Cartridge upgrade, something warmer

Wow so much great info and suggestions. I'll start by making changes in the P75.
Thanks to everyone.

Are you using the PE mode on the P75? I had that combo for a couple of years and it never sounded thin to me. I found the P75 to be lacking something with other carts, but in PE mode with the 20XL it was wonderful.

Now, if you are in PE mode I would suggest what Elizabeth recommended and try to go lower on you settings on the P75.

Some good advice posted on here.
To which can I add; try to find an original ARC Ref phono for its warm, tubey sounds and cartridge wise add a Koetsu Rosewood to your collection.

It's not the cartridge.

Elizabeth's guidance is definitely the first thing to try. Then adjustments to your arm/cart setup. Then cheaper tweaks like TT mats (felt is horrible, though slippage wouln't usually result in thinness), clamps, etc. All as advised above.

That said, some Arcam gear can be thin sounding (owned their top CDP, sold it) and all SS gear can except at very high levels. Even there it is when compared to comparably priced tube gear. That's a path worth exploring but I'd do the cheaper stuff first. Everthing you learn will train your ears and inform your decision-making ability when it comes to costlier upgrades. You'll make fewer mis-steps.

Again, it's not the cartridge. A Grado would provide lots of artificial warmth, but Grados on Rega rigs have a long history of annoying their owners. If you must experiment with warm sounding carts I'd try some MM's. Not much money and Raul and the MM crowd could advise on suitable choices.

As Elizabeth suggested, try a different loading. It is free and can make a dramatic difference. The other thing to try is to change the vertical tracking angle (VTA) of the cartridge (if your arm allows for this). Thin sound is associated with too high an angle (the arm is tilted downward from the pivot).

When dialing in a cartridge, I adjust both VTA and loading. They are sort of interactive in that they roughly do the same sort of thing, in terms of tonal balance, but not quite. That means adjusting one may change what is the optimal setting of the other. By increasing the loading (LOWER value resistor, such as 100 ohms vs. 47,000 ohms), you will tend to reduce sibilance, tip the tonal balance toward the bass (less cool sounding), but going too far makes the music sound slow and muddled and lacking in top end "air" and extension. The same would be true with lowering the VTA, but with less impact on the bass response. Some mix of VTA and loading adjustment will be the best compromise.

I wouldn't call the Dynavector thin, but I would call it clean. I love Dynavector cartridges. They provide exceptional clarity and dynamic slam. However, I currently also use (in addition to my DV20-XH) a Benz-Micro L2 Wood body cartridge. I think it's better in every way that a cartridge could be evaluated. (It ought to be, it cost twice as much!). While the Benz is my reference cartridge for the moment, I still swap in the Dynavector and enjoy what it can do in terms of separating vocals and instruments, etc. I think my next cartridge will be a move up the Dynavector line. I'm hoping that there's a Dynavector that equals what I get from my Benz L2 but keeps the sleek, clean performance that I love from DV.

Cheers.

Tom

The problem isn't the cartridge. I've heard the DV-20X many times and it's anything but thin. It must be something else. My gut agrees with others to consider a tube based phono stage, but Sounds_real_audio may be on to something. Your thinness might be an artifact of the table. There's no way to know for sure until you try different things. What are you using for a mat? That's a cheap place to start. If you're still using the stock mat, check out these suggestions:

Recommended turntable mat for Rega P2
any good mat for a rega p9?
Anyone tried Herbie's mat on a Rega planar ?

I'm a skeptic when it comes to mats, but the stock material is made of felt which means it's inherently slippery. A slippery mat isn't going to hold the record in place. It's just resting on it. If high-end table makers are using heavy platters to prevent rotational deviation, the Rega mat isn't helping matters.

If a new mat isn't your cup of tea, try a phono stage. It will be easier to upgrade than a table. I don't know your budget, but here are some low cost tube-based suggestions:

Jolida JD-9A
Bottlehead Seduction and Cinemag SUTs at 1:18

There are plenty of other phono stages to choose from, but these stand out as a great bang for the buck.

Best of luck, Mark

What do the other three girls think????

I think your cartridge is better then your tonearm/table. Your P75 is really very good as well. I would look into a better table. So many to chose from on audiogon for about the price of a new cartridge. Or I would ditch the Arcam and look for a little tube integrated.

Get a tube phono pre-amp and dial in your own tone. BTW my Glider is not thin, quite nice in fact. Not too fast, not to slow, not too hot, not too cold, like baby bear's bed it's just right.

Sincerely

Goldilocks

Micro Benz Ace - superb

Grado? Or go for a decent tube phono stage?