thoughts on the Dynavector 20X2L cartridge

I recently upgraded my cart to the Dynavector 20X2L and I thought I'd post my findings. table it's installed on is a Rega P3-24. previous cart was the Dynavector 10X5. phono stage, P-75, phono enhancer mode.

the word 'refined' springs to mind. the 10X5 was a great cart because it had a lovely mid range and plenty of punch. the 20X2L is more relaxed in its presentation. it also does an incredible job in rendering surface noise as non-existent. the quiets are truly quiet.
one department that the 20X2L truly excels over the 10X5 is the inner grooves and the way it handles vocals. it sails through the most difficult passages with ease. DSOTM 30th anniversary, not a problem. this cart has made me reach for the albums that feature my favourite singers (Radiohead, Tim Buckley, Anna Calvi, Syd Barrett, The Kinks) such is the joy I'm getting in hearing them in all their glory.
the other area I'm most pleased with is the synergy between cart & phono stage. the P-75 is clearly built with the LOMC carts in mind. I don't think I ever heard the 10X5 at its absolute best, it's a tricky one to load correctly.

In short, if you're looking to venture into LOMC land and you own a Rega table, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the 20X2L. it's been the most pleasing cartridge I've had on my table so far and I'm thoroughly enjoying it.

 

Total agreement with this assessment! I find that records with IGD are a thing of the past. Right now I'm listening to the Buzzcocks " I believe" which is a great workout for a cart and it just sounds so splendid. I was going to go the 10 x 5 route, but my dealer really recommended the 20X2L and had high praises. I'm really happy I did.

 

I upgrade from a 10x5 to a 20X2L and the improvement of detail and refinement was substantial. However, I find it rather bassheavy on some recordings. Any suggestions on how to reduce the bass on this cartridge?

 

Is there any love out there for the 20X2H version of this cartridge? I was thinking of moving from the Ortofon 2M Black to the high output version. It is especially tempting after hearing that the Dynavector tames surface noise.

Alan

 

How many hours do you have on the 20X2L? I found that the Sumiko Pearl, which I have on one of my TT's, had this same problem. It worked itself out after a good 50hrs, so maybe the 20X2L needs to be properly broken in?

 

I have had it for a year so it should be broken in by now but you are right. The bass has been reduced the more I play it.

 

can you raise the height of the tonearm a little? I'm not familiar with your turntable (if you had a Rega I'd suggest a 2mm spacer under the tonearm)

 

Yes, raising the tonearm gave me a more open sound. I used my PC and a quite useful program (Visual Analyser) to set the height of the tonearm. Anyway in the end I used my ears to set the correct height and tracking force and I think I got it right now. I have a Nottingham Interspace and they are supposed to be on the warm side and most records sounds excellent.

 

Lowering VTA will increase bass....

http://www.walkeraudio.com/fine_tuning_your_turntable.htm

 

I'm currently switching between the 20X2L and a Re-tipped Shelter 901. Both of these carts need more mileage to get broken in. Probably less than 25 hours on both so far. The 20X2L defiantly has more bottom end which seems to get less as time wears on, and the Shelter has a bit more high end than I would prefer. If I could only combine these two carts into one I think I would have the perfect cartridge.

 

have really put some hours into this cart over the last 3 days; there's probably 50+ hours on it now.... and it's really blossomed. the bass hasn't so much as lessened as the mids have opened up. that "Dynavector punch" that I've always associated with the 10X5 has become apparent.

it's getting better. I'm hearing detail in some very familiar music that I've never heard before. some of the layered guitar on "Headmaster Ritual" and few bass lines on "I Want The One I Cant Have".... it's always pleasing to hear music you've never heard before on a familiar recording. a great deal of pace has returned too. it's starting to come into its own

 

Anyone that has heard both the 10X5 and the 20X2, is the $400 price difference justified? Does the 20X2 sound that much better?

I have the MMF5.1SE and I'm not happy with the Mojo cart that comes standard.

 

I have never thought it rendered surface noise as non-existent. In fact, compared to my friends table/cart, it is much more noticable. I wonder why? I am using the 20XL (not the x2 version) with a Rega P5.

 

could it be the elliptical stylus that's on your model....sitting higher in the groove than the microridge of the 20X2L?

yes

 

I have both the 10X5 and a 20X2 on my Nottingham Interspace table and the 20X2 does sound a lot better. The 10X5 is on a Rega RB250 arm and Lehmann Black Cube SE phono stage and the 20X2 is on a Nottingham AceSpace arm with an Avid Pulsus phono stage. However I don't really know how big the influence from the cartridge itself is and how much the better sound depends on the arm and the phono stage. My feeling is that the 20X2 gives a more relaxed sound and reveals a lot more detail but as I said the improvement might partly be thanks to the better arm.

 

This is a very resourceful thread. I'm actually the owner of a 10x5 with plans to upgrade to the 20x2L soon. I've had my 10x5 for 3.5 years (1,200-1,500 hrs) and although my dealer inspected and cleared it as being fine just a few months ago, I've become a little worried lately. I haven't heard any overwhelming sound degradation but I want to be cautious. Around Christmas, I already upgraded to the P-75 mk2 with the intention of upgrading to the 20x2L. I was just hoping to wait it out until December but this may not be the case with my overanalytical cautious mind.

I forget but how does the trade-in work when you upgrade to a new cart? Is it 20% off the retial of the new cart or just 20% of the value of the old carts retail price?

 

Thank you both. I'm sold on more detail, that is VERY important to me. Ok, I'll keep saving up for the 20X2.

 

I have both a 10x5 and 20x2L and I was thinking the 20x is slower but relaxed is a better description. It does offer greater detail. Actually more of everything but more relaxed. Sometimes wish I had listened to a 17d3 before buying the 20x2L.

 

Forgot to ask, how is the Dynavector regarding picking up noise off the vinyl? I want detail but not at the risk of having everything crackling and popping.

 

Would you say too relaxed? I listen to all genres from the 60s 70s and 80s. Is it too laid back for Hard Rock?

 

No, and I'm not sure "relaxed" is the right term. I would say it is more refined. Really fantastic cartridge for all kinds of music. Used one for years until moving on to it's big brother the XX-2. The 20XL will not disappoint and I dare say if one is not getting what they want from it then they should either wait for further break in or recheck the set up.

 

Great. Thank you for that information. I just want to be sure before dropping that kind of cash. It sounds like it will be the right cart for me.

 

It won't hide this. You really have to have clean records, records without damage, or records that do not have pressing defects (poor vinyl..).

But, this is mostly in-between tracks where it becomes noticeable. Once the music is playing it seems this noise floor drops away and you really start to concentrate on the instruments.

 

I've had the 10X5 and I currently have a 20XH on my Rega P5. Honestly, I don't think it's $400 better. Maybe it depends on the music you spend a lot of time with.

A lot of people who buy Dynavector like to rock, and both of these cartridges are just great for that. I think they're both outta sight.

But one big thing to think about is retipping it down the road - if you're gonna spend $250, it makes much, much more sense to have the 20X2 retipped by Soundsmith or whoever.

 

As a rule I try extremely hard to buy nothing less than NM. Obviously some sellers are very liberal with their grading but I am slowly figuring out which sellers to trust. Overall my vinyl collection is in very good condition. I also clean everything with my Spin Clean and my Nitty Gritty RCM.

I have noticed that some vinyl is noisy even while the music is playing. I can only assume that it was previously played with a bad needle.