Dynavector DRT XV-1 Cartridge- Opinions ??

How about Koetsu's cartridge, the most natural midrange and detailed high's I've ever heard, but never fatiguing. Your rig is top gun and deserves the best. I would also give a listen to top Benz-Micro cartridge.

Limiting the discussion to cartridges I've owned and installed in my own system with my Walker turntable, the Dynavector is as far above the Helikon(normal output) in performance as the Helikon is above the Grado Reference. The most striking thing about the Dynavector is a sensation that vinyl playback is much less mechanical and that a pervasive form of distortion has been eliminated. Tonal balance is richer than a Helikon, but not as rich nor as rolled off in the treble like a Grado Ref. The Helikon has more emphasis on leading edge transients, but somehow the Dynavector delivers as much or more total detail. The Dynavector has a much bigger soundstage and wider dynamics than the Helikon. The Dynavector is exceedlingly natural and self-effacing on classical/jazz/folk, but when playing pop/rock it is "meaty, beaty, big, and bouncey." It is peerless in the bass. The question I can't answer is how compatible it would be with your tonearm (it is 14 g); it works well in arms with unusually high horizontal effective mass (the Walker, Dynavector's DV-507).

Have you considered the Nightingale cartridge/arm for your Graham?

Steve, I see you're a Who fan !! I'm presently using a Transfiguration Temper Supreme, which does everything I like, except can be a little aggressive on upper mids. The cart. is mounted on a Graham 2.0 arm / Basis Debut V vacuum. I will have the 2.2 upgraded bearing cap, etc. tomarrow and this may help. I've recently upgraded my turntable & arm and am getting alot more of everything, which is good, but I may have uncovered a shortcoming in the Temper, which until now was undetectable. In a perfect world I'd add a little warmth, ease, liquid to the upper mids and leave the rest the same. I know this plays into the Koetsu camp, but having tried a Urushi before buying the Temper, I don't think the Urushi is transparent enough, and I don't think the bass is as good either. I understand that the XV-1 is supposed to be an attempt at the state of the art by one of the oldest cartridge companies in the world, and that it has been compared to much more expensive carts. I, of course would love to discover that trancendental cartridge that does everything at new, higher level. I believe that the Graham arm can handle the XV-1 without too much trouble. Which other cartridges have you tried ?

I haven't tried other cartridges in my Walker at home. Obviously, Lloyd likes the Clearaudios for their resolution, but my system was already voiced toward the leading edge/analytical with the Helikon, so synergy may be lost with faster/more detailed cartridges. I have a local dealer that has your turntable, except with a Nightingale on the Graham, and although it sounds fine, I don't trust my opinion of one component in a system of components which I haven't home auditioned. The dealer's system is also voiced in quite a different direction than my preferences (think MIT cable and ASC tube traps everywhere).

It sounds like you've changed your whole front end in the last few weeks. I think the prudent thing is to be patient. Listen to the system more and assess where it is and where it (and you) want to go. It seems like your complaint about it is relatively minor. It may very well change with the 2.2 upgrade. But as long as the problem is minor, I would probably not look for a cartridge change because their differences are generally huge. You could try a different record cleaning fluid, or stylus treatment/cleaner, or phono interconnect, or vacuum clamp vs. no clamp, or changing the rack that supports the turntable, and the results might be less drastic, but beneficial.

The DRT XV-1 is not a small change from the Helikon. I heard the improvements in my system in the first five seconds with the cartridge brand new out of the box. I may not have mentioned the most important thing about the XV-1's presentation: the music is communicated better and musicians just plain sound like they are performing the music better. I can focus on the sonic minutiae, but the overall perspective (the "forest") is not lost.

Hope this helps.