Linn really seems to work best with its own, so I would recommend fixing the Troika if you can. Maybe you can swing a good trade in to one of the newer Linn carts if they can't rebuild it for you. You can also ask Soundsmith if they can work on it, which will probably be a lot less expensive than new. They have an excellent reputation.
Worth rebuilding Linn troika or fix shelter 501II?
Yesterday I managed to break the cantilever of a lightly used shelter 501 II which I bought about 6 years ago new. I used it with an early 80's vintage linn Sondek lp12 with Ittok LVII tone arm. Since I had an old troika I decided to mount it and my ayre phono pre had no trouble with the cartridge's low output. The troika needs work; the shelter needs repair. Which would you do? I think the troika is a better cartridge to my ears but it's more than 30 years old. Can you recommend someone to rebuild/retip the troika? I plan to contact sound smith to see if they would repair the shelter.