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2K-3K Cartridge for SME10/BAT VK-P10SE superpak

I am on the last step of upgrading my analog front end. I am using SME 10 with M10 tonearm (part of performance package, similar to SME 309) with a BAT VK-P10 SE with superpak phonostage. I am currently using a Dynavector 20XL (output 0.25mV) using the step-up transformer in the BAT. Rest of the system is cardas golden reference tonearm cable (currently being reterminated with XLR connectors by Cardas), Golden reference balanced ICs, BAT VK-300x SE integrated amp, cardas neutral reference speaker cable in internal biwire configuration, and Aerial 7bs. I listen to rock and small combo Jazz (Blue Notes, Coltrane, Bill Evans, Miles Davis). My listening priorities are a very dynamic, full range sound with extended, well-controlled bass, wide soundstage, and likely err on the side of a touch of warmth. I want to avoid forward sounding highs and am very sensitive to excessive sibilance. I have no complaints with the Dynavector, but can't help but wonder what a more expensive cartridge would bring. Cartridges I am considering based on reviews and forums are

Sumiko Celebration II (based on several SME users recommendations)
Dynavector XX2 Mk II (I love my Dynavector)
Lyra Helikon or Helikon SL
Lyra Skala (this would be a stretch of my budget)
Ortofon Jubilee

Thanks for your suggestions.
sdrenslow
jfrech's avatar
jfrech
1,816 posts
 
Hi Scott !

I'd skip the Helikon. I had it for a few years. It is great, don't get me wrong, matches great with your phono stage :), but the Skala just is superior. Adding clarity, transparency and that warmth in right amount. The Helicon was just a little cool for me. The Helikon err's on the cool side just a tad, but wonderful balance, detail, staging.

I have heard the same thing on the Sumiko Celebration. It maybe "the" cartridge in your price range and on your SME table/arm. I have not personally heard it. I suspect a few posters will jump in and comment on it. Ditto stepping up in the Dynavector line.

Honestly, you might be best served keeping your cartridge and stepping up the SME 309 to a SME IV.Vi or SME V. From Stereophile's SME 10 review posted on www.stereophile.com:

"The IV.Vi tonearm raises the Model 10's price to $8250, and it raised the level of performance as well. With the IV.Vi on the 'table, there was a noticeable improvement in low-level resolution, retrieval of inner detail, and, not surprisingly, soundstage depth, with back-of-hall events coming into finer focus. The IV.Vi helped create a bigger, more finely focused, somewhat smoother picture that bettered in every way an already impressive performance. It certainly forced me to reassess my opinion of SME arms in general."

Then getting a Skala, XV-1s, or maybe the Air Tight PC 1 down the road.

Good luck!
kurt_tank
1,189 posts
 
Well, since you like your Dynavector, how about going "whole hog" and going with a Dynavector XV-1S, (or even its predeccesor, the XV-1?

Used they can be found within your budgeted amount, usually for as low as $1,900 (which is what I bought mine for, and a month after I bought mine, I saw another for the same amount). Typically this is what one goes for with a couple of hundred hours on it, and since a cartridge like this will last for at least a thousand hours, (and probably double to triple that), that is an incredible deal to get it for less than half its retail price of $4,250. Of course you'll pay a bit more for one that is not even broken in yet. (If you'll check, you'' typically find one or two for sale here on Audiogon, in fact there were two for sale when I looked just now.)

FYI, I owned the XV-1S for several months now, and find it to be an incredble cartridge, and just as impressive as all the reviews has said it is!
It has a very, very low noise floor (which is very important to me), which rivals the best cartridges I have heard, such as the Koetsu, ZYX and Brinkmann (EMT) line of cartridges.
It is incredibly detailed, without being analytical.
It has a great bass response, (it is almost as deep as my previous Shelter 90X, (just a touch less deep actually), but it is tighter and quicker than the Shelter, which makes me enjoy it more.
The treble is smooth, well extended and very detailed, without being bright or glaring.
The mid-range is wonderful, and while it is not as lush as the Koetsu cartridges I have owned (and loved!), in the past, it is, in its own way, just as good, as the neutrality of the mid-range seems to blend better with the well extended treble and bass response. (The Koetsu mid-range was magical, but the treble was ever so slightly rolled off, and the bass response was neither as deep or as tight as either the XV-1S or the Shelter 90X.)
At this point, I think I have found the cartridge I plan on living with for a very long time!

My two cents worth anyway.
Good Luck!
sdrenslow OP
65 posts
 
John,

Thanks for the sage advice. I have thought about upgrading the tonearm. The upgrade to the tonearm would be easier if I was able to sell the M10 tonearm. However, due to its unique mounting, it would be difficult to use with any other table besides the SME10 and therefore would likely be difficult to sell. The tonearm I have has the optional damping trough. That, the silver cartridge leads and the Cardas tonearm cable may slightly close the gap with the Model IV and V tonearms.

Kurt,

I have purchased virtually my entire audio system off audiogon, but am very reluctant to purchase a cartridge second hand due to uncertainty with how many hours the cartridge has been used, despite the users best guess. Certainly something to think about and it would let me step into something I otherwise couldn't afford (much like the rest of my audio system!).

Scott
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