DaVa FC-A1 a field coil contender

[cmchan]

DaVa Mono (DVM) has barely a few hours but Darius said it should take less time to settle compared to the Ref Stereo, whilst my Miyajima Infinity Mono (MIM) has been well seasoned. Some initial impressions from listening to these four great sounding mono records with both DVM and MIM...

DVM is very musical, fast and dynamic, with lots of details for a mono cart. Instruments are solidly defined and vocals are clearly punctuated and nuanced. MIM is also a great cart - very focused mid-range, warm presentation and very alluring for vocals.

In Somethin' Else (Autumn Leaves), Miles (trumpet) and Adderley (sax) are front and centre throughout and other instruments are more in the background with the MIM, whereas with DVM, the piano, drums and double bass each come to the fore and play a role in creating a very balanced, harmonious music. My son, who did not know anything about these two cartridges, but has a good ear for music, said the double bass and drums were more pronounced with the DVM.

Milstein's violin strings resonate with life in the Kreisler first track with DVM - lovely texture and tone - highs and lows nicely extended, helping me to appreciate Milstein's rendition of this famous encore.

For vocals - I chose Sinatra's "In the wee small hours of the morning", and Simone's "Mood Indigo".

Frank was wonderful with both mono cartridges. He was singing close up and personal with the MIM with all other instruments backing him up with the MIM. With the DVM, just as good, but somehow I heard him singing some words with more intent - like, "when your lonely heart has learned its LESSON", the last word came cross more emphatically.

Nina is one of my favourite female artists. She sings with so much feeling, and with Mood Indigo her voice is voluptuous, the instrumentals play second fiddle with both carts, although with DVM the double bass sounds more defined and when she sings the words "Mood Indigo", there is a little more attitude.

Both carts are mounted on a Durand Tosca and plugged into my EMT JPA 66 Mk3, but DVM is via Kondo KSL-SFz SUT and MIM is via Phasemation T2000 SUT. The SUTs no doubt contribute to some of the differences i hear. I am happy that I have both great carts in my arsenal to choose from depending on my mood and choice of record.

 

[bonzo75]

DaVa Mono (DVM) has barely a few hours but Darius said it should take less time to settle compared to the Ref Stereo, whilst my Miyajima Infinity Mono (MIM) has been well seasoned. Some initial impressions from listening to these four great sounding mono records with both DVM and MIM...

DVM is very musical, fast and dynamic, with lots of details for a mono cart. Instruments are solidly defined and vocals are clearly punctuated and nuanced. MIM is also a great cart - very focused mid-range, warm presentation and very alluring for vocals.

In Somethin' Else (Autumn Leaves), Miles (trumpet) and Adderley (sax) are front and centre throughout and other instruments are more in the background with the MIM, whereas with DVM, the piano, drums and double bass each come to the fore and play a role in creating a very balanced, harmonious music. My son, who did not know anything about these two cartridges, but has a good ear for music, said the double bass and drums were more pronounced with the DVM.

Milstein's violin strings resonate with life in the Kreisler first track with DVM - lovely texture and tone - highs and lows nicely extended, helping me to appreciate Milstein's rendition of this famous encore.

For vocals - I chose Sinatra's "In the wee small hours of the morning", and Simone's "Mood Indigo".

Frank was wonderful with both mono cartridges. He was singing close up and personal with the MIM with all other instruments backing him up with the MIM. With the DVM, just as good, but somehow I heard him singing some words with more intent - like, "when your lonely heart has learned its LESSON", the last word came cross more emphatically.

Nina is one of my favourite female artists. She sings with so much feeling, and with Mood Indigo her voice is voluptuous, the instrumentals play second fiddle with both carts, although with DVM the double bass sounds more defined and when she sings the words "Mood Indigo", there is a little more attitude.

Both carts are mounted on a Durand Tosca and plugged into my EMT JPA 66 Mk3, but DVM is via Kondo KSL-SFz SUT and MIM is via Phasemation T2000 SUT. The SUTs no doubt contribute to some of the differences i hear. I am happy that I have both great carts in my arsenal to choose from depending on my mood and choice of record.

nicely written, especially “more intent, more attitude and more emphatically” Is what I relate to with Dava stereo.

when you play your mono records with Dava stereo, how much are you losing compared to the Dava mono? Especially older monos from mono era

 

[cmchan]

I listened to Sinatra and Milstein with the DaVa Ref Stereo cart (phono switched to mono) and I would say it's very good, and if you didn't compare to the DaVa Mono, you would have no complaints. Same musicality and tone, but the mono delivers just a little bit more of everything - more vibrato in Frank's vocals, and a little more woodiness and texture in Milstein's violin.

