Dynavector DV507-II on Technics SL-1210

[The Grand Wazoo]

Hi Martin,
I'm just wondering if you'd mind telling us how life is like the the Dynavector, now that you'd had a good spell with it?
Care to let us know?

[MartinT]

I've had the Dynavector arm running in the Techie now for a while and am happy to report my findings. I'm still not sure anyone else has ever put a DV on a Technics, certainly no-one in Vinyl Engine is aware of another combination apart from mine.

Day to Day Use
The DV, despite looking complex, is quite easy to setup and get aligned - almost as easy as an SME but without the wonderful instruction manual. The mounting plate is critical and there is very little scope for lowering the arm for very low profile cartridges, although different headshells can help here. VTA is made very easy with the adjustment lever and can be changed on the fly. I have not yet swapped cartridges but the headshell is a standard fit although the joint is so close to the vertical pivot that it probably has no discernible effect on the sound. I keep it well tightened, in any case. The arm feels nice and wieldy while being cued up and the vertical cuing is very clever and works well without the sideways drift I used to suffer from the Jelco.

Tracking
I've covered tracking elsewhere, suffice to say that it seems very confident even on fierce passages. It passed all four tracking bands on my HFS69 test record (a first) and always sounds confident. This is probably helped by the unique horizontal damping using magnets and eddy currents. There is no audible end of groove distortion, a measure of its tracking ability, geometry and slightly longer than standard length.

Sound
Quite simply, this arm sounds wonderful. It has taken my AT33PTG to a new level with a performance that transforms this relatively inexpensive cartridge into a giant killer. The midrange is clean, detailed and presented in a wonderful soundstage which is wide and deep. Voicing is very neutral and natural with no chestiness, no accentuation at all. Since the midrange is so very important it tends to carry all else to excellence and indeed it does with this arm. Bass is deep, extended and tight without being overblown. The AT is no bass excavator and the DV reflects this. Perhaps a Koetsu would give more in this area but frankly my system doesn't need it. Treble is sweet, extended and very detailed. On much material it clearly shows up CD's limitations in the treble area.

Dynamics are a revelation. I haven't heard better (of course, there are many turntables I haven't heard and I've only limited exposure to the Continuum) and, with a good pressing, can be quite surprising. Records I thought I knew well are transformed with a performance that comes away from the speakers and with a previously unheard liveliness. Everything sounds good and leading edges are especially realistic giving drums new life in some previously flat recordings. Micro detail is in abundance, an area which seems to flourish when dynamics are good (witness the modified Caiman DAC with similar properties).

All hi-fi is synergistic and never more so than turntable/arm/cartridge combinations. I have no idea whether the DV sounds universally good although the reviews generally suggest so. I certainly think that it is an ideal match for the Technics where the latter's extreme speed stability and stable platform give the DV what it needs to work well. It is a very well engineered arm, beautiful in execution, makes me nod my engineer's mind in approval, and sounds every bit as good as it looks.

[Marco]

Excellent stuff, Martin, and thanks for the update. I'm glad things worked out well with the Dynavector - it is certainly a rather 'serious' tonearm!

Does it use the standard SME-type bayonet fitting for headshells?

If so, it would be a giggle to hear what my SPU would sound like on the end - now that would be a mad looking combo, and probably a very good sounding one, too!

Marco.

[Barry]

Excellent stuff, Martin, and thanks for the update. I'm glad things worked out well with the Dynavector - it is certainly a rather 'serious' tonearm!

Does it use the standard SME-type bayonet fitting for headshells?

If so, it would be a giggle to hear what my SPU would sound like on the end - now that would be a mad looking combo, and probably a very good sounding one, too!

Marco.

Yes it does Marco.

Dynavector/SPU combo? Ought to be good; not sure about overhang adjustment though.

How about a Dynavector/EMT XSD combination?

Regards

[MartinT]

Does it use the standard SME-type bayonet fitting for headshells?

Yes it does. It should take the SPU as long as it uses standard length since there won't be any fore-aft adjustment. This is where it differs from the SME, it uses a collar mounting without an SME-type adjustable baseplate.

It would be fun to try

[Marco]

Definitely one to do then next time we have a sesh! Maybe Barry could bring his EMT? Have you guys met before?

Dunno how far it is from Essex to Basingstoke.....

Marco.

[Barry]

Dynavector once made a plug in version of the DV20 for the DV505 (and thus the 507)



The founder of Dynavector, the late Dr Tominari, based his cartridges on the design of the EMT; hence my speculation on a Dynavector / EMT XSD combination.

Anyway, here’s one for me:



and one for you:





Regards

[Marco]

Lol - nice one! Doncha just lurve the 'industrial solidity' of it all?

It's what I think quality T/T design is all about.

Marco.

[Barry]

Lol - nice one! Doncha just lurve the 'industrial solidity' of it all?

It's what I think quality T/T design is all about.

Marco.

Oh yes! I would want one even if they sounded crap - I would display it as a piece of sculpture.

Sorry about the size of 'yours' (No sniggering there at the back of the class!). I tried several times to enlarge it: either it was too large (I hate to have to scroll horizontally) or in this case too small.

Here’s the site, so you can revel in some audio ‘porn’:

http://www.google.co.uk/images?q=dyn...art=40&ndsp=20

Regards

[MartinT]

Anyway, here’s one for me

Nice, I believe that the blue finish plus the square baseplate makes it an original DV-505, quite different in detail from mine.