Installing a Dynavector 10x5 on a P3...What do I need?

I think I am going to get a Dynavector 10x5 to replace the Rega Elys cartridge on my P3. Reading the archives, I learned that I will need to purchase a 2mm spacer to use this cartridge with the RB-300 tonearm.

I have a Shure stylus force guage. But that's it. What else do I need in order to install this cartridge properly myself? I have never installed a cartridge before. I realize it would be easiest to just pay somebody to this for me, but this is something I would like to learn. Should my first step be to buy Fremer's DVD?

Thanks for your help.

 

A test record can be very useful e.g. HFN&RR for correctly setting bias. A good alignment protractor is also essential (comes supplied with the HFN&RR record). Remember to align by the cantilever rather than the cartridge body itself. The Rega arms don't have adjustable azimuth so that's one less thing to worry about.

Steady hands are beneficial - the 10X5 as it doesn't have a stylus guard..!

 

Thanks for your reply Markym. I will put a test record (w/alignment protractor) on the shopping list. Anything else I need?

 

post Labor Day bump

 

Very clean records. I thought my records were clean until I looked at them under a microscope.
http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=122485

 

I meant to mount the cartridge. Cleaning is taken care of.

 

Ian, you will need an alignment protractor to allign the stylus and the cartridge in the headshell. There are some free ones you can download on the web. Here is a link where you can either print it off (make sure you have it the correct size) or you can contact one of the persons listed along with a self addressed stamped envelope and they will mail you a free one.

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/freestuff.htm

I don't know if your arm has anti-skate or not, but if it does it will also need some adjustment, same with the VTA if it is adjustable.

It may seem confusing now, but I strongly suggest you go ahead and follow thru, ask questions when you have them and it will begin to make sense.

It isn't rocket science and you can learn to do it yourself. Everyone interested in enjoying the vinyl hobby should learn how to do it.

I am surprised no one had chimed in to help with your questions.

 

photos requested-

Could you please post several pictures of your Dynavector 10x15 on your P3? I'm considering this cartridge. Lots of good recommendations, but I can't find pictures of it on a P3. Thanks!

 

Thanks Steve. Between your and Markym's advice, I am getting the idea. I also found this link: http://www.audiophilia.com/features/cartridge_setup.htm which looks like it will be very helpful. I don't think I will need Fremer's DVD.

xyyyy: I'll be happy to post photos once I purchase the cartridge. I expect that will be at least a week from now though. So keep your eyes peeled for an update to this thread.

 

Ian, the audiophilia cartridge setup is a good one. Here is another that should also help. Between the two, you should be able to get it dialed in pretty close.

http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/vinyl/messages/819.html

Good luck and take your time. You can always make minor adjustments to get it dialed in as time goes along. I don't get too anal, some guys I have read make macro adjustments in the form of .002mm and say they can hear a difference. That kind of BS isn't for me. I would rather listen to some tunes.

Steve

 

Ian, here is another free protractor that I use. It is uses Stevenson null points instead of Baerwald. If you'd like the Baerwald protractor it is available here as well. They are located about half-way down the page under Turntable specific protractors.

http://www.vinylengine.com/manuals_tonearm_protractors.shtml

You are going to be very happy with the Dynavector/Rega combination. Enjoy!

 

Thanks for the additional info and links, guys. I appreciate it.

Just got back from looking for a "non-magnetic" screwdriver set and needlenose pliers. I found plenty of suitably small tools, but they all reacted to a magnet. What do you guys use?

 

I have the dynavector 10x5 on my Rega P3. I bought the setup used, so I did not actually mount the cartridge, but the alignment and VTA was way off when I got it. I used the printed vinylengine protractor mentioned above - It's easy but you need to be sure to print it to the correct size. I believe the protractor also gets the overhang right. I also added a rubber washer purchased at Lowes under the arm to raise the VTA. I recently bought the Pete riggle VTAF, but have not yet installed it.
Have fun.
Anthony

 

Thanks Anthony. I'll be interested to hear what you think of the VTAF when you get it installed.

I placed an order for the 10x5, a HiFi News record, Zerodust, and also bit the bullet and added the Fremer DVD.

From further reading it appears some cartridges actually come with a tool or wrench for fastening their screws, so I may not even need a screwdriver set after all. I guess I will find out. Thanks everybody for your help.

 

I'm not sure if this matters sonically, but my Dynavector came mounted on the tonearm with the screws going down through the top and the nuts attaching to the screws on the underside (all photos I've seen have it the other way around with the screws coming up through the bottom with the nuts on top). It seems easier to make small adjustments while setting the tracking angle with the screws on top. In other words, if the nuts were on top you would have to reach under the cartridge to loosen and tighten the scews while setting the tracking angle and overhang.

 

I went to college in Oneonta.

 

Yes, from reading I have seen recommendations of mounting with the nuts on top for cartridges with no threads in the screw holes (which the Dynavector lacks). I think it was recommended less for making adjustments and more just for getting the thing attached to the headshell with only 2 hands (which is apparently much more difficult with non-threaded holes). I don't think this has any effect on sonics, as you suggested.

Which college? I work at SUNY. I've heard this was a pretty rockin' college town in the day. Still some decent night life if you are into partying. I am outgrowing that now, but when I moved here 8 years ago I still took advantage of it.

 

Good advice.

I have a 10X5 on my P3 and my main concern would be that it does not have a stylus guard so you really have to be careful. Since the 10X5 has slots rather than drilled holes, you can install the bolt and nut on the inside hole and adjust it to approximately the width of the cartridge base, then insert the slot into the bolt, between the headshell and the bolt. You can tighten that so it's just snug enough, then install the other bolt and nut.

