Another Dynavector death

Posted by: Chris Metcalfe on 06 November 2001

I tragically followed in the footsteps of some of the great and good from this forum (some of them also alas no longer with us) and killed off my Dynavector XX1-L today - or rather, the Aro decided to deposit it in such a way that the stylus no longer seems to be attached to the cantilever - it skated across an old Teardrop Explodes LP on a wad of fluff.

I guess I have two options (and then another subset of options), i.e. take it in for a repair, or phone my wonderful insurers and get enough reparation to pave the way for a possible new turntable scenario (e.g. a less fragile new-P9 with its purpose-designed cartridge). Although I've always enjoyed the LP12, particularly since installing the Armageddon, I'm increasingly finding its finicky nature (or that of this particular combination) a nuisance.

All of your opinions would be etc.

[This message was edited by Chris Metcalfe on TUESDAY 06 November 2001 at 17:27.]

Posted on: 06 November 2001 by Tony L
Doh! I know that feeling. At least you have insurance (as I do now). Which Teardrop Explodes album was it?

So thats 2 XX1Ls (you and Vuk), a MC 10 Supreme (me), A £1k Lyra (Joel)... Go on who else has done it?

Tony.

Posted on: 06 November 2001 by Frank Abela
Chris,

Sorry for your loss.

Your dealer will be able to help you get a replacement value note to your insurer. They usually pay up. The straight replacement would be the XX2, which improves significantly on the XX-1L.

Regards,
Frank.
All opinions are my own and do not reflect the opinion of any organisations I work for, except where this is stated explicitly.

Posted on: 06 November 2001 by David Dever
quote:
the Aro decided to deposit it in such a way that the stylus no longer seems to be attached to the cantilever - it skated across an old Teardrop Explodes LP on a wad of fluff.

Let's hope it was Kilimanjaro, to make it worthwhile...

Dave Dever, NANA

Posted on: 06 November 2001 by Tony L
quote:
Let's hope it was Kilimanjaro, to make it worthwhile...

Yeah, and the first pressing with the band picture, not the re-issue...

Tony.

Posted on: 07 November 2001 by Chris Metcalfe
Tony, David,

It was 'Wilder', actually - probably 'Bent out of Shape' or 'Falling Down Around Me' (!). What happened was that the Aro slipped from my tiny delicate fingers as I was lifting it at the end of side, and then dropped and skated (with its accumulated fluff) over the entire record, leaving the stylus somewhere... I haven't had the heart to investigate this morning.

I do have the original 'Kilimanjaro' though, but without 'Reward' on it I probably prefer 'Wilder' (take another listen David).

Frank,

I'll be in touch re the replacemement. I was serious though when I mentioned that I may try and replace the whole lot, as I've found that it's a tricky deck to deal with a lot of the time - big but delicate cartridge on a loose arm over a fussy suspended turntable. Power supply's the easy bit!

Posted on: 07 November 2001 by Tony L
quote:
I was serious though when I mentioned that I may try and replace the whole lot, as I've found that it's a tricky deck to deal with a lot of the time - big but delicate cartridge on a loose arm over a fussy suspended turntable

I know exactly what you mean. The three "big league" turntables I have owned are the Xerxes / RB300, LP12 / Ittok, and currently the P9 / RB900. With both the Xerxes and the P9 it was possible if necessary to cue them accurately when totally pissed. The Aro would scare me to death when completely sober. Naim analogue stuff does admittedly sound great, but the functionality and ergonomics are utter crap (no 45rpm, no cueing lever).

Buy a cartridge, you obviously need one right now, then wait a bit and check out the forthcoming P9 replacement. I would attempt to stick your LP12 up against the new Rega, a Nottingham Analogue, and a Xerxes 10. All are simple to use, offer both speeds, and (assuming the new P9 ain't a ringer) sound great.

Tony.

Posted on: 07 November 2001 by Chris Metcalfe
Too true, though in this case I just had a heavy cold.

The chaps at Rega now don't think there'll be a matching M/C cartridge immediately, though the deck is due out fairly soon and the improvements to the arm look especially interesting. Another reason for going for a non-suspended deck would be that I could once again use my wonderful (and brilliantly named) Audio-Technica safety raiser, bought in 1981. They don't work on LP12s.

I'm dubious about buying another Dynavector if I keep the LP12/Aro, as its size causes the arm to foul up if the lid is down - another irritation. I'm almost tempted to go for an Ekos/Arkiv with the LP12/Armageddon - but that sounds pretty like Ross Blackman....

Posted on: 07 November 2001 by MarkEJ
Rob;

I admire both your patience and particularly your eyesight! Bet you've got one of those big Anglepoise magnifier lamp things...

BTW, what was the deal with the black Ittok? For some reason I've always assumed that they were all LVIIIs, but yours looks to be an LVII (armrest post) Do you know the details?

Best;

Mark

(an imperfect
forum environment is
better than none)

Posted on: 08 November 2001 by Chris L
quote:

Lord knows how you got one onto the LP12!

No lid!

I saw and heard one at the Festival of Sound and Vision in the Sheraton Hotel in Edinburgh in the mid/late eighties, fitted to an LP12 with the original Armageddon conversion (which I believe never made it to full "product" status), which involved, I think, a new bearing, new power supply, and hi-cap powering 323/322 type phono boards installed in the LP12 plinth.

It sounded fantastic, but was, infortunately, shortlived - almost stillborn frown

Chris L

Posted on: 08 November 2001 by MarkEJ
Rob;

The reason I ssked is that whenever these appear for sale they seem to command enormous prices for LVIIs (compared with standard Ittok). Obviously one can understand the LVIII being worth a bit more, but I just wondered if there was anything different about the black ones apart from the colour...?

And yes, that looks like an exception bit of timber (your plinth).

Best;

Mark

(an imperfect
forum environment is
better than none)

Posted on: 09 November 2001 by Chris Metcalfe
=="I didn't have this problem when I tried the XX2 on my Ekos"

The problem AFAICT is that the ARO armlift is so tall that any cartridge bigger than a certain height will cause it to touch the LP12 lid when down.

Query - is the XX2 more manageable in terms of size? Did the XX1-L cause the same problems on a P9 (I seem to remember spacers being involved).

Obviously if I'm going to stick with the LP12/Aro it would help to get a cartridge which didn't cause this problem. Similarly, if I decide to changhe to the new P9, I wouldn't want to go mucking about with spacers, since one of the attractions of the P9 is its 'straight-from-the-box', anti-tweaking nature.

Posted on: 09 November 2001 by MarkEJ
quote:
Originally posted by Rob Holt:
Mark,

The silver and black Ittok are mechanically identical.

Rob.

That's what I would have thought. However, there's one on eBay currently at 415 quid, which sounds berserk to me. I must admit I once thought the black ones were built in Glasgow, rather than Japan, but I've never seen any confirmation of this.

Best;

Mark

(an imperfect
forum environment is
better than none)

Posted on: 09 November 2001 by Chris L
quote:

I once thought the black ones were built in Glasgow

You'll may find that the Black Ittock's (the 12" ones) were made in Glasgow, but the normal Ittocks that had the optional black finish were made in Japan, along with the normal items.

BTW, the one on ebay is just a "normal" Ittock with the optional black finish, so I don't think it's worth the current price!

Chris L

P.S. Hey, 100 posts, must celebrate smile