View Full Version : Dynavector DV-20X2L
Anyone have any opinions on the 20X2L cartridge, or more likely the older 20XL? This is a new model and uses the solid aluminium body of the XX2 with a micro ridge stylus. It ticks all the boxes for me and may make a stellar partnership with my DV arm.
http://www.analogueseduction.net/pub/files/1291398873_20X2_400w.jpg
chris@panteg
21-01-2011, 10:32
Fancy a change then Martin ! i was looking at Dynavector cartridges , looking at the feedback from various user's on the net , its an exciting vivid perfomer.
But alas i have no experience .
I doubt it will dissapoint , but i thought you were happy with the 33 .
I am very happy with the AT33PTG but I've heard both the Denon DL-103SA and Ortofon SPU in my system and I know what their balance of virtues can bring. What I'm looking for is what the AT brings (all-round goodness and detail) together with even more slam and deeper bass. The new DV appears to bring all of that and would be a step up. I've been chatting with the importer and this new version appears to be very close to the XX2 in performance terms, which is a £1k cartridge.
I'm tempted.
I've ordered one and it will arrive on Monday. The clincher for me is that it is totally compatible with my CineMag step-up, unlike the Denon and Ortofon alternatives.
I've also managed to secure a second very rare Dynavector headshell to go with it - fab! Be prepared for a detailed comparison with the AT33PTG as soon as I've got to grips with it.
As I remember, the two are total opposite, with the PTG being perhaps closer to the "truth," as I see it anyway.
The 20X series used to be of the big-n-beefy school of thought and totally opposite to the 17D series above them. A bit too coloured - in a Cirkussed LP12 at any rate - and less to my taste than a Suniko BPS which used to cost within £25 of the 20X2's..
Good luck. The tonearm you use will either love or hate it methinks :)
I'm hoping the DV arm will love the DV cartridge! Seriously, are you sure you've heard the 20X2 - they've only just come out. It's supposed to sound more like the XX2 than the old 20X.
Hi Martin.
I've ordered one and it will arrive on Monday. The clincher for me is that it is totally compatible with my CineMag step-up, unlike the Denon and Ortofon alternatives.
I've also managed to secure a second very rare Dynavector headshell to go with it - fab! Be prepared for a detailed comparison with the AT33PTG as soon as I've got to grips with it.
Excellent stuff! I look forward to hearing all about your new combo in due course - I'm sure it'll be excellent :)
Marco.
chris@panteg
24-01-2011, 12:41
Hi Martin
Would love to know how you get on with it :)
I have been offered the chance to try a rebodied DL103R , i think i need to try it , i might love it or hate it but i need a change from the DL160 :)
I have my hands on it now. Photos later.
As for the 103R, remember that you need high mass (your SME should be ok) and good input matching. Marco recommends the Auditorium A23 SUT and his did sound very nice indeed.
Rare Bird
24-01-2011, 12:52
I have been offered the chance to try a rebodied DL103R , i think i need to try it , i might love it or hate it but i need a change from the DL160 :)
What don't you like about the 'DL160' chris?
I'm hoping the DV arm will love the DV cartridge! Seriously, are you sure you've heard the 20X2 - they've only just come out. It's supposed to sound more like the XX2 than the old 20X.
I'm mistaken then - apologies.
I look forward to reading your comments :)
I got a DV20xL when my beloved Lyra Clavis DC was off getting a complicated and prolonged retip (when Wyndhams wife was ill)
On my LP12/Ekos etc it sounded safe, tonally ok, lacking detail, good rhythm,
no air in treble. Could live with it, but know that something is missing.
So lacking a lot compared to the Clavis, but compared to previous carts, not as good a Troika but better than a Klyde.,
I think for the money the 160 is a cracking cart.
Here's a photo to whet your appetite. It's not fair to comment on the sound yet, but my goodness this is a different presentation from the AT! I can hear it improving as I put a couple of hours on it so plenty more to come yet :)
http://www.mtc.me.uk/images/DV-20X2L-1.jpg
chris@panteg
24-01-2011, 22:51
What don't you like about the 'DL160' chris?
Hi Andre
Well it was sounding pretty good last summer up until october/november , now it sounds soft and a bit dull and uninteresting , i'm wondering if its on its last legs as i think i'm getting more mistracking too , maybe its the cold ? as its in the loft , it can get very cold up there ! I use my central heating sparingly .
Here's a photo to whet your appetite. It's not fair to comment on the sound yet, but my goodness this is a different presentation from the AT! I can hear it improving as I put a couple of hours on it so plenty more to come yet :)
Looks the biz, Martin! Yes, DVs are voiced rather differently to ATs... I look forward to reading a detailed report, so until then - enjoy! :cool:
Marco.
chris@panteg
24-01-2011, 23:13
I have my hands on it now. Photos later.