It's very hard to put into words the approach to installing a cartridge. Michael Fremer's DVD is very worthwhile viewing prior to tackling the installation of a pricey cart. I upgraded and changed so many cheap ones (before I got to the good ones!) that I had enough experience to feel my way along, although I have lunched a few cantilevers in my day!

 

Yikes. Two warnings about the lack of a stylus guard. This must be important so I will be sure to pay attention to the stylus.

I'm kind of excited to do the installation. I see it as a bit of a challenge. I also think that once I have dealt with these adjustments I will have a better feeling of how the cartridge does its work of retrieving the music. Maybe I will be able to enjoy listening to records on an additional, different level.

 

Hi Ian,

The 10X5 was the first cartridge I'd installed myself so it was an interesting challenge . The key thing is not to rush the process. Be careful with the cartridge tags as they can be very delicate - manipulate them with some tweezers or thin-nosed pliers. Also, consider putting some padding on the area sitting directly below the headshell so that in the unlikely eventuality og any mishaps the cartrige has a soft landing.

The 10X5 is a very nice cartridge indeed and should work very well with your TT - everything I've read says the two have great synergy. Remember to allow suitable time for break-in, at least 20-40 hours.

Cheers,
Mark

 

Okay, here is the update. I will try to be detailed so that it might be helpful to anybody else installing one of these for the first time:

I received the cartridge yesterday. I took one look at the screws and could see that I would definitely need a small flat-headed screwdriver. I went back and bought the set I had seen before that had reacted to a magnet and it worked fine. I watched the Rega chapter of Fremer's DVD before starting.

For a protractor, I used Vinylengine's Stevenson for Rega printed out on a laser printer (linked above by DOUBTINGTHOMAS29... thanks!). It worked like a charm.

The first thing I did was remove the tonearm to install the 2mm spacer, then replace.

The hardest part of the whole process is trying to handle those TINY little screws and especially the little round nuts in your HUGE fingers. I started with the inside screw. Drop the screw into the Rega headshell slot, hold the little nut underneath, and then turn the screw until you have a gap that you can slide the cartridge into. This will hold the cartridge in place until you get the other screw in place. Always hold the nut and turn the screw and it will be much easier than trying to turn the nut at all. It is just too small to handle easily.

The cartridge has the terminals color-labeled, so connecting the wires is a piece of cake with small needlenose pliers. Once the wires are connected tightly, then you can tighten the screws enough where the cartridge can be moved around with a little force, but otherwise will not slide accidentally.

When using the protractor, it would definitely be easier with a magnifying glass and a light placed at an angle so the shadow of the cartridge itself does not obscure your view of where the stylus makes contact with the protractor. I used a flashlight... it worked but it could have been quicker with a better light. My magnifying glass was not very good either, it was difficult to get close. I ended up using the top lid of the Zerodust stylus cleaner I had also ordered and it worked well enough. I think with the ideal light and magnifier, this step would be pretty quick and easy to do precisely. In the end, I think I got it very precise, but not without double and triplechecking because it was dark under there.

Tracking force is easy with a Shure gauge, or whatever you use. And on the Rega arm you just set the bias to the same as the tracking weight. I set it at 2.2 grams, which is the upper limit of the cartridge's recommended range.

Used the HiFi News test LP afterwards to test things out. Tracking was great on all tracks. Channel balance was great. Everything tested perfect except the highest of the bias-setting tracks, which the record instructions say is a torture test and most cartridges do not pass that one.

 

Thanks to everyone who helped out in this thread, and other threads that I read that helped me make the decision to choose this cartridge. As always, I truly appreciate all the great advice that people are willing to share here.

 

One thing I have noticed with this cartridge is that when the tone arm lift is on, the cartridge/stylus still is quite low and makes contact with the record even before lowering it. This will require me to be very careful when lowering the stylus on a record.

 

Last night I listened to parts of:
The Beatles: Revolver (from blue box)
Outkast: The Love Below
Van Morrison: Astral Weeks (Warner Green with lots of surface noise previously)
Rolling Stones: Between the Buttons (UK Decca Stereo)
Led Zeppelin I (Classic Records)

It was a very different presentation from the Rega Elys. It did feel like it needs to break in a bit to open up in the upper mids and highs.

I made some listening notes while I was listening to these intial records. They are all in comparison to the Rega Elys cartridge that i had on previously:

More detail
not forward
SOLID imaging
less sparkle
more midrange, and especially more mid-bass
quieter, allowing for beautiful decay that I have not previously heard
surface noise was much less across the board, very noticable with previously noisy records
slower than the Elys, feels more deliberate in its pace
no brightness at all

 

Hi Ian:
How accurate was the tracking force when you checked it with the Sure gauge?

Also, I never felt like I could get my arm (VTA) high enough using a spacer to accomodate the Dynavector. With the arm balanced, the needle would not clear the record unless I used a very thick washer, which was difficult to install because with the thick washer under the arm, the threaded end would not reach the bottom of the plinth to allow the nut to grab. I also noticed that my thinner vinyl sounded better than my thicker (180/200g) vinyl.

I installed the Pete Riggle VTAF a few days ago and my initial impressions are very good. I have not played around too much with changing the VTA, but just installing the VTAF (which raises the arm a good bit higher and decouples the arm from the plinth) is like hearing a high rez SACD for the first time.

Anthony