Cartridge advice.
 

Looking for any input concerning the Dynavector XX2, and/or the Ortofon Cadenza Bronze. I had a VPI Classic 1, with a 2M Bronze cart. I wanted to upgrade, and bought a new Cadenza Bronze MC. A nice improvement, but not quite where I was hoping to be.
I then had a chance to pick up an Innovation Wood, with the 9" universal arm, and Dyna XX2 cart. I like the bass, and attack of the Dyna, but think that I might prefer the slightly warmer sound of the Cadenza, but have not heard it on the new table. I have someone coming out to the house this Friday, to make sure the table, and cart are set up properly. I am wondering if anyone might have any experience with one, or both of these carts to help with my decision. I am using a ARC Ref2SE as phono stage. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. :scratch2:

I don’t own either but have heard the cadenza bronze half a dozen times in different setups at the CAF show - for what thats worth - not much critically IMHO.

However, it always sounded good and also tells me it must be highly regarded by several exhibiters if they are willing to put it in the system. There is alot of discussion about this cartridge on line. I have used an Ortofon Jubilee off and on for years in addition to a Transfiguration Proteus. Like you, I might appreciate the warmer sound of the bronze in my system and was contemplating getting one also to switch it up.

I will be interested in your decision. Good Luck.

I've run a couple of Cadenza Bronzes in backup roles on and off over the past few years. One on an Innovation Wood w/ Graham Phantom, another on SOTA Star with Fidelity Research FR64fx. I preferred it on the FR64fx, where I still have it mounted to a backup headshell. I also have a Universal 12" (now dismounted), but unfortunately never tried that pairing. The Cadenza is on the low side of compliance, so maybe that's why I like it with the heavy-ish FR.

It's a very good sounding cartridge, with enough dynamics, details, and musicality to lose yourself in the music when conditions are right. Well-tempered. It's noted as having some warmth, but I find that to be mostly in comparison to Ortofon's higher-end models (Jubilee, Windfeld MC, A90, Anna, etc), which were too lean for me. To me, the Cadenza Bronze is more along the lines of neutral-ish. But it's not as refined nor as "spectacular" sounding as higher-tier MC offerings. If you're looking for a cartridge to pull at your heart-strings, you may need to look further. Also, I felt the Cadneza sounded great right out of the box starting at hour 1 - but on the flip-side there's no major burn-in transformation to look forward to.

I personally prefer a bit more warmth, and a fatter midrange, so I easily prefer my Shelter and Koetsu cartridges - albeit at a higher price tier. Some other top-tier MC's are noted as being much faster/leaner/brighter than these brands, and I can't imagine enduring my long, loud, and immersive listening sessions with one of those.

Certainly also try experimenting with loading and gain on the Bronze, as much as is possible. And it can work equally well with active MC stages or a SUT; it seems much more flexible in this aspect than other cartridges (it's easy to get good sound, which may explain it's frequency in show and demo systems). That said, with your Innovation and REF 2SE, I think investing in more cartridge will very easily & obviously reveal itself in your system.

I have a lot of experience with the Dynavector Karat 17D3 which I think is a step down from the XX2.

Super fast, great bass, extended clean treble, and very very sensitive to setup.

Play around with VTA (lower the arm tower slightly) to see if you can warm it up a bit. I think if you have the optional vta-lifter you can do this while a record is playing.

Tom

At the time I used the 17D3 I also had Wilson Sophia 2 speakers and I couldn’t get the presentation where I wanted it to be - a little too analytical perhaps. I think with the Amati Futura it would have been great.

I ended up with a Sumiko Palo Santos Presentation which fit the bill perfectly albeit at 4x the cost!

Not to derail my own thread, but that was my next question. Would I be better off biting the bullet, and going for a Koetsu? I heard one years ago, and have not forgotten how it pulled me into the music.

You’ve got a great ‘table and you know how the Koetsu’s sound, and you liked it, so why not go for it?

ClearAudio makes some amazingly good cartridges.

Well, because my local dealer said that I really need the platinum magnets, and that puts me in the $7,500 ball park.

I heard a Koetsu for the first time 9 years ago; it was an instant and intense love. I was lucky enough to be able to mount it in my system for audition. Truly one of the few most profound moments of all my audiophile experiences. This was an old (late 1980s or early 90s) used Onyx Signature with Alnico magnets instead of Platinum. I literally begged the guy and bought it that same weekend.

Over the years I've also collected a few more with Platinum magnets. They're all excellent. I'm not even certain that the Platinum magnets are necessarily better than Alnico (there is some sonic give and take between them), but I do know I like stone bodies (whether Alnico or Platinum) better than the Rosewood Signature Platinum (RSP). Unfortunately (well not really - they're excellent magnets) Platinum is the only magnet type offered on stone bodies these days, which certainly contributes to the high prices. But if I had to do it again with a less "all in" budget, and maybe not taking such a risk again on used stones, I'd take a look at the various Urushis. Never heard them, but long been curious. Each one a work of art.

I've had periodic interest in other things too, but the Koetsu magic always come back to bite again before too long, and puts it back at the top.

Am wondering what you've "heard" after having your TT/TA set-up checked by an 'expert'. Do you have him/her do both cartridges for you so you could compare to one another (as much as possible with the time lag after swapping same - no mean feat - one reason I go with a universal headshell TA). Dyna, Ortofon, Koetsu, etc., definitely all have their 'house sound'. To my ears AT and Ortofon are the most pleasing. YMMV.
p.s. - some tube-rolling in your ARC preamp migh change everything.