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Dynavector 20XH W/ Rega P5- Less Bass Than 10X5?

Afternoon All,

I had a friend install a Dynavector 20XH on my Rega P5 a few days ago, replacing the 10X5.

We used the Baerwald protractor and everything looked to be pretty much dead on. Tracking force was set at 2.04 grams, and there's already a 2mm spacer installed under the tonearm.

This is a very nice cartridge, but it doesn't seem to have the floor-vibrating lows that the 10X5 can deliver. Is this just a normal characteristic of the 20XH?

I'm also hearing quite a lot more mids in the 20XH - as if someone turned up a slider on an equalizer.

Do I perhaps just need to increase the tracking force for a bit more bass...say 2.1 grams?

It seems very strange for a more expensive cartridge to not be able to deliver the same punch, but perhaps something is amiss.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!
theunderlyingtheme
5 responses Add your response
lindisfarne
511 posts
 
I don't have any erudite comments about the sonic characteristics of the carts but...you will NOT get more bass with more tracking force. You will make things brighter still.
inna
7,296 posts
 
Let it brake in for at least 50 hours. Also, judging by what you said, I can't understand which cartridge you consider more balanced and coherent. And, since Dyna 20 is heavier and different in other aspects, the interaction with tonearm is different too.
theunderlyingtheme OP
90 posts
 

Well, from what I understand, it already had roughly 100 hours on it when I acquired it.

That being said, I'm not sure how long it was sitting on a shelf (it's only about 3 years old), so perhaps it needs a "re-breaking in"?

It does sound nice, absolutely. But I certainly can't help thinking it's got to be capable of the same low end as its cheaper brother.
rpfef
110 posts
 
With a Morch UP-4 arm (7.4 gm mass) my switch from a 10x5 to a DV20XH was an unquestionable improvement, top to bottom. I definitely did not experience any loss of bass in either dynamics or quality. My own feeling about the midranges would be that the DV20 was smoother and more open than the 10x5.
In addition, it tracked slightly better and produced less record noise.
(As a sidelight, I had Soundsmith do their mid-level stylus/cantilever replacement. The result was another good jump up in the beauty of sound and yet quieter backgrounds.
I highly recommend it if you can stand the several months waiting line.)
miner42
709 posts
 
When I had my DV20X on my P7 I had to get the Rega heavyweight (130g vs 100g standard wt.) and used 2 2mm spacers. My dealer set it up. Needed the heavyweight due to the heavier cartridge.
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