off the bat with their detail retrieval, resolution, timing and imaging, it was straight for the jugular to try the Reference model ($5.6k).

Wow – what a difference! A huge step-up in transparency and detail, and no slouch when it comes to the rhythmic duties either. Allowing for the fact that it needs around 30-odd hours to break in, it already sounds impressive, with the sound pushing out laterally from the speakers to present a wide soundstage (for want of another hi-fi cliché).

Featuring a micro-ridge stylus profile, described as a “high-performance advanced stylus profile designed to mimic the shape of a vinyl cutting lathe” (thanks, AI!), it also offers a long lifespan, more accurate groove tracing, and superior tracking. Another benefit of the Skyanalog design is its ‘YAN Suspension’, which provides superior damping of the cantilever. This allows the cartridge to be played at slightly lighter-than-normal tracking weights, from about 1.3 to 1.6 grams, helping extend the life of the cartridge to somewhere past 3000 hours.

Currently, I'm enjoying the bedding-in process with freshly cleaned vinyl and letting things settle before moving to the next step—adding a phono stage! 

Follow future newsletters and blogs to see my next steps.

For those considering a cartridge change, visit any of our stores to chat and ask for a demo of the range of great Skyanalog MC cartridges on offer.

Prices shown are correct as of the date this post was published.