cantelever not straight, advise please.


So I purchased a Dynavector 17D Mk2 from a fellow audiogoner here a couple weeks ago and received it yesterday. First thing I did was open the box and without removing the cart from the mounting plate or even removing the stylus guard I peeked a look at the cantelever. First thing I noticed is that it is not straight (by that I mean not parallel to the sides and square to the front of the cartridge body) I have seen other Dynavectors advertised as not having straight cantelvers and have purposly avoided them. The one I bought was advertised as being like new with 10 hours of use, no mention of the cantelever not being straight.

I'm not splitting hairs here either, it's way off, to the point where you could not use the cartridge body to align it.

I don't know how much of a big deal this is, except that I now own a cartridge that I would not sell without stating clearly that the cantelever is not straight.

I talked to the selling and he says he checked it under a microscope and that is was straight when it left his hands.

I don't think this is my problem at all and I should be offered a refund, but I'm not so sure the seller sees it that way. I told him I would be willing to give it a try, but if it falls off or something then he should stand behind it. I don't think he likes that either.

Just thought I'd run it by you guys here and see what the general consensus would be and if you think I should should just drop it mount it and hope it is OK, or demand a refund.
ejlif

Showing 3 responses by jmcgrogan2

I'd ask for a refund too. I am all for buying used gear, but I would never buy a used cartridge though. I learned my lesson there years ago. Descriptions and opinions differ greatly on how "used" a cartrdige is.

Cheers,
John
I'm sure it doesn't have only 10 hours on it. That's just like the old "check is in the mail" routine. There is no way to know how many hours are on a used cartridge. There is no way of telling how hard a cartridge was run (excess VTF, misalignment, etc). There is no way of knowing that the cartridge was set up and/or cared for properly. There is no way of knowing whether or not you even bought it from the original owner. Even with a receipt, it could have been a store demo.

Too many variables buying a used cartridge to even consider it, IMHO.

Happy New Year,
John
Neil, I agree with all that you say. That's good advice when buying used audio gear. However, I still say "Don't buy used phono cartridges". It is BY FAR the riskiest investment that you can possibly make in used audio. Mostly because the wear and tear are not visible to the naked eye. I learned this lesson the hard way years ago. Hopefully more than Ryan will learn from this. Buy the best NEW cartridge that you like and/or can afford.

Cheers,
John