For other stereo cart reference points, I also listened to Sinatra with AT-MC2022 (now back on the Durand Tosca) and with Etsuro Gold (on original DaVinci Masters Ref Virtu), and was pleasantly surprised how well both these stereo carts performed on an old mono recording. With AT-MC2022, very clear sounding, but it was more left brain compared to both the DaVas. The Etsuro was warmer sounding and for me was more in the mood of the song. However, both DaVas exude more in emotional engagement.

Another favourite mono record (and amazing sound quality) is the Clef Records version of Billy Holiday's Music for Torching. When she sings "It had to be you ...", with the DaVa Ref, she is singing to everyone in the room, but with the mono, she is singing and staring directly at you in a much more intimate setting.

Hope this helps (or perhaps not if you feel the itch to contact Darius and place an order).

 

[Argonaut]

I listened to Sinatra and Milstein with the DaVa Ref Stereo cart (phono switched to mono) and I would say it's very good, and if you didn't compare to the DaVa Mono, you would have no complaints. Same musicality and tone, but the mono delivers just a little bit more of everything - more vibrato in Frank's vocals, and a little more woodiness and texture in Milstein's violin.

This one goes out to Kedar … Pretty much as expected then , as others and I have been commenting as such !

 

[bonzo75]

This one goes out to Kedar … Pretty much as expected then , as others and I have been commenting as such !

Actually, i never commented a single pivoted mono did not do better marginally than stereo. I said with vyger RS and some other carts you don’t need mono, unless you are getting another arm for it. You just won’t be able to switch to mono and stereo back and forth and justify it even if there is a delta, for that arm. And you won’t require it sonically either.

and if there is a pivoted mono to get, for me it will be the DvM first to try. Leif too has posted positive comments on DVM.

 

[Argonaut]

Actually, i never commented a single pivoted mono did not do better marginally than stereo. I said with vyger RS and some other carts you don’t need mono, unless you are getting another arm for it. You just won’t be able to switch to mono and stereo back and forth and justify it even if there is a delta, for that arm. And you won’t require it sonically either.

Well …Thats not quite what you said in our comms … but close enough not to agitate my hangover over the margin of discrepancy .
I absolutely concur with you that VYGER / Red Sparrow is most excellent with pretty much the majority of post 1958 > mono pressings cut with a stereo profile lathe, and that for many audiophiles Perhaps not worth the FaF of running a true mono cartridge .

However for some folks that Delta , however marginal on some later mono pressings , might be worth that FaF.
Where Pre 1958 pressings cut on a true mono profile lathe are concerned , thats a different margin altogether imho.

 

[bonzo75]

I absolutely concur with you that VYGER / Red Sparrow is most excellent with pretty much the majority of post 1958 > mono pressings cut with a stereo profile lathe, and that for many audiophiles Perhaps not worth the FaF of running a true mono cartridge .

all my listening are with mono era pressings, never heard it on modem era fake monos. Let me know when you get round to hearing it.

 

[Argonaut]

Let me know when you get round to hearing it.

I think that I shall take our mutual friends considered opinion on this one … Ta! , Let me know when you get round to hearing a DaVa mono

 

[Mike Lavigne]

I switch back and forth between the mono carts and stereo carts all the time; including the ones @cmchan has, the Estero Gold, AT-2022, and DaVa Ref.

agree that with these top moving coil stereo carts that my 2 Miyajima Labs mono Infinitiy's, the 1.0mil and 0.7mil versions, those stereo carts got quite close or even presented trade-offs favoring the stereo carts. so I sold the Miyajima's and upgraded to the Sumile Mono which moved the mono experience past those stereo alternatives. it achieved the neighborhood of those stereo carts in refinement that the Infinitiy's could not, yet also has presentation and believability advantages. more realism and separation, slightly better bass, slightly greater dynamics. a more intimate experience. the stereo carts gloss over some of the subtlety. very nuanced improvements musically important.

makes my mono listening more special. as always, not all mono pressings favor the mono carts, but most do. my early 50's wide groove monos 100% do. maybe the Red Sparrow on the VYGER is better on monos? could be.

don't own the DaVa Ref mono so can't comment, but would expect it to likely be a slight step up over the Sumile mono.

just my 2 cents.

right now using the NVS/Durand Telos wood arm wand into the dart pre for my phono with the Sumile mono. will mount it on my new Glanz arm on the Esoteric T1 and then use the EMIA SUT/phono when the arm board arrives for the Glanz next month. my Koetsu Azule stereo will then go back on the Telos.

