Thank you for that. According to the Dynavector website - the XX-2 uses a solid Boron cantilever, so not a ‘typical’ cartridge and different guidance would make sense. Such as not using Alcohol based liquid cleaners.
Searching on line for the 10X5 manual shows it includes that same wording as the XX-2, regarding cleaning and alcohol.
Interesting. Personally, I will carry on with my AT Cleaner. The ease of use and low risk of damage, is the key here. Manual cleaning will IMO, carry greater risks.
And my 10X is now well out of warranty…
I use the AT 637…dry … and with confidence. If you listen to the system while it is cleaning, the sound is of a loudish upper- mid type louder than playing a loud passage, but not dramatically so. If this damages the cartridge in any way, then playing records will do the same thing!
Your post makes no sense at first you say that the XX-2 uses a solid Boron cantilever and different guidance would make sense.
You then go on to say the 10x5 manual includes the same wording as the XX-2 but personally you will ignore both sets of advice and carry on cleaning with the AT cleaner?
This is the Internet… Everything does not have to make sense.
I was expressing my opinion - that after many years of using a number of 10X series cart’s - and using an AT-637 cleaner (dry) - I will continue to do so.
I could see Dynavector being more cautious with a Boron cantilever - that makes engineering sense (to me). But perhaps that’s not their concern. Maybe its fatigue of the wiring/coils/suspension - ? Or maybe they are just being (extra) cautious.
YMMV. As always - its the Internet… You do not have to agree.
Once again weird guidance from a manufacturer. What’s the reason for not recommending them? It’s all analog, so the volume and the frequency that you hear are exactly what it does, and I do not understand how it is different to what a vinyl record does.
Sorry the use of AT637 is nothing like playing a record. If you wish to break a piece of wire you bend it back and forth at the same rate (frequency) That is what the AT637 does it is not the varied and time separated frequencys you get playing a record.
I do not really understand how the cantilever material is some how relevant to any of the discussion the issues are method of stylus attachment and this is really only mentioned for sake of covering all bases. The most relevant factor is wire fatigue as my previous post details. As Audio Technica make a wide range of MC aluminium / boron cantilevers, eliptical
line contact styli and promote the use of AT637 you can only assume they have far more confidence in their Generator assemblies than do some other manufactures.
I can understand a potential risk of fatigue, here - with an AT-637. As @66richard says above - its a continuous frequency which is used - and that is exactly how fatigue testing is done in Engineering. Should that frequency be even close to a resonance, then any effect is amplified - and could physically break the cart’s internals.
We might also guess thats there’s a bit of commercial rivalry involved, too. DV vs AT…
Obviously it’s a single frequency, but the amplitude and the range of the frequency is not different from records (as opposed to “ultrasonic”). Does Dynavector also warn against playing hifi test records or weird electronic music? Don’t think so.
I don’t see what fatigue has to do with it. A wire breaks because it does not have a flexible mounting that is built for letting the stylus move for 2000 hours.
Good idea, but IIRC the Rega website says that there is a traditional resonant frequency of 8-10 kHz (which Rega finds unacceptable and prevents it), and the AT does 600 or so. Also, if there was a problematic resonant frequency it could be triggered by playing music too. There was an old hypothesis about how for every player there exists a record it cannot play. That didn’t happen.
Obviously AT’s cartridges don’t suffer from such a problem, dunno why Dynavectors would.
It may well be the case that Dynavector has reasons, but I am officially fed up with hifi manufacturers making such statements without stating a reason. Third time I came across it in a month or so. Enough
If I spent £1000+ on a cartridge and the manufacturer told me not to clean it with a £100 vibration cleaner I’d heed their advice.
I don’t use expensive MC’s any longer and now use AT MM carts and the AT-637 fluid is perfect applied with the small brush provided.
Of course although the AT is 30 years old, there is the current Flux-Sonic product that is the same, so they would be in current trouble if the product damaged expensive cartridges. According to their website,
“the Flux-Sonic needle cleaner is designed to gently, safely and quickly remove dirt from the turntable needle with the help of targeted vibrations” and “can be used as often as you like. It is recommended to use it before each play.”
I am not familiar with this cartridge and looking at pictures I am not getting smarter, but there seems to be something going on. Is there something special about this one or would “the coils are effectively right by the stylus” be applicable to other cartridges?
One point, Len Gregory (AKA The Cartridge Man) advises never to use an ultrasonic cleaner on a stylus, risk is stylus detaching from the cantilever. A man speaking from many years of experience.
It is a pretty uncommon design. I was only commenting to the general point that AT doesn’t see a problem, but actually do for at least one of their models.
Thanks to @Martinzero’s picture I get it. But this tells us nothing about AT’s recommendation for other, more normally constructed cartridges, which was obviously what I meant. The construction of this one seems to be particularly sensitive and I would be reluctant to go near it with anything
AT-637 is not ultrasonic. If he used this term I am reluctant to listen. If he meant the sonic cleaners then it’s an interesting additional view point but yet another supposed concern with little detail provided. Do you happen to know if he has actually seen damage? (I used my AT-637 for decades, mostly on lowly Rega Elys though, and haven’t seen damage, so …)
