2. analog
  3. 1138757939

Setup Dynavector XV-1s on SME V help

I am having all sorts of issues getting it tuned in. I do have it sounding very good but my settings leave me confused. My tracking force is 2.4 in a dynamic balance. My antiskating is set at 2.5 or abouts & the damping dip stick is all the way down. When I cue in the tonearm it always jumps right into the 1st track, never setting smooth. ON the Hi-Fi News test disk it flys across the blank space & then jumps over the next track almost to the end of the track. Kind of crazy. My VTA is level. I am loading it at 1000 ohms to great effect now & I can track the 4th track of the HiFI News & Record Review bias test track but with a lot of buzzing. I have almost no buzzing on the 3rd track. The arm resonance is about 9 hz or so in horizontal but harder to detect in vertical, but seems about the same.

Now w. my VdH Condor I had no tracking issues & itbehaved perfectly in the SME V. The Dynavector on the Ikeda never had any problems on the lead in groove (no jumping our bouncing) but it just didn't sound good (might have been the break in or the Ebony headshell I was using. I am waiting for a Dynavector headshell to use as the stock Ikeda headshell won't accomodate the Dynavector.

Anyone with any experience please chime in as I am totally lost.
dgad

Showing 2 responses by jtimothya

jtimothya
612 posts
 
Thank you Nsgarch, Raul, and Dgad - what a great thread! I had been taking the default antiskate-dial = VTF-dial; the look-and-see technique w/ the first record band actually seems more accurate. I just tried it and mine was pulling slightly to the right. I was surprised that I had to move three tics of the dial higher than VTF, but now have no deflection.

I've pretty much decided that the XV-1s will be the cartridge to replace a Shelter 901 on my SME-V, so I've been following with interest.

Kindly indulge a few questions:
i) The Shelter is not particularly VTA sensitive - from level, I adjust by ear. How VTA sensitve is the XV-1s?

ii) I've been looking at my arm and don't quite get what it is to check and what is the bit about 'stick your finger in there' (heh).

Could someone offer a few more words on leveling the tonearm - how to check and how to level?

(Fwiw, I have the SME-Vd which is the detachable headshell model supporting azimuth adjustment.)

Thanks again,
Tim
jtimothya
612 posts
 
Thanks Shane & Nsgarch!

Wrt to checking deflection on set-down versus pick-up, I am not an engineer, but with the pick-up method I wonder if the arm/cartridge/stylus being up to speed is a factor as they ride the groove. Would the arm have enough mass and inward momentum as it is picked up to continue slightly foward during the pickup motion while causing the stylus to be pushed to the side of the right (outside) groove as the arm is raised, giving a deflection to the cantilever to the right as they all get raised, such that the rightward deflection happens but is not caused by the antiskate? That is, the arm/cartridge gets a teeny bit ahead of the stylus. Dgad, I think this is kinda what you are describing, but I wonder if it is the way to gauge the antiskate?? Dunno - just thinking out loud (which is usually dangerous for me.)

Rgds,
Tim

Tim
More to discover