Swapping Cartridges on the DV 507MKII


I have an Aries 3 with the Dynavecotor 507MKII and DV 20-XL cartridge. My shop has offered to loan me a DV DRT XV-1. Can I try the DRT by just swapping the headshells on the 507 without having to reset all of the arm settings? Is this a stupid idea?
stickman451

Stickman451,

If the distance from the turntable spindle to the arm pivot at the base is exactly 226 mm, you can then use the Dynavector cartridge overhang gauge included with the tonearm to set up the XV-1 on another headshell. This allows you to have many headshells with cartridges mounted and aligned for easy swap. You will need to adjust the tracking force and anti-skating for each cartridge/headshell combo.
The XV-1s weighs about 4 grams more so you'll need to adjust VTF.

I've never swapped these cartridges in a 507II but sure would check the VTA before lowering the arm.

The 507II/XV-1s combo is breathtaking IMO

Dealer disclaimer
You will probably have to re-arrange the weights on both the short "stub" (I don't know if that is a correct word in English) and the big weight at the and of the arm. You might have to swap weights as well, they do sound different.

The 507MKII is pretty easy to set up, and you should experiment with different weights as well as headshells of different mass.
Greetings Strickman451,

While you can use the supplied overhang gauge, the first thing I'd do would be to thoroughly read the Feickert and MintLP alignment threads currently running on this forum.

I would then carefully visit my setup with your current Dynavector. I cannot emphasize this strongly enough. Palasr and I convinced Doug Deacon to acquire an arc style protractor from MintLP and it resulted in nothing short of an epiphany for him. Get the best out of your current Dynavector before going to the same effort with an XV-1s.

Once you've truly optimized your geometry, you can start thinking of an XV-1s. You will note that the distance from the cartridge mounting holes to the location of the stylus varies on the Dynavector models, so at a minimum, you will be revisiting the geometry on your second headshell. As noted, the XV-1s is heavier. It is also taller - at 21mm from mounting plane to stylus, so your height (VTA) will change. I've laid out some of these dimensions in the 8th post on this thread: http://www.galibierdesign.com//phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=75

So, in summary, you will be performing a complete setup, and doing anything else will not tell you what you need to know about this wonderful cartridge.

Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier
I'd take "any" comment from Thom as accurate to the N'th degree!He's one dealer/designer who actually knows his products,AND seems to care about customer support!

Best