Dynavector XX Mk II

John...Agreed with Brf, some break-in is needed. The highs will come in. In my system, at 100 ohms things were somewhat uninvolving. By contrast, between 500 and 1000 ohms, I experienced greater presence and a more natural, satisfying overall sound. Of course, I'm not sure what will work best for you in your system.

Thanks Jeff and Brf, I suppose I'll just have to be patient. I thought that break-in may be an issue, but I didn't know just how much of a difference it would make. I've had sound change over time with some components, but very rarely does it change drastically. I can remember one experience with an interconnect when the sound changed drastically over time though, so it is a possiblility.

I really like the bass and midrange performance of the XX mk II, but the high's are definitely too rolled off for me. I know that it is a new cartridge, and a new preamp too, so I will be patient. That is not easy for me. ;-)

John...Take a look at this review of the XX2 Mk2 by Paul Eros. It should be reassuring:

http://www.tnt-audio.com/sorgenti/xx2mk2_e.html

Actually, I just noticed it is a review of the XX2 Mk1, but if interested, you can type in a search for Dynavector XX2 Mk2 reviews and find several that also provide positively solid commentary.

Jeff, you were corrct the first time, that review is for the XX mk II, I know, I read it. It also further concerned me about the loading issue because I read this in that review:

Interestingly, whilst the technical sheet that comes with the cartridge recommends a 30 ohm loading, the Dynavector web site recommends load impedance of >30 ohms. The Delphini offers load impedance settings of 33, 100, 1k or 47k ohms. I found that I could detect differences with all load settings used with the XX-2, suggesting that the cartridge is sensitive to this aspect of set up. This is an important point and anyone investing in this cartridge should pair it with a phono stage that provides this option. Personally I preferred the 1k ohm setting.

I'm going to wait and give this cartridge a month or so to open up. Hopefully it does. If it doesn't, then I have some decisions to make, whether to look for another cartridge to match with my gear, or look for more gear to match with this cartridge. Sheesh........ :-)