Dynavector DV507-II on Technics SL-1210

[Barry]

Hi Martin,

Forgive my facetious remarks concerning the arm - I am especially envious, as it is an arm that has fascinated me since I first became aware of it back in the early '80s.

Despite that, or because of that, I have a number of questions to ask of you:

• 1. Are you using your cartridge (AT33?) under the same conditions (i.e. same tracking force, bias and VTA) as you did using your (9"?) Jelco?
  How does the cueing work? Looking at the photos it would appear that the arm lift/lower acts on that part of the arm which can only move in the horizontal plane. I assume that the short, vertical moving, arm stub is arranged so that in its rest position it hangs slightly below horizontal, so that when cue'd the correct VTA is achieved.

• 2. Is the tracking force achieved solely through adjustment of the counterbalance weight of the short vertical moving stub?

Finally, I have several versions of the Stravinsky 'Firebird'. I'm aware of the Mercury 'Living Presence' version but have never heard it. I do have a couple of these recordings and think well of them, but am aware/suspicious of the 'hype' that surrounds them. (Suspicious of the need for the use of three microphones). Do you have any specific comments on this Mercury recording?

Regards

[MartinT]

Hi Barry

1. Yes, the AT33PTG is setup exactly as it was before (1.85g tracking, dead horizontal for VTA) as I found these to be the optimum settings. The cueing is fiendish! It actually works on the stub arm, lifting it off the record using a mechanism that works underneath and along the main gantry. The gantry itself only moves in the horizontal plane. This is elegant and, unlike the Jelco, it does not drift when lowered making accurate cueing very easy.

2. Tracking force is achieved by spring from the control knob at the stub arm, having first balanced it out with the (small) counterweight. The second (big) counterweight at the back of the gantry is only there to keep even pressure on the horizontal ball race. Again, very clever.

Incidentally, I tried my most warped record last night, one that has either caused arms to jump or the warp to be very audible in the music. It not only played without breaking a sweat, the warp was inaudible! So its reputation for handling warps well because of the low mass stub arm is justified.

[MartinT]

Regarding the Mercury recordings, I do know that the three-mic recording technique goes back to Stokowski days and was considered a very good sounding technique for balancing detail from the orchestra with the acoustic of the hall. I note that the BBC still uses this mic array for concert broadcasts (you can see it at the Proms in the Albert Hall, three mics dangling from the ceiling). I guess the proof is in the pudding and the Mercury recordings do sound very good.

[chris@panteg]

Barry ' can i also point out ' the use of 35mm magnetic film ' this is another reason they sound so good ' and Wilma Cozart Fine .

[twelvebears]

Don't visit Devon period! I'm really fed up with having to reverse half a mile up a lane because the Grockle (err I mean tourist) is unable or unwilling to reverse 5meters to the passing place!


Les

I completely understand how annoying it must be. When we visited our friends in Torcross I just automatically shot off in reverse whenever I came nose to nose with any vehicle that wasn't a Landy or looked like it had a family in it.

Fortunately some of us Grockles know both how wide our cars are AND how to go backwards....

[Marco]

Fortunately some of us Grockles know both how wide our cars are AND how to go backwards....

Grockles?



Marco.

[Ali Tait]

Grockles=tourists!

[Marco]

Cheers, Ali - haven't heard that one before

Marco.

[Ali Tait]

Aye,it's peculiar to that part of the world.

[The Grand Wazoo]

What about Emmets then?