Dynavector DV 20X-L -- which MM will better it?

Hi All,
I think that noise (high pitched 50Hz I guess) seems some odd ground-loop problem that I could tackle now. It seems to have to do with my XLR connection which is extra sensitive to this type of thing.
I put the screen of the XLR phono cable on some vacant RCA pre-amp input (that's switched off), and it seems to work fine now. If I go star-ground i.e. tt ground together with the phono cable's screen I get this problem ---- but ONLY with an MM cart. ?!?

Some other MMs I tried produce a terrible hum, even though they play?! Are they shot?

That Shure V15 III I mentioned above is definitely too recessed in the midrange, good bass, a bit too much treble, with recessed mid.
So that one will not qualify, period.
I found one MM that sounds VERY nice, an old A&R Cambridge with P-77 stylus, this baby ROCKS! And it is more balanced then the 20X-L.
So I have found ONE candidate, hurray :-)
Raul is so right about this one! It was actually made by Garrott Brothers for A&R and re-badged using a P-77 stylus.

So now can we find some more of this kind MM, they are truly surprisingly good :-)

Greetings,
Axel
PS: My Windfeld was recalled to Ortofon, I'll see what they find... more about this on the other thread.

I've had a 20X-H for several years and recently replaced it with a very lightly used XX1-H (yes, they made a high output version of this). The XX1 is now updated to the XX2 in the DV line.

Now I know this isn't a MM, but I can say that there is much more resolution and inner detail and just better overall (and still musical) presentation with the XX1, as you would expect when moving up in the line. However I can also say that I seem to have lost some of the dynamic expression that I loved about the 20X. It is a very good cartridge for the price and probably one of the best deals under $1000 these days.

I couldn't go back to a MM after hearing these, and I used to be a Grado guy.

Enjoy,
Bob

Very strange thread...

I have to ask - what phonostage are you using? I can't help but think that something else is amiss here. What you're looking for: "tight punchy bass, treble extension resolution and detail" are the very definition of what the 20XL excels in at its price point. I can't imagine any cartridge bettering it in these regards AT ITS PRICE.

The only MM cartridge I've heard in this price range that gives the 20XL's high end a run for the money is the Ortofon 2M Black. That being said, the 20XL is still a much more musical cartridge to my ears than the 2M Black.

For reference - I'm running the 20XL on a Jelco SA-750D with a light ADC headshell (resulting arm effective mass is around 12g) through a PS Audio GCPH phonostage.

I can't recall where its located, but there's another thread on this site comparing the 2M Black to the 20XL and the concensus was that the 2M would be a step down from the 20XL.

I'd also recommend Soundsmith. I currently have a 20XL and the Aida or Voice are on my hit list. A buddy of mine switched from the 20XM to the Voice and he absolutely loves it.

Raul is so right about this one! It was actually made by Garrott Brothers for A&R and re-badged using a P-77 stylus.

Dear Axel,
That's a very confusing statement which I can't quite understand?
The British A&R P77 MM cartridge came out as I recall, in the early 1980s and was a very good cartridge in its own right.
The Garrot Brothers (Brian and John) in Australia, liked it so much that they 'tweaked' the internals a bit and carefully selected special styli to then re-brand the cartridge as a Garrot P77 in the mid 1980s obviously with A&R approval. In fact I can't recall being able to purchase an A&R P77 after the Garrot version became available? This Garrot P77 was head and shoulders above the A&R P77 and established the reputation of the Garrot Brothers worldwide until their ritual suicide in the early 1990s after which a company began trading under their name (and still does to this day).
If you have the A&R P77....congratulations! But if it says Garrot P77 on it, then you've hit the mother lode?