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Setup Dynavector XV-1s on SME V help

I am having all sorts of issues getting it tuned in. I do have it sounding very good but my settings leave me confused. My tracking force is 2.4 in a dynamic balance. My antiskating is set at 2.5 or abouts & the damping dip stick is all the way down. When I cue in the tonearm it always jumps right into the 1st track, never setting smooth. ON the Hi-Fi News test disk it flys across the blank space & then jumps over the next track almost to the end of the track. Kind of crazy. My VTA is level. I am loading it at 1000 ohms to great effect now & I can track the 4th track of the HiFI News & Record Review bias test track but with a lot of buzzing. I have almost no buzzing on the 3rd track. The arm resonance is about 9 hz or so in horizontal but harder to detect in vertical, but seems about the same.

Now w. my VdH Condor I had no tracking issues & itbehaved perfectly in the SME V. The Dynavector on the Ikeda never had any problems on the lead in groove (no jumping our bouncing) but it just didn't sound good (might have been the break in or the Ebony headshell I was using. I am waiting for a Dynavector headshell to use as the stock Ikeda headshell won't accomodate the Dynavector.

Anyone with any experience please chime in as I am totally lost.
dgad
nsgarch's avatar
nsgarch
2,517 posts
 
The grooveless test will not tell you anything because there is almost no friction developed between the stylus and the record. It is the friction produced by the stylus tracking a real groove that produces the need for anti skate in the first place.
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rauliruegas
9,123 posts
 
Dear Darren: The antiskate figure that I use in my XV-1 ( and other cartridges ) is around 1.0, no more that that.
I never had the problems that you explain in any tonearm/XV-1 combination.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.
dgad OP
782 posts
 
Raul,

What I am finding is that the cartridge tracks differently at different parts of the record. The Antiskate setting that is correct toward the inside of the record is very different from the center or the outside. It is such a huge deviation that there is no way to get the best sound throughout the record.

Now the Dynavector does not track near as well as the VdH. Also it jumps very quickly, maybe a higher compliance, but I really don't understand it. The VdH should be about 35 while the XV1 should be about 10.

I did all the tests on the Hifi News & found the Horizontal Resonance to be 9 HZ but the vertical I couldn't detect, which is also leaving me confused (damping stick up for all tests). That might be where the problem is. I haven't had any tracking problems with any music. I am not 100% sure but at 25 HZ I am having a lot of resonance. Am I hearing the bass or a resonance is the question. I will see if I have a test CD to double check as it might be a room interaction.

I am listening right now & it does sound very full & live. I raised the damping stick as advised & honestly I don't find any difference.
tobes's avatar
tobes
302 posts
 
It's years since I owned the SME-V, but when I looked at your pic it appears that the armtube may not be set correctly in the rest position. When positioned correctly with the supplied template, the arm is angled more towards the platter ie not straight ahead.
The armtube must be postioned within the two lines on the template for the antiskate to operate correctly. This is stressed in the SME manual.
Worth checking.
nsgarch's avatar
nsgarch
2,517 posts
 
Tobes, how VERY observant of you -- I'm impressed! I don't know if that's Dgad's problem (his Condor seems to work OK) but it might be.
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