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Can I straighten an off-center twisted cantilever?


Time for a confession: I played exactly three (3) cuts before trying to fine tune my tonearm's alignment. I lost concentration for an instant. The arm slid across the TT's mat, de-centering and twisting --but not breaking-- the cantilever. The cantilever arm itself is still very straight.

This is a Dynavector 20X-L with low hours, for which I paid $300. What is my best path?

There is a jeweler who will loan me his fine pliers, large scale magnification and a vice. Is there any wisdom in trying to realign the cantilever? (beside this incident I'm very good with my hands) Is there anything to lose? I've emailed Soundsmith to explain the situation but had no response.

If I return the cartridge to Dynavector can they return it to original spec? Is it worthwhile? I know Soundsmith is one option, but an audio buddy said the cartridge will never be original specification after a re-tip or cantilever replacement. Is or should that be a concern?

Since my TT is just operative for the first time, I don't know what I'm missing, and wouldn't mind a couple of months without it. When autumn comes (I'm in the northeast: we're not sure Spring is coming) I would really like to be able to listen to my vinyl.

Thanks very much for your shared thoughts and experience.

David
cdk84

Showing 1 response by peterayer

peterayer
1,382 posts
 
It sounds like your stylus and cantilever are straight and undamaged and the problem is that the cantilever has moved in relation to the suspension ie, it is twisted/rotated relative to the correct position at the connection to the suspension. Or even that the suspension has somehow been moved. If this is the case, perhaps it will prompt some new discussion.

I have no experience with Soundsmith. How are they usually about answering emails? And if their service costs around $300, it might not even be worth the hassle of repairing it. Same for Dynavector. Perhaps for roughly the same money you could find another cartridge here on Audiogon.
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