As for the 103R, remember that you need high mass (your SME should be ok) and good input matching. Marco recommends the Auditorium A23 SUT and his did sound very nice indeed.
Thanks Martin
I will try it with the 309 , and experiment with loading ! If i like it then will start looking at things like the A23.
Great photo , looking good:)
Hi Chris,
I'm about to crash for the night, but just noticed you're getting a 103R... Nice one :)
I think you'll like it. I'll give you a few tips tomorrow of how to get the most from it with your SME. What phono stage have you got again, and does it have MM?
The A23 is very good, but TBH, a much cheaper and arguably even better sounding option (once suitably fettled), is the little Lentek MC head amp:
http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/6561/lentek2020moving20coil2.jpg (http://img832.imageshack.us/i/lentek2020moving20coil2.jpg/)
Remember my thread here: http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=8431
Some more info: http://www.saturn-sound.com/images%20-%20reviews/review%20-%20lentek%20amp'%20-%20pract'%20hi-fi%20&%20audio%20-%20nov%201977.jpg
My advice would be to try and find one for sale (Ebay?), which you should get for around £60-80, then give it to Nick G for some cap upgrades, rewiring etc, which will likely set you back a further £100, and so for under £200 you'll have a device that, IMO, outperforms the A23 in every area apart from noisefloor (there is a little hiss with the Lentek, but it doesn't intrude on music or affect SQ).
Trust me, the Lentek, thus modified, synergises sonically with the 103 in a way which is just simply magical! You will be shocked and stunned at what you hear.....
Anyway, more on this later :goodnight:
Marco.
I've just finished my little ceramic cartridge line buffer and it's rather good, although impedance matching seems to be even worse with these - 1M to 2M seems to change the response hugely on some models...
Marco, maybe the Dynavector 17D models are exceptions, but the 17D's used to be more like AT OC9's than the OC9 was/is :lol: The XX1 was a goodie though I remember and the one listen I had to an XX2 in a new ARO/LP12 Armageddon/Cirkus was a lovely experience - I HATED the ARO in the 80's but it was obviously far better than the fruitbox it was used with and has come into its own on current examples (and elsewhere). A shame Naim want an arm and a leg for it :(
The 160 may be just feeling the cold, as many cartridge suspensions are temperature sensitive. The old B&O MMC20CL I have just cannot be used below 20 degrees C, as the treble dips up to 5db, which is clearly audible. In the summertime (or mounted in the warm environment of a warmed up Beogram 4002), it sounds sublime in a refined and delicate kind of way... I believe the mk2 version of the famous Technics 203 cartridge suffered too, but once the mk3 came along, its legendary status was assured. maybe this is why the 160 is sounding a little clogged up right now - there's quite a large coil assembly to damp out.
chris@panteg
25-01-2011, 09:59
Hi Chris,
I'm about to crash for the night, but just noticed you're getting a 103R... Nice one :)
I think you'll like it. I'll give you a few tips tomorrow of how to get the most from it with your SME. What phono stage have you got again, and does it have MM?
The A23 is very good, but TBH, a much cheaper and arguably even better sounding option (once suitably fettled), is the little Lentek MC head amp:
http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/6561/lentek2020moving20coil2.jpg (http://img832.imageshack.us/i/lentek2020moving20coil2.jpg/)
Remember my thread here: http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=8431
Some more info: http://www.saturn-sound.com/images%20-%20reviews/review%20-%20lentek%20amp'%20-%20pract'%20hi-fi%20&%20audio%20-%20nov%201977.jpg
My advice would be to try and find one for sale (Ebay?), which you should get for around £60-80, then give it to Nick G for some cap upgrades, rewiring etc, which will likely set you back a further £100, and so for under £200 you'll have a device that, IMO, outperforms the A23 in every area apart from noisefloor (there is a little hiss with the Lentek, but it doesn't intrude on music or affect SQ).
Trust me, the Lentek, thus modified, synergises sonically with the 103 in a way which is just simply magical! You will be shocked and stunned at what you hear.....
Anyway, more on this later :goodnight:
Marco.
Hi Marco
Thanks , good stuff as always , you might be interested to know ' i'm having it on loan from John (he bought my Snell's) it will be about a week or so as he's getting an SPU and just wants to do a quick comparison , he has the ANT Kora SE .
My trichord has 33/100/1k settings for MC with gain going from 48db up to 74db , sensitivity from about 0.2 or something like that ,must check.
I don't think my 160 is dead , Dave could well be right about the cold !
