@skipk - This doesn't really address the OP's queries, but might give him some food for thought.
My experience with DV has always been outstanding, and I feel they are one of the very best cartridge companies out there.
My story: I had used the MR23RS Ruby for about 20 years until my last move. The rig went into storage for about 12 years. When I finally got it all set up again, I discovered some age-related problems with the table, arm, pre-amp and a few other bits. Started the repair & update cycle.
In the process, I ended up having the table fully refurbished, had to get my arm rebuilt and decided to move up a notch with the cartridge. So a DV 17D3 arrived. After 8+ months of back-and-forth with the arm, it was determined it couldn't be fixed. So a new arm came in.
Mounted the cartridge and discovered that the right channel was out. It had been mounted and demounted so many times on the other arm sorting problems that the internal lead failed. By this time, it was 13 months old. Mike Pranka at DV's US distributor told me to send it in. About a week later, a replacement arrived @ N/C.
Mounted the replacement and ran into some set-up trouble with the arm. While setting the VTF, stylus slipped off the scale pan and hit the (plastic) platter. Took it and my armwand over to a lab and used a stereo microscope to inspect and align it. The inspection did not go well - the diamond cantilever was broken in a perfect stylus-like arc right where the stylus should have been.
Contacted Mike again, explained what happened. Also told him that the arm wouldn't accommodate the low cartridge mass no matter what I tried. He said he'd look at it and let me know what he could do. About 10 days later, he sent me an email saying that the cantilever was defective; it must have had a partial crack at the stylus to fracture the way it did. He offered to replace the cartridge with another 17D3 or give me full value toward any other cartridge in the line.
Much as I wanted an XV-1S, I couldn't swing the extra cash. Went for the XX2 Mk II. I couldn't be happier, both with the cartridge performance and the support of DV.
I've owned lots of cartridges over the years and lots of tables. Dynavector, Ortofon and Sota are the best to deal with by far, IMO. They have always sounded great, stood behind their products and been more than happy to help resolve issues. My primary dealer, Audio Classics, has also gone the extra mile every time in the 35+ years I've dealt with them.
Good luck with your DV & happy listening no matter what!
