Dynavector XV Prima Moving Coil Cartridge

Where the XV Ultima asks how far a design can be pushed, the XV Prima asks a different question: what does Dynavector‘s accumulated cartridge-building experience look like when it’s fully realised, without chasing every last increment? The result is the same V-topology magnetic circuit and 8-magnet layout the XV series is built around, now brought together with Dynavector’s Special Annealing process for the first time.

Annealing addresses a real, physical problem rather than being a marketing add-on. Machining and processing distort a metal’s crystal structure at the atomic level, which reduces how well it responds to magnetic flux — and a standard annealing process can’t fully reverse that.

Dynavector’s process is precisely tuned across temperature, atmosphere, duration, and heating/cooling rates, developed with materials specialists and drawing on techniques used in Japanese swordsmithing. In the Prima, this is applied to the yokes, equaliser, and all eight ALNICO magnets, restoring more of their natural magnetic potential and giving the circuit a smoother, more resolved sound than earlier XV cartridges achieved.

Body and construction

The Prima’s body is built around carefully selected African ebony, chosen for its density, uniform internal structure, and natural damping — properties that give the cartridge a stable, settled platform for the magnetic assembly to work from. Each ebony component is individually finished by hand after machining, to keep consistency and long-term