I think i just need to hear a 103 in the flesh so to speak :) and perhaps an itch that needs scratching (those bloody moggies;) ) that's probably closer to the crux.
But anyway back to Martin's DV :)
My advice would be to try and find one for sale (Ebay?), which you should get for around £60-80, then give it to Nick G for some cap upgrades, rewiring etc, which will likely set you back a further £100, and so for under £200 you'll have a device that, IMO, outperforms the A23 in every area apart from noisefloor (there is a little hiss with the Lentek, but it doesn't intrude on music or affect SQ).
There's one on eBay at the moment
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/LENTEK-MOVING-COIL-PRE-AMPLIFIER-REQUIRES-ATTENTION-/190494110520?pt=Turntable_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2c5a557338
They say the left channels is at a lower level than the right, but I guess Nick can sort that out?
the one listen I had to an XX2 in a new ARO/LP12 Armageddon/Cirkus was a lovely experience.
The 20X2 uses pretty much all of the technology in the XX2 as well as that lovely solid aluminium body. I couldn't stop playing records last night and consequently went to bed very late.
It's still running in so more detail soon.
chris@panteg
25-01-2011, 10:38
Hi Martin
Would you say there is synergy there with your arm , daft question:doh: , stating the obvious really .
Would you say there is synergy there with your arm , daft question:doh: , stating the obvious really .
Yes, there really does seem to be a natural symbiosis between the two, apart from the fact that they look good together :)
I don't want to be premature in properly evaluating the 20X2 until I've got some more hours on it (several reviews suggest the 20X/XX2 need about 20 hours), but let's just say that it's making me hear things I've not noticed before in my recordings.
chris@panteg
25-01-2011, 11:13
Yes, there really does seem to be a natural symbiosis between the two, apart from the fact that they look good together :)
I don't want to be premature in properly evaluating the 20X2 until I've got some more hours on it (several reviews suggest the 20X/XX2 need about 20 hours), but let's just say that it's making me hear things I've not noticed before in my recordings.
Thats always gets me listening into the small hours too ;) enjoy it Martin , i'm getting similar results from my QL1 , though of course not in the same league, but its nice when that happen's :)
Hi Keith,
There's one on eBay at the moment
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/LENTEK-MOVING-COIL-PRE-AMPLIFIER-REQUIRES-ATTENTION-/190494110520?pt=Turntable_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2c5a557338
They say the left channels is at a lower level than the right, but I guess Nick can sort that out?
Yeah, no worries - if you've got a 103, I'd snap that up tout-suite!! :)
Marco.
Hi Chris,
Thanks , good stuff as always , you might be interested to know ' i'm having it on loan from John (he bought my Snell's) it will be about a week or so as he's getting an SPU and just wants to do a quick comparison , he has the ANT Kora SE .
My trichord has 33/100/1k settings for MC with gain going from 48db up to 74db , sensitivity from about 0.2 or something like that ,must check.
No worries - you'll need 47K Ohms loading, however, to facilitate the use of an SUT or MC head amp.
I think i just need to hear a 103 in the flesh so to speak and perhaps an itch that needs scratching (those bloody moggies;) ) that's probably closer to the crux.
Cool - when you get it, let us know, and I'll help you obtain the most from it :)
But anyway back to Martin's DV
Indeed (apologies for the thread drift)! :cool:
Marco.
chris@panteg
25-01-2011, 11:41
Hi Marco
Forgot to mention , i have 47k loading too , i used it with Richard's EPC 205 ! that cart is going to stick in my mind for a while :( John told me had one and sold it for £360:eek: . it was bloody wonderful though .
Rare Bird
25-01-2011, 12:22
Hi Marco
Forgot to mention , i have 47k loading too , i used it with Richard's EPC 205 ! that cart is going to stick in my mind for a while :( John told me had one and sold it for £360:eek: . it was bloody wonderful though .
£360 eh! Yummy i have a 'EPC 207C' in a box with original styli, not sure what the tips like.
Frequency response: 20 Hz to 25 kHz
chris@panteg
25-01-2011, 12:36
Hi Andre
Don't know about the 207 ? but Richard has pretty much the whole set of Technics T4P carts and the 205 is his favorite .
It will still sell though , they seem to be sought after :)
Rare Bird
25-01-2011, 13:12
The '207' is a good cartridge i remember it ate a few respectable MM's i had for breakfast. I think it came standard with the 'SLQ2'/'3' TT's.
i have a 'EPC 207C' in a box with original styli
Was that the one made for quadraphonic (CD4)? Supposed to be a stellar cartridge.
I've written a full review. Just waiting to take a new (better) photo. Will hopefully publish it tonight.
Lurvely - looking forward to it! :)
Marco.
Done.
http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?p=183788#post183788
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