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Dynavector XV1s loading & phono

Hi.

For those of you that have owned the XV1s, just curious as to what phono stage you are using with yours (or have used) and what loading you are putting on it to make it sound great!

I have got a XV1s at the moment, but with the Cary PH301mkII tube phono stage, have never got it to sound great. I was using the XV1s on LP12/Valhalla/Ittok II/rignmat anniversary. The default loading for MC on the Cary is 680 ohms. I modified it to make it about 150 ohms which did make a substatial improvment, however, sound was still very dull, undynamic, muffled, very unexciting.

I have heard the TeKaitorua (next model down) on a Oracle/smeIv setup going thorough a very modest solidstage phono/integrated setup and that gave extraordinary results! Likewise with the Lyra Titan, used through a solid stage Lyra Connosieur phono stage was absolutely amazing. Some people have replaced their Titan's with the XV1s! I don't think I'm hearing anything close to what the XV1s is capable of at all.

I think it is something with my front end analogue setup as my CD playback sounds spectacular, WAY better than the XV1s/Cary combo in every way. Since I have blamed the Cary for the poor match with the XV1s, I have since replaced the unit with the Kondo M7 phono - but as this is just a standard phono stage, I have had to revert back to my very modest MM Linn K18II cartridge. The Linn/Kondo setup is better than the XV1s/Cary in every respect - probably equal to that of CD playback in my system. To use the XV1s with the M7, will require step up transformers.

Question is:
1) What sort of loading are you guys out there using with the XV1s and on what phono? Tube or solidstate?
2) Is my deck/arm/PS combo the main cause of the poor sound from the vinyl?
3) What stepup transformers would one recommmend to match with the M7 - there is obviously the Kondo SFz ... any other worthy contenders?

Thanks a lot for all you guys help.

Regards
David
linnmaster
bkonig
127 posts
 
Rauliruegas: You say that if I use 480 Ohms to load my XV1S that I'm in trouble elsewhere in my system. My system is one of the absolute finest most resolving systems I ever heard. It is not easy to experiment with loading on the dart pre-amp. I did go lower on the dart with no appreciable improvement. I did however, try different loadings on my former pre-amp, the Manley Steelhead and did not find any magical settings lower down the scale. Myself and other knowledgable audiophiles are floored when we listen to my vinly rig. Yes, nothing is perfect, but happy to report no troubles for me in my system.
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rauliruegas
9,123 posts
 
Dear Bkonig: Nice to hear about. The Manley is faraway from the quality Dartzeel performance. I already try 1K, 600, 300, 150 and 100 Ohms with my XV-1 and at least for my ears ( that certainly are not perfect ) I prefer 100-150. I have to tell you that 300 or 600 Ohms are not a huge differences but I can hear it.

Now, I have to accept that many times it is system dependent about. At the " end of the day " the subject is that you are satisfied with the quality performance at that load and that's what matters. Sorry to disturb you.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.
audiofeil
4,011 posts
 
Load that Dynavector to a value that pleases your system and ears. Don't allow some self appointed expert and bully, who thinks he knows more than you but doesn't, to influence your decision.

That's a great cartridge.
dougdeacon
3,338 posts
 
Any comments about Antiskate force and what to set that to? To me, the last time I put the XV1s on the LP12, with the antiskate dialed up max, was still pulling into the record center hard. Or is this a sign that the cart is not set up properly. I have the cardas sweep frequency record if that can help get things better.
Maximum antiskate? Aha! We may well have found part of your problem. Excess antiskate sounds exactly like excess VTF - dull, boring, slow and muddy.

I'm not sure what you mean that the arm, "was still pulling into the center hard", unless you're using a blank (ungrooved) record to set AS. If so, I'd suggest you forget that method immediately, since it bears no relation to actual playing conditions.

The Cardas record will not help with AS. Nor is any other test record needed, and the ones that claim to help with AS tend to do more harm than good.

To set AS, start with it as close to "zero" as the arm allows. Now optimize VTF, so that you have a nice balance between speed/finesse and heft/weight, as discussed above. Now put on a very dynamic LP and listen for R channel mistracking/fuzziness. Increase AS in tiny increments until the R channel plays cleanly. That's all you need. Any more will overpressure the cantilever/suspension, and that dulls the sound.

Good luck,
Doug
larryi
1,972 posts
 
Doug Deacon has provided excellent advice on setting antiskating. If the advice still seems a bit daunting because of the subjective aspect of determining the result of changes, I have a bit more "objective" way of setting antiskating.

If you can find a test record with a monophonic test track of musical instruments being played at increasingly higher volume/groove modulation you can easily hear the result of mistracking. I use an old Shure ERA IV test record, but there are other test records available for this purpose.

If the antiskating is off, one channel will mistrack before the other. The breakup (notes becoming fuzzy or a distinct sibilant buzz will be clearly heard from that channel. If it is the right channel, it means that the stylus is losing contact first with the right groove and MORE antiskating is needed; if the left, then less antiskating. You can easily replay the tracks to hear the result of your adjustment. When both tracks are about even when it comes to mistracking, the stylus force has been balanced between the two channels.

In my own personal experience, I have found that much LESS antiskating compensation is needed that the rough guidelines supplied by arm manufacturers. Perhaps this is the result of the kind of cartridges I use (for at least the past 15 years I have only used cartridges with line contact styli). The point is, one cannot rely on rough guidelines merely based on tracking force.
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