Field coil dava cartridge


I have been hearing great things about the dava field coil cartridge with the tube power supply. I am only able to read a few reviews on them. The reviews seem all positive and the designer Darius seems to be a very approachable person . I would like to hear opinions on the strengths and weaknesses of the cartridge. Especially comparison with the Lyra atlas sl which is my current cartridge.

thanks in advance.

newtoncr

I've been absent for too long. @pindac wax poetic all you want. I love that. My own way of saying it is, "I am going to kick ass":-)

@ whomever brought the topic up. 12" tonearms are terrible. They sacrifice low inertia and stiffness for an insignificant improvement in tracking error. There is no decent cartridge available today that demands that kind of mass. If anyone thinks a 12" arm sounds better, unless there is something very unusual about their setup, it is entirely psychological. Under all normal circumstances they can't and they don't. 

Now back to the Dava. There is always the very slight chance that the DAVA is an extremely good cartridge. From what I see and read there is no way in --- that I would opt for one without being able to evaluate one in equipment I am familiar with. There are several cartridges that I would buy sight unheard based on the design, the reputation of the manufacturer and lastly whatever reviews are out there. The DAVA is not yet one of them and I wouldn't hold your breath. I feel the same way about the DS Audio system and there are probably more people who think that is a great cartridge. Maybe I'm just a stodgy old guy that can not tolerate change(that's BS). Maybe I just enjoy tweaking Mikes chain, ( I don't think he cares). Maybe it is because I honestly think it is a piece of garbage, (I would not go that far). Darius Has obviously put a lot of effort into it. It should take off and make him a lot of money), ( the Jewish way of looking at things. I'm Jewish so I can say that without pissing myself off).

whomever brought the topic up. 12" tonearms are terrible. They sacrifice low inertia and stiffness for an insignificant improvement in tracking error.

30% reduction in tracking error is not insignificant.

There is no similarity between DS audio and DaVa except that both are the most detailed I have heard. Jonathan Tinn owns north and he or Mike could let us know what he thinks about both

 

 DS audio is not a field coil conical cactus stylus cartridge that can be put through an external phono, not does it have a tube power supply though is expected to get a tube encoder, I think. The sound and the resulting emotions are quite different between the two

Jonathan Tinn owns both and he or Mike could let us know what he thinks about both

@bonzo75

here is all you need to know about Jonathan’s opinion. his DS Audio is for sale......but not his DaVa. he did tell me he likes both cartridges, but what the DaVa does is essential. and Jonathan has had most of the top level cartridges in his system.

https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649905130-ds-audio-master-1-reference-cartridge-with-phono-equalizer/

Dear @mijostyn : you are rigth, the 12" against a 10" EL tonearm in reality makes almost insignificant " improve " in tracking error. Using Löfgren A alignment IEC:

 

high tracking error in 12" is 1.4° at 146mm ( outer groove) and from 120mm. to 66mm is 0°and at most inner groove ( 60mm ) is 0.56°

in the 10" is 1.65° at most outer groove and 0° from 119mm to 66mm and at most inner groove is 0.57°

 

All those with 100% accuracy in the alignment but any tiny inaccuracy in the alignment makes that the 12" error gone way higher than in a short tonearm.

 

Nothing justify a longer tonearm other that the " no sense ": " I like it " or just ignorance. In the other side a longer tonearm develops higher resonances/vibrations/self distortions ( everything the same. ).

 

R.