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Graham Phantom DV XV-1s setup question

I took the plunge and moved from a DV XX2 MkII to the DV XV-1s :-) My TT is the TW Raven One. I have been playing around with the setup and currently have the loading at 100ohms, VTF 1.87gram, no anti-skate and no damping fluid.

After doing some searches read about the 2.5 tracking force option. I tried it at 2.20 grams for a couple of days and briefly at 2.50grams and it seemed to kill the dynamics. What I am experiencing now is slight thin/bright sound on some recordings, not what most people report as the character of this cartridge. Moving the VTF seems to kill the dynamics.

I've only had it now for 3 weeks, 20-30 hours. Is this the breakin character of the cartridge? is anyone using the damping fluid with this cartridge? how much if you are? Ideas? my phono stage can do 30,100,500,1000,47K.

Thanks!
128x128musichead
dan_ed
2,451 posts
 
Hi Thom! I was beginning to think you had gotten lost. :-)

Yes, I find mine works beautifully right around the 1.85-1.87 area. It might go a tad lower with the Talea but I haven't optimized things yet. Not sure what the cause of the brightness is that Musichead reports.
musichead's avatar
musichead OP
94 posts
 
I think the brightness comes from pivoting on the VTF cross over point and the cartridge not broken in yet. For some recordings it's spot on then another a tad bright. Increase the VTF by 0.03 grams and the bright recording is fine.
thom_at_galibier_design's avatar
thom_at_galibier_design
729 posts
 
Hi Dan,

I've been prototyping a new armboard design, along with other cool stuff (Audiofest is just around the corner), so I haven't had much time to visit over here.

I've been spending time getting to know the Myajima mono cartridge, which is very nice ... problem is ... I have a whole lot of stereo records and a handful of monos. That's for a whole 'nuther thread.

It's good to get back to my trusty Dynavector, and yes, I too am arriving at the opinion that with the Talea, we can knock off a few hundredths of a gram.

Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier
dan_ed
2,451 posts
 
Musichead, it sounds like you have a good handle on the XV-1s. Enjoy!
jazdoc
365 posts
 
Musichead,

Thom gave me a great tip when I got my Dynavector. Even with suboptimal set up it will probably sound terrific, but don't be satisfied. Take your time and experiment methodically with the last incremental changes in setup. I found it useful to keep a written log documenting my progress (or lack thereof). You will be amazed at the improvements resulting from that last little bit of tweaking. If you haven't done so already, I highly recommend investing in a MintLP arc protractor to optimize alignment parameters. This will almost certainly take care of any higher frequency stridency after break-in is complete.

Thom and Dan, I have found that on the Talea, the XV1-S is happiest with VTF @ 1.82-1.83.
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