Seanm
pfm Member
I didn't have an on board phono stage at that point: I used a Graham Slee Gram Amp 2. The Aria was quite dramatically better with the Exact. I swap between the MM and MC stages of the Aria quite regularly and they're both excellent.
Calling RP10 owners
- Thread starter Mr Pig
- Start date
Sounding dry or cold is a criticism I think you can level against Rega turntables in general. It's something that goes right back to the RB300 arm.
I went from a Graham Slee Jazz Club to an Aria and I'd say they were different more than anything else. The Aria sounds more dynamic and has a wider sound stage but is lean compared to the Jazz Club. The later has better tonality, sounds more natural and has better bass. I prefer it but I'm keeping the Aria because it does MC as well so gives me more options.
2ManyBoxes
pfm Member
On another turntable entirely, mine didn't sound warm so much as having plenty of tone, so saxophones sounded like saxophones etc. But it could also keep time really, really well, leading edges were excellent. That's a pretty rare combination I think, even cartridges further up the Dynavector range can't pull off the same trick.
johnacurtis
pfm Member
I wouldn't call the DV20x2L warm - It "rocks" on my WT Simplex!
The encouraging thing is that I've not heard a single person say that they don't like it, that is sounds wrong or anything negative at all. It must be a pretty well balanced cartridge.
I find the RP10 lacking in the air, space and scale of the LP12. It's so much better in other ways that there is no going back but there is still a bit of work to do to get the deck sounding the way I want. So the right cartridge is a big deal.
I find the RP10 lacking in the air, space and scale of the LP12. It's so much better in other ways that there is no going back but there is still a bit of work to do to get the deck sounding the way I want. So the right cartridge is a big deal.
DimitryZ
pfm Member
If that's the main concern, Transfiguration carts should be on the list.
Joe P
Memory Alpha incarnate | mod; Shatner number = 2
Mr Pig,
The Dynavector 20X2L would be awesome on an RP10, but I slightly prefer the XX2 MkII overall. Beyond that in the Dynavector range I can't say, as I've not heard the upper-end DV cartridges recently and I've never heard the top-tier ones on any Rega table.
My advice is a 20X2L — or an XX2 MkII if you can stretch your budget to a thousand squids — but not without a dem first. My pudding might be your poison.
Joe
The Dynavector 20X2L would be awesome on an RP10, but I slightly prefer the XX2 MkII overall. Beyond that in the Dynavector range I can't say, as I've not heard the upper-end DV cartridges recently and I've never heard the top-tier ones on any Rega table.
My advice is a 20X2L — or an XX2 MkII if you can stretch your budget to a thousand squids — but not without a dem first. My pudding might be your poison.
Joe
They should?
I think I've decided I'm not going to spend a grand on a cartridge. It's just too much. Cartridge dems are pointless, in my opinion, unless it's a home dem. When I was in the dealer's last week he gave the new P10 a quick spin in a dem room. Was playing through the new 3K Rega amp and some Focal speakers I think they were. It sounded pretty bad. All good kit but much worse than what I have at home. Apart from the fact that you get used to what you have at home, you can tweak and optimize your own system over time much better than a dealer can with a dem system.
Joe P
Memory Alpha incarnate | mod; Shatner number = 2
Mr Pig,
Joe
Yeah, I understand, but if you heard the two cartridges in an otherwise identical system you'd have a good idea if the more expensive one was worth the cost. For all I know, you might prefer the 20X2L regardless, hence the need for a dem.
I have the same problem. My kit is far, far better than what any dealer stocks, better than what any fishie here has. Well, either that or I got used to its flaws.
Joe
How do you know that?
I've heard a lot of systems over the years and only a few have I thought better than mine. Many were genuinely worse but the getting used to your own system thing plays a big part in it. Our systems are very coloured and we get used to and 'tune out' those imperfections. Someone else's system will be coloured in very different ways so sounds wrong.
The dealer system was just poor though. Bass was a total mess and the whole thing just not very well put together and rough.
Ah, sorry. Internet is a cloudy place.
Your sexual preferences are your business but I'm not seeing the cartridges you're recommending at my kind of prices?
DimitryZ
pfm Member
I paid $625 for mine, essentially new.
Strictly Stereo
Trade: Strictly Stereo
Would you like to try one at home? How about the XX2 Mk II or the Hana ML? Drop me a line if I can be of assistance.
2ManyBoxes
pfm Member
I went from 20X2L to XX2 and was very disappointed. The XX2 was a lot better in every respect except for subtle rhythm. This was one of the main strengths of the 20X2L. There's a track on the Bryan Ferry album 'Boys and Girls', I think it's 'the chosen one' that the 20X2L made rhythmic sense of through the whole track while the XX2 just didn't. It did a similar thing to Led Zep's Kashmir. There's a point in that track where it changes from the first kind of chugging rhythm to a second one where the lyric goes 'let me take you there'. With the 20X2L it made perfect sense why the change was needed because the track was building up to it for some time; with the XX2 you couldn't tell that at all. Sort of a micro rhythm thing that must be measured in 1000ths of a second. But it's the difference between making the track sound pretty ordinary to appreciating how good Jon Bonham was.
The previous post is right that the 20X2L isn't as detailed as the XX2 by a long way. I just couldn't live with the slight lack of rhythm.