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Dynavector cartridges, old and new

For more than 40 years Dynavector has been producing very high quality moving coil cartridges in Japan. Sadly we don't have a dedicated Dynavector thread here on audiogon. It would be nice to collect info about some nice rare models in one topic. 


My first Dynavector was high output model, very attractive headshell integrated as one piece - Dynavector DV-30A was released in Japan 1 year before the Karat series and 4 years before the fabulous Karat Nova. The first high output Moving Coil Dynavector DV-30 series was the next generation of the Ultimo cartridges. The Ultimo’s were manufactured by Onlife Research Inc., which later became Dynavector. The 30-series was introduced in 1978 with 3 different models DV-30A & DV-30B (HOMC) and DV-30C (LOMC). Till the early 80s it was top of the line Dynavector models.... 

But then the KARAT was released with short Ruby and Diamond cantilevers (depends on the model). I've been looking for KARAT for a long time, i found the Dynavector KARAT 23RS special calibrated version with Micro Ridge stylus tip and prism Ruby cantilever. This particular model has been introduced in 1988 and claimed to be superior to the earlier generation of Karat carts. I'd like to seek more info about this rare cartridge, but very little info available online. Anyone can comment on Karat Ruby 23RS mkI (not mkII) ?  

I know some mebers are enjoing the more expensive Karat Nova series, XV-1, XX-2, Te Kaitora Rua etc 

Modern Dynavector site is: http://www.dynavector.com/ 

But the rare models can be found here. 
 

  
128x128chakster

Showing 16 responses by lewm

lewm
6,770 posts
 
I‘Ve got a 17D3 in like new condition.  I basically inherited it after the passing of my dear audiophile friend.  There’s a lot to be said for it, but I wonder how it really stacks up against today’s crop. (I think MCs have gotten better and better over the last 20 years.)
lewm
6,770 posts
 
Raul has.
lewm
6,770 posts
 
bpoletti, I wasn't trying to be funny when I mentioned Raul. He has auditioned the 17 vs the 23; he wrote about it on the old big MM thread. On the other hand, I can imagine why you found it funny. I think Raul preferred the 23. 

As to all the alphabetical suffixes mentioned by Chakster et al (DS, MR, etc), I am not sure what they mean.  What is the difference between the 17D3 and the 17DS, let alone the 17DS MR?  My 17D3 has a micro-ridge styus, I think, which should merit an "MR" suffix.  Also what is the difference between the 17 series and the 23 series? The latter do not seem to be marketed any longer.
lewm
6,770 posts
 
Thanks for the clarification.
I noticed that the 17 D3 is not listed on the Dynavector website as a current product. In fact the only cartridges listed under the moving coil section are the 20 X2 and the DV 1S and T models. Yet I think you can still buy a new 17 D3. And I think you can buy the Te katura Rua as well, at least.
lewm
6,770 posts
 
Thanks, effischer.  I own three DV tonearms, two 505s and one 501. Mike Pranko helped me out more than once to obtain parts for these tonearms.  Among distributors, he is one of the good guys.
lewm
6,770 posts
 
Chakster, Thanks for digging up the old quote from Raul.  It seems my recollection of his opinion was in error.  You guys have stimulated me to mount up the 17D3 and compare it to my Audio Technica ART7.  The two are in the same price range.  In fact, because I have two DV505s, I can audition them side by side in the same type tonearm.
lewm
6,770 posts
 
He’s so legendary, that few of us have ever heard of him. Now that’s an exclusive. I would not have known that Paul Klipsch ever had anything to do with making cartridges.
lewm
6,770 posts
 
Guys.  This must be an Eastern European thing.  I never ever heard of a Klipsch cartridge or a Zenn cartridge, either.  Of course, I have led a sheltered life on the East Coast of the US.  However, "MCZ" was the designation of a Grado cartridge model, back when the TLZ and XTZ were top of their line.  I recall auditioning an MCZ in comparison to a TLZ.  TLZ was so far superior that it was evident in 2 minutes of listening.  Chakster, you keep quoting long passages, but you don't say where you found the quotes.  If you would cite them, then perhaps I would be more impressed with their content. However, it's reassuring to know that the alu cantilever was "special", the boron cantilever was "extra stiff" (If only I could make such a claim), and the diamond cantilever was "pure". (I hope you guys know that, in our parlance, I am "pulling your chain", which means I am kidding.  However, it is true that I never heard of Klipsch or Zenn cartridges.)  Since my son makes his home in Tokyo, it behooves me to know about Dr Hibino.
lewm
6,770 posts
 
Chakster, sorry for autocorrect garbling your name.
lewm
6,770 posts
 
Texter, doing what you suggested and then reporting on it sounds a lot like work. And I retired four months ago. I am loving every minute of retirement. However I may be curious enough myself to give it a shot. I was staring at my second DV505 tonearm last night and thinking that it would be easy to mount it on the slate plinth where my Lenco with DV505 #1 and ART7 reside.
lewm
6,770 posts
 
 What I reject, is the notion that any cartridge that is no longer made, made with this or that exotic material in the cantilever, or has some unusual property or structure (magnet, coil, stylus shape) is therefore to be sought and probably sounds better than anything one can more easily acquire or which is more conventionally constructed.. I try to keep in mind that some things are rare, because they were originally a failure in the marketplace. I’m not saying that Chakster  is any more guilty of this than any others of us. We all do it.
lewm
6,770 posts
 
 Bimasta  and others, my basic point was that my experience tells me that selecting a cartridge based on its having an exotic cantilever material or an exotic stylus shape or a rare or unusual magnet structure does not consistently  result in a revelation of sonic Nirvana. Conversely, many cartridges which seem quite ordinary in their structural qualities end up sounding just great. One example of the latter is the Grace Ruby cartridge, and probably other related Grace cartridges. There’s nothing to write home about in terms of how these cartridges are made (save for the ruby cantilever in the case of the Grace Ruby), yet they are outstanding. It can go either way.
lewm
6,770 posts
 
My statement was hyperbole for sure. But sometimes, some folks sound as though the very rarity of the cartridge, in terms of its structure, is cause for excitement. I agree one has to listen to each cartridge, case by case. It’s almost a separate hobby unto itself. I’m really not that into it, even though I confess to owning more cartridges now, of all types, than I ever thought possible or sensible. But I tend to leave cartridges up and running for months and months, if I like them, while the others rot in a drawer. Having four working turntables does help me to at least audition a variety of the ones I own.
Nandric, How can a cartridge have "no cantilever"?  Can you show a diagram or drawing?  The motion of the stylus has to be transmitted to coils or magnets in order for transduction to occur.  The structural element that connects the two is to my mind a "cantilever".  The closest to no cantilever I know about would be the new Audio Technica ART1000, where the coils are just aft of the stylus tip. Has anyone here heard that one?
lewm
6,770 posts
 
Dover, Thank you for correcting me.  But we are talking about two different things.  However, I do take your point; there is a "cantilever" upstream from the coils.  What I do not appreciate is your inability to make a point without also throwing in an insult.  If you knew me better, you might find that I am not in fact stupid.
lewm
6,770 posts
 
I think we pretty much agree on this, Raul.
lewm
6,770 posts
 
It’s 6 months later. I am really really really going to mount my 17D3 in my new Yamamoto CF headshell and then install it on the same DV505 tonearm that now bears the ART7, TODAY. Honest.

After some break in time, I’ll report here on the comparison.
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