DynaVector DV505 is it worth the hassle?

The Dynavector 505 is not more complicated (in my opinion) to set up than other high quality tonearms. I owned a 505 some years back and had no issues with it other than it's unusual appearance and massive overall weight. The overall weight could be a problem for some "sprung" turntables.

The biggest problem with the Dynavector is the short (vertical axis) tonearm which is especially sensitive to VTA and record warp due to it's ultra short length. The plus side of the Dynavector is the high mass arm for the horizontal plane, which provides very robust bass with most cartridges I've paired with it.

Your SME is a good arm and the Dynavector is a good arm. I suspect cartridge matching, tonearm cable and other variables could cause a person to vote for one or the other based on their own preferences.

If you want to move way beyond either of these arms you would have to buy a newer design such as the SME 312S or the Triplanar. Again, just my opinion.

Stringreen,
This seemed to be the crux of the question posed by Eriksdad:

It looks cool but it appears complicated to set up and use

I responded that I had no issues with the set up.

The Dynavector 505 is not more complicated to set up than other high quality tonearms. I owned a 505 some years back and had no issues with it other than it's unusual appearance and massive overall weight. The overall weight could be a problem for some "sprung" turntables.

The second part of Eriksdad question was:

.....Any opinions about the Dynavector arm would be appreciated.

To which I responded

problem with the Dynavector is the short (vertical axis) tonearm which is especially sensitive to VTA and record warp due to it's ultra short length. The plus side of the Dynavector is the high mass arm for the horizontal plane, which provides very robust bass with most cartridges I've paired with it.

I addressed the issue of set up, followed by opinion's (both positive and negative) of the 505's unusual design.

How is this odd?

Lewm, my post, which is the first response in this thread, mentions the short arm and massiveness of the structure as a whole.

The Dynavector consists of two separate tonearms, a very unusual design allowing for low mass in the vertical plane and high mass in the horizontal plane.

That very short arm (the low mass) is also subject to VTA errors, due to ultra short pivot point. The good news is the high horizontal mass makes for great bass with many cartridges.

It helps to look at a photograph. The Dynavector is such a departure from other designs it's not easy to understand unless you've owned one.