 

[bonzo75]

I switch back and forth between the mono carts and stereo carts all the time; including the ones @cmchan has, the Estero Gold, AT-2022, and DaVa Ref.

agree that with these top moving coil stereo carts that my 2 Miyajima Labs mono Infinitiy's, the 1.0mil and 0.7mil versions, those stereo carts got quite close or even presented trade-offs favoring the stereo carts. so I sold the Miyajima's and upgraded to the Sumile Mono which moved the mono experience past those stereo alternatives. it achieved the neighborhood of those stereo carts in refinement that the Infinitiy's could not, yet also has presentation and believability advantages. more realism and separation, slightly better bass, slightly greater dynamics. a more intimate experience. the stereo carts gloss over some of the subtlety. very nuanced improvements musically important.

makes my mono listening more special. as always, not all mono pressings favor the mono carts, but most do. my early 50's wide groove monos 100% do. maybe the Red Sparrow on the VYGER is better on monos? could be.

don't own the DaVa Ref mono so can't comment, but would expect it to likely be a slight step up over the Sumile mono.

just my 2 cents.

right now using the NVS/Durand Telos wood arm wand into the dart pre for my phono with the Sumile mono. will mount it on my new Glanz arm on the Esoteric T1 and then use the EMIA SUT/phono when the arm board arrives for the Glanz next month. my Koetsu Azule stereo will then go back on the Telos.

Mike, you have 4 or 5 arms at any point in time, so you can have multiple stereo carts and a mono. When someone has a LT like Vyger with one arm, and that plays mono so well, how are you going to swap back and forth, and for what purpose? You will either need to buy another LT, or a second table, in which case you end up with multiple stereo carts and differences anyway, stereo or mono. Personally I think a person would need to have 3 arms to have one mono, as two stereo carts at a minimum with different sounds would take preference over the mono, unless one was to have predominantly a mono collection of records. And depending on the choice of arms and carts the mono may, or may not play monos better than stereo

 

[christensenleif@msn.com]

just played Mosaic Records Sidney Bechet Complete Blue Note Sessions on DaVa mono in The Peak/DaVa mono SUT and the image is solid, dynamic and the musicians are in my livingroom , like I prefer...on stereo cart image is less solid with less fundamentals/low midrange and not as dynamic

 

[kodomo]

My dava project is still going on but I did not finish gathering all the items yet. As some of you know, I did not receive my tonearm from Alfred Bokrand so I went ahead and bought a very special tonearm from Eugene Komissarov. It is now ready, so I guess I will have it in a month or so. I also have a Garrard 401 along one tube, two SS psu's for my Dava Reference cartridge. I hope, by February I will setup my very special Dava analog setup as my third analog front end.

 

[christensenleif@msn.com]

congratulations! glad to hear
I met Eugene at ETF where I got him on the list and he brought an arm for me to take home and test
I have used it for a couple of weeks, but am now back to IT407, while waiting for another gunmetal armboard out for drilling 32mm hole.
what I can say so far is that this arm is VERY good.....really clean and fullbodied
can also be adjusted in all possible ways to balance the "system"
to be continued

 

[kodomo]

congratulations! glad to hear
I met Eugene at ETF where I got him on the list and he brought an arm for me to take home and test
I have used it for a couple of weeks, but am now back to IT407, while waiting for another gunmetal armboard out for drilling 32mm hole.
what I can say so far is that this arm is VERY good.....really clean and fullbodied
can also be adjusted in all possible ways to balance the "system"
to be continued
View attachment 122727

That may be my tonearm Leif

 

[christensenleif@msn.com]

no he showed me pics of the one he assembled for you a few days ago

 

[Solypsa]

So it is pushing forward the 'Dynavector' topology?

 

[christensenleif@msn.com]

only similarity is light subarm.....rest is different

 

[crosswind]

Pulled my self together today and attached the AN Kaisei between PSU and Dava. 2x21,5 awg shielded Cardas between PSU and Kaisei and the original thin silver one from Kaisei to cart.

 

[bonzo75]

this DaVa video is playing the DGG original source.

for those who want to hear other Dava videos they can just keep following this chain of threads back.

Sounding fantastic. Playing back on mobile violin is hard on top but when streamed to a soundbar (or probably headphone) the whole performance is absolutely fantastic.

 

[mtemur]

Sounding fantastic. Playing back on mobile violin is hard on top but when streamed to a soundbar (or probably headphone) the whole performance is absolutely fantastic.

I’m hearing the same slightly off piano sound here as well as the setups I listened to this OS record. What is your opinion about piano on this record (not the setup)? Violin, viola, cello and bass sounds ok though.