i believe it says less that 30ohms at least that is what my Dyna XX-2 says. I would set it at 22. |
Set at 100 ohms to start. You may prefer 47 but don't worry too much much about changing from the 100 ohm setting until you get around 50 hours onm the cart. |
Dynavector advises an impedance loading greater than 30 ohms. I agree with the advice offered by Vetterone. I am currently running my XV-1s cartridge at a loading of 100 ohms, which sounds "right" in my system for most LPs. I have also done extensive listening with the XV-1s loaded at 50 ohms. While the differences are subtle, there is more air and sparkle at 100 ohms, whereas the 50 ohm setting tends to result in sound that is a bit closed down in the top octaves. For LPs that tend to sound bright, you might find that you prefer the 47 ohm setting.
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Many thanks for the full and very helpful responses, I'll set it at 100 ohms.
By the way, what tacking force do you use? At present I've just split the difference in the recommended 1.8g to 2.2g and set it at 2g. Any additional advice here would be equally warmly welcomed. |
I set mine at 2 grms, however HW owner from VPI and HP from TAS swear by their XV-1s's at between 2.5 and 2,6 gms.
BTW I generally set mine at 47k with a pass Xono however I seem to be in the minority on that one. |
Downunder, many thanks and I'll stick with the 2g. I think that I read somewhere that the increased weights drastically reduce the life of your cartridge (by up to 50%). Also, the manaufacturers seem to think that there is a problem with the listener that takes the option of exceeding the recommended limits. I suspect that they are compensating for weakness somewhere else in their system (or even in their acquired audial prejudices) and the cartridge is being made to pay the cost. Or maybe not!? |
Dgob. I agree with you. I set mine at 2.5gm and could not hear that big a difference. However HW does say that 2.5gm sounds better and it has not effected the XV-1s in all the time he has used it at that weight.
Try it for a few hours and see if it makes a difference in your system. Can't hurt.
cheers Shane |
Using Manley Steelhead, I am loading the XV-1s at 50 ohm and setting VTF at 2.2 ohm. HP from TAS did say that it sounded better between 2.5 and 2.7. I tried at 2.7 and did not find any significant improvements. However, the cartridge body almost bottomed out (touching the LP). So I set it back to 2.2. I do think that higher VTF sounds slightly better than lower VTF. The sound was more lifelike and vivid. |
Thanks again guys, I'll try it at 2.2g for a few days and see how it compares with its current 2g setting. |
Dear Dgob: About VTF, I ask direct to Dynavector and they told me that 2.5 is the safe-top limit for VTF in the XV-1.
I'm using 2.4 and I'm very satisfied.
Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul. |
Dear Raul,
A huge thanks as ever. I suspect this will be the best match for my pending amplification. Speak soon |
It has since been generally agreed that the XV-1s performs best at around 2.1g VTF. However, it might be worth trying it with a slightly greater weight until it is broken in. SO far, I have found the best tonearm match to be with an Ikeda IT407 with a light weight (very cheap) Altai headshell and set up with the Feikert protractor. From my experience, the improvement in sound from usuing the protractor and disregarding the manufacturer's instructions if phenomenal.
I am as close to reality/live performances as I have ever been with any analogue set up. I know that Raul has had a great experience using his XV-1 with an Audiocraft AT3300 and hope to try this out at some future point. For now, setting the XV-1s/Ikeda/Altai combination up using Dr. Feickert's protractor at 2.1g VTF is a recommendation I can honestly make.
I hope this helps |
Interesting. I find my XV-1s sounds best to me around 1.85 grams. I suppose the arm being used may have something to do with what VTF works best for anyone. |
Dear Dgob: +++++ " I am as close to reality/live performances as I have ever been with any analogue set up. " +++++
That is all about and what it matters, stay in that way.
regards and enjoy the music.
Raul. |
Thanks Raul, just to note that I have recently swapped the Altai headshell for a Nagaoka magnesium headshell and my Mat1 platter for an Autio Technica AT 666 pneumatic mat. The improvement is startling and informative. Leaving me compelled to leave an even higher recommendation!!
