Manitunc,
Indeed, the Te Kaitora Rua does not seem to be very popular among the Dynavector cartridges. I am a bit surprised as everything I've heard about this cartridge has been very positive. It is also on my list of candidates to replace my Delos at some point. I wonder if the fact that it is positioned in the middle of the Dynavector cart lineup has something to do with it - too expensive for those who are looking for a good entry to mid-level cartridge, and not worth a bother for those who go straight for the terrific XV-1s.
If I can offer any advice regarding loading, the Kaitora is a low output cart at 0.26 mV so I'd expect it to need more gain than the Delos. It roughly should need about 62 dB so you might want to adjust the gain on your phono preamp to 66 dB to compare, but of course the line preamp gain comes into play as well so you should experiment to find an optimal setting. Just to mention, I run my Delos at more or less 55 dB with good results, so it is also possible that you will like the Kaitora at 60 dB.
As far as resistive loading, a friend of mine has an XV-1s, and we both preferred it at about 500 Ohms so you might want to try the 470 Ohm setting on your preamp since the Kaitora incorporates many of the design features of the XV-1s.
Let us know what you find to sound best and congratulations on your new cartridge.
Indeed, the Te Kaitora Rua does not seem to be very popular among the Dynavector cartridges. I am a bit surprised as everything I've heard about this cartridge has been very positive. It is also on my list of candidates to replace my Delos at some point. I wonder if the fact that it is positioned in the middle of the Dynavector cart lineup has something to do with it - too expensive for those who are looking for a good entry to mid-level cartridge, and not worth a bother for those who go straight for the terrific XV-1s.
If I can offer any advice regarding loading, the Kaitora is a low output cart at 0.26 mV so I'd expect it to need more gain than the Delos. It roughly should need about 62 dB so you might want to adjust the gain on your phono preamp to 66 dB to compare, but of course the line preamp gain comes into play as well so you should experiment to find an optimal setting. Just to mention, I run my Delos at more or less 55 dB with good results, so it is also possible that you will like the Kaitora at 60 dB.
As far as resistive loading, a friend of mine has an XV-1s, and we both preferred it at about 500 Ohms so you might want to try the 470 Ohm setting on your preamp since the Kaitora incorporates many of the design features of the XV-1s.
Let us know what you find to sound best and congratulations on your new cartridge.