Changing from an XV1-S

Despite having never heard either cart, I am still inclined to agree with Thom Mackris and Audiofeil. I'd be shocked if you are getting enough out of your arm to make the difference profound. If it IS profound, the difference can probably attributed to setup.

As to 'old', I hate to say it but most of the 'technology' in your vinyl playback system is 'old technology', including your tonearm (and when you set up your tonearm using B/L alignment, that's even older).

It is not so much the 'technology' as the 'implementation and execution'. Ask Downunder... His table/arm is 30yrs old. One of the other carts he very much likes is an MM cart which is 25yrs old, but that version of the cart is the result of 9yrs of revisions of a 34-year old design. But it is all implemented extremely well.

XV-1s is old technology. Well, ok. 99% of the population think this whole vinyl thing is old technology. ;-)

I can sympathize a bit with Dcarol. It can be near impossible to have the opportunity to hear several of the great cartridges listed on this thread, and even harder to hear them in one's own system. So people resort to taking opinion polls and spending their money based on the results of which component garners the most votes.

Dcarol, you must pay hell trying to keep up with the constant improvements in solid state gear and speakers. And, if you do the same with digital I don't know how you have time to listen to LPs. IMO, others here have only scratched the surface of what I would suggest you need to do to better hear music.

Well, you are asking for opinions. :-)

Thom,

wondering if you can comment on the relative differences, benefits, and performance, of the VX-1s and the Grado The Statement1? I have read several reviews that swear that the Grado is extremely good and it costs $2,200 less than the XV-1s... I'm using a Dyna 20-xl now on my 507 MKII arm but it is getting near the end of its life expectancy... It's so difficult to make that decision on the right cartridge direction...

>>08-02-10: Dcarol
The XV1-S is very good but is old technology now.<<

How so?
Thanks in advance.

Dcarol, forgive my bluntness, but I just don't understand the goal of your original post. You ask for suggestions for a cartridge change that will give you more "realism", but you seem to dismiss every opportunity given in the responses to your original question, to explain what "realism" means to you. How exactly does the Dyna fall short to your ears? Have you actually heard the Soundsmith carts? You may not like them, but what about them did not do it for you? What about their sound made them sound "unrealistic" to you? Too lean? Too fat? Too slow? Not enough instrumental inner texture? Etc... Give us an idea of what about sound makes you say: "Aha! That sounds real". You heard "improvements" with the Ortofon Black. What were they?! Only then can others steer you in a worhwhile direction, if change the cartridge you must. Or, you can can follow Thom's or Adiofeil's very thoughtful advice, and look at the bigger picture.