Dynavector DV-507 Mk II ?


Has anyone had the chance to audition/buy the Dynavector DV-507-II arm? The jointed arm design looks cool, how does it sound? $4K, worth it?
consttraveler
Some people really like this arm, some don't. It has an interesting design which solves some important problems, but unfortunately creates others.

Whatever the opinions, it is a very well made arm. I personally feel that you could do better for less money.
Zaikesman: The looks are what attracted me, but I have been working as an engineer for over 20 years and immediately saw some structural and dampening advantages to a jointed arm. The anti-skate is also interesting. Using a magnetic device "should" apply even pressure for the width of an LP, while the hanging weight found on most high-end arms is, at best, applying a smoothly changing ammount of pressure across the LP.

TWL: What problems are created? I am considering this arm for use on a (future purchase) Teres with a wood plinth.

Dave
Dave, the very short arm that does the vertical travel creates some vertical tracking issues, and some effective vertical mass/resonance issues. Dut to the ultra short geometry of the smaller arm, it creates wide swings in VTA as even small warps pass under the stylus. Second, vertical mass/resonance is affected by the very low mass of this small arm, making careful cartridge choice mandatory. Third, having strong magnetic flux fields in the damping mechanism near the pivot, where the wires exit the tonearm, may cause some interaction with the signal wires. And fourth, the very high weight of the overall tonearm package can make it troublesome on some suspended subchassis TTs.

However, it does do a great job of solving the need to greatly increase the horizontal mass of the tonearm system, to better stabilize the arm with respect to the lateral deflections normally imparted by the stylus. It is built like a tank, has very nice fit, finish, and appearance, and is quality all the way. It may even qualify as a "status symbol" type of tonearm.

Sonically, I find it did some things very well, like bass response and detail, but it was lacking in some other areas. I feel that a Graham will be alot more liquid, an SME will have better detail, and an OL will do everything better. But the DV arm is not a bad one and you could do alot worse. If you like very "industrial looking" arms, take a look at the Tri-planar Ultimate. That is a very high-tech arm, and sounds better than the DV, in my opinion.