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Can I straighten an off-center twisted cantilever?


Time for a confession: I played exactly three (3) cuts before trying to fine tune my tonearm's alignment. I lost concentration for an instant. The arm slid across the TT's mat, de-centering and twisting --but not breaking-- the cantilever. The cantilever arm itself is still very straight.

This is a Dynavector 20X-L with low hours, for which I paid $300. What is my best path?

There is a jeweler who will loan me his fine pliers, large scale magnification and a vice. Is there any wisdom in trying to realign the cantilever? (beside this incident I'm very good with my hands) Is there anything to lose? I've emailed Soundsmith to explain the situation but had no response.

If I return the cartridge to Dynavector can they return it to original spec? Is it worthwhile? I know Soundsmith is one option, but an audio buddy said the cartridge will never be original specification after a re-tip or cantilever replacement. Is or should that be a concern?

Since my TT is just operative for the first time, I don't know what I'm missing, and wouldn't mind a couple of months without it. When autumn comes (I'm in the northeast: we're not sure Spring is coming) I would really like to be able to listen to my vinyl.

Thanks very much for your shared thoughts and experience.

David
128x128cdk84
stringreen's avatar
stringreen
6,386 posts
 
I would certainly send it back to Dyna. Bending it back to its original condition is impossible. Even if it looks straight, its enry into the groove will most likly be off and will gauge out your precious recordings.
peterayer
1,382 posts
 
It sounds like your stylus and cantilever are straight and undamaged and the problem is that the cantilever has moved in relation to the suspension ie, it is twisted/rotated relative to the correct position at the connection to the suspension. Or even that the suspension has somehow been moved. If this is the case, perhaps it will prompt some new discussion.

I have no experience with Soundsmith. How are they usually about answering emails? And if their service costs around $300, it might not even be worth the hassle of repairing it. Same for Dynavector. Perhaps for roughly the same money you could find another cartridge here on Audiogon.
cdk84's avatar
cdk84 OP
70 posts
 

Hello All,

Thank you for your responses.

To clarify: the Dynavector's cantilever is NOT BENT, it is straight as a die. It was twisted (rotated) around its center axis so the diamond is turned about 45 degrees from vertical; it now faces in the direction of the spindle. It was also pushed to the side, but I have successfully teased it back to center position.

My concern is whether I stand a chance of ROTATING the cantilever so the diamond is vertical again. Elizabeth's suggestion of tweezers is a good one. I also have access to a jeweler's tools, and suspect I might find the precision I need there. I just need to know if it's been done.

I hope my clarification helps, and thanks again for your assistance,

Best,

David
ghosthouse's avatar
ghosthouse
4,296 posts
 
Cdk84 - Yes. I understood it wasn't bent. Still, why worry? Just replace the whole front end, if possible.
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