Koetsu cartridges - myth or reality?


Hi guys - I am looking to upgrade my 1 year old Dynavector xx1 MC cartridge - I have heard (and read) for many years that Koetsu cartridges are a great option for those looking for musicality, right timbre and lush-sounding analog.

Digging further I find that some cathegorize them as slow sounding, not great tracking and poor price/performance ratio as well... I am looking for advise from those who have experience with Koetsu - particulary those who moved from a fast sounding cartrdige like Dyna, Clearaudio or Lyra - missing anything once you moved?

Thanks

Fernando
128x128flg2001


If I may add to Flg2001's question about the 507. The issue with this tonearm is mostly related to mass distribution once the arm is mounted on the turntable. The arm itself is 3 lbs, which is something to factor in when considering matching it with some lightweight turntables, suspended or not.

A high-mass turntable design, suspended or not, should be able to accommodate the 3 lbs of the arm without much unbalancing of the mass distribution of the turntable. This is because the extra mass added is a small percentage of the total mass of the turntable.

Conversely, if such a weight (3 lbs) is added to a light turntable, the extra mass will be a large percentage of the total weight of the table and this will certainly tax one side of the structure of the turntable, eventually changing its resonance.

Of course, my comments are general in nature and they don't address any specific design of turntable. An engineer designing a light turntable could foresee the installation of a heavier arm and design the mass distribution and structural supports accordingly.

Regards,

iSanchez


Raul and others, you have made me interested in purchasing a Dynavector 507 in order to max out the performance of my Urushi and future Koetsus I may want to own. I have never seen a Dynavector "in the flesh". Does it have provision for azimuth adjustment and/or VTA adjustment a la my beloved Wheaton Triplanar? Thanks and sorry for the OT question.


Lewm,

The 507 MK II has adjustment for azimuth via the headshell.

VTA adjustment can be done in two ways: one way is by adjusting the mounting hight of the arm, and the other way is via the 'hight adjustment level', located at the base of the tonearm. This level provides the easiest way to adjust the VTA and requires only your fingers. This level moves the tonearm smoothly up and down.

One of the main reasons for me to acquire this arm is that all parameters can be adjusted, and most importantly, they remain that way for a long time.

Regards,

iSanchez


Thanks. The virtues of the 507 are similar to those of the Triplanar, as regards azimuth and VTA adjustment, apparently.
Lewm, the 507 is a great sounding tonearm. Highly flexible on cartridge matching, adjustability and a breeze to use. It's also a great tracker and will do warps without a hiccup.