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Koetsu vs Dynavector

I am looking at new (well new to me anyway) cartridges for my turntable. I have found a couple of interesting candidates but given that cartridges are one of the hardest things to purchase because of the problems of arranging home trials, I am interested in other peoples opinions. I am looking at the Koetsu Urushi's (either a Vermillion or a Black) or a Dynavector Te Kaitora Rua or XV1. I realize there is a bit of a price spread at normal retail but there are some demo issues that level the field a bit. My system is as follows Oracle Delphi MkIV with a highly modified Rega arm running into a modified Mod Squad Phono Drive. This all runs into a Sonic Euphoria Transformer based volume control. The amp is a custom tube amp based on the 6L6 tube (using NOS Tung Sol 5881 at the moment). This puts out twenty watts of PP power to a pair of Quad ESL 63. The cables are a mix of Homegrown Audio silver interconnects with Eichman silver RCA jacks and Analysis Audio Silver speaker cables.
My musical preferences lie in the smaller scale more introspective sphere on this system (I have a Altec Lansing based horn setup for rocking out). Anything from Frank and Ella to Johhny Cash to Bob Dylan to Dianna Krall. I also love the instruments that share the vocal sound. I gravitate to cello, saxophone and trombone over guitar and piano. I want to here the tone and texture of the voice as my first priority and timing a bit further down the line. My listening room is a bit on the large side (30' x 50' x 25') and has a very live acoustic. It has polished concrete floors and 115 year old plaster walls (I live in an 1893 Methodist church).
I welcome any opinions but I am mostly looking for people with actual hands on experience with either the Koetsus or the Dynavectors.

Thanks
Dan
djeickme75
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rauliruegas
12,865 posts
 
Dear Djeickme: IMHO trying to discuss on an electronic audio item ( specially a phono stage ) that was designed more than 20 years ago is useless for say the least.

+++++ " "The main audible difference between the two phono preamplifiers was caused by noise". He admits that the Mod Squad is very slightly noisier with very low output MC cartridges... " ++++++

so the gain is not the only issue there are several along the noise.

Perhaps you think that that phono stage ( by the today phono stage standards ) is up to the task to really match the XV-1 or Urushi, fine with me.

+++++ " can only serve to mess up the info retrieved by the cartridge " +++++

here IMHO the tonearm and phono stage have a critical " job " because depend on which tonearm is the cartridge matched to the signal quality performance and depend too with which phono stage that cartridge signal must pass through. Remember that is in the phono stage where IMHO that cartridge signal can/could " suffer " a severe degradation due to it " heavy " process on the signal to achieve the right gain ( in many cases almost 10,000 times before could be amplified for the system’s amplifier. ) and to conform according the RIAA eq.

One target in an analog audio system is ( regarding the cartridge signal ) add the less and loosing the less too, trying to preserve the cartridge signal integrity.

Anyway is your " call " and certainly you will do what makes you happy!, good.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.
halcro's avatar
halcro
2,664 posts
 
I agree with Audiofeil.
After more than 30 years of serious listening and only recently having acquired the Continuum Copperhead and DaVinci 12" Reference Grandezza, I have come to the realisation that the tone-arm is more important than the cartridge and perhaps even the turntable?
As for the Linn philosophy of 'source first' hierachy......I realised the fallacy of this years ago.
In my opinion the speakers always come first together with the room with which they are matched. Next comes the amplifier that drives those speakers the best. Everything else falls into place when you can get these right?
djeickme75 OP
8 posts
 
Signing off.

I have realized that life is too short to engage in these audiophilia nervosa discussions.

At the end of the day all that matters is each person feeling good about their own choices. That can never happen in a forum like this unless you shape your opinions to fit the masses of the forum.

So I leave all of you to you opinions (and suggest to Audiofeil that "fact" is an awfully strong word to throw around. I am not really sure that I know any "facts" and I work in a world that is supposedly driven by science {I am a ER physician}).

Just to tidy things up a bit further, I have decided not to go to the exalted heights of the Urushi. I am going to stay at the Soundsmith, Cartridge Man, Grado level. Is this because of the discussion here. Yes but only indirectly. I have decided that life is too short to worry about getting the best and all I want to do is have some fun listening to music. Perhaps I will keep track of all the albums I am able to buy with the $1000 I save and post to this forum as the biggest justification in the world for a "lesser cartridge".

Thanks for all the opinions (even the ones I strongly disagree with, for the only thing that really allows you to truly understand yourself is be challenged on your beliefs; Socrates was correct "An unexamined life is not worth living)

Dan
lewm
12,563 posts
 
That was Henry David Thoreau, unless he was quoting Socrates. Perhaps this is a "fact".
piedpiper
753 posts
 
"Garbage in/garbage out", if not "source first" per se, is irrefutable, and is not in conflict with the fact that speakers/room make gross differences that would seem to eclipse the source, nor with the fact that the amplifier/speaker relationship is critical, any more than it is in conflict with the fact that the arm is more critical than the cartridge. It is simply that the arm/cartridge relationship is too intimate to consider as simplistically as you're suggesting. Following your logic is analogous to saying that all you need is a good stylus regardless of the cantilever and cartridge motor assembly. No need to fly in the face of those who know better on this topic.
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