Now I just need to try out the XV1s and Nagaoka on an Audiocraft arm to settle on my final(?) reference set up. Thanks again |
All,
This whole question about why people are tracking this cartridge at 2.5 g. has been puzzling me for quite some time.
I have one possible explanation.
Raul and I have been harping for quite some time about how many phono stages with high aspirations suffer from being too slow - having a slew rate which cannot keep up with fast transients. This is a fascinating phenomenon, as the resulting sound can fool you into thinking that you are mistracking the inner groove. It can have you puzzling over your setup geometry, azimuth, anti-skate ... as well as tracking force.
Think back to Doug's comments on tracking just above the threshold of mistracking for best dynamics (also applies to having a delicate hand with anti-skate setting).
Let's put the two concepts together ...
The XV-1s has extraordinary dynamics. I can see where some (perhaps not all), are loading down their cartridges with some .6 grams extra force in order to constrain dynamics which overchallenge their phono stages. I have not heard every phono stage out there, and certainly can't comment without inspecting the setup of these rigs. I'd certainly love to see one of these systems and plug in a known "fast" phono stage (after optimizing setup) to hear what results.
I'm sure there are other reasons for many of you tracking at such a high force - including your turntable's architecture, stand, and the floor everything is sitting on, but in piecing all of this together in the context of an unrelated discussion with a customer, I felt compelled to relate these thoughts for your consideration.
I don't get to check in here much these days, but will try to follow this thread as best as I can.
Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier |
Quick follow-up ... I didn't mean to imply that the phono stage is the only reason for people choosing a high tracking force.
In re-reading this thread, I notice that Raul is tracking at 2.4. His Essential is one of the few phono sections which is fast enought to keep up with anything thrown at it, so there's a lot more going on here.
It's definitely worth thinking about.
Cheers,
Thom |
I just replaced my old XV1 with a brand new XV1s (still not broken in only 2-3 hrs play as we speak). I found them sound best tracking at 2.0-2.05g with minimal antiskate. |
My XV1s is tracking at 1.85g, load at 100ohms and its beginning to open up already after 8hours. In fact from the start it already sounded very good, it just got even better. |
I track mine at 1.90g on an SME V (pending arrival of my new Phantom) with great success with ARC Reference Phono (with full GNSC mods package) loaded down to 100z. The Ref does not have loading capability "on the fly". I sent it back to GNSC to be modified in such a way that i can "play" with loading on the "fly" (somewhat) with custom made loading plugs and separate RCA connectors soldered in parallell with the input connectors.
Agree with Thom. The XV1's is an awesome cartridge and a steal (so to speak) at its price. I have finally found "cartridge nirvana".
Sly |
Mine is also now tracking at 1.9g on SME V with about 1 on the anti-skate. Loading at 100 ohm. I have been experimenting with VTA and have settled with the rear of the arm raised up - interested to hear what others have found with VTA??
This cartridge has an incredible ability to make you sit up and listen - sometimes makes you jump with an unexpected snare drum or vocal. Absoulutely magical! |
It has since been generally agreed that the XV-1s performs best at around 2.1g VTF. I don't know where and by whom this agreement was made and under what conditions. Would you folks tracking a 2.0+ VTF please mind stating what arm you are using the V-1s on? I think it would help clarify some of the differences that are being reported. It sounds like the SME and Triplanar users prefer a much lighter VTF. |
Dan_ed,
I was talking about those in the thread at the time and some related off-line conversations. I've tried it with an SME V, Ikeda, Lustre GST 801 and now the Audiocraft AC-3300. I found that - all things being equal - 2.1g worked best (for my tastes and priorities) on these. I'm sure YMMV |
Ok. I'm convince. You guys running 2.0+ are deaf! :-) |
On my Tri-Planar the XV-1s tracks nicely at 1.87gm though I intend to experiment with slightly lower settings.
Feeding an AS MP-1 Mk3's phono, I'm happy loaded at 200 Ohm. I've tried more and less but for me, 200 seems to be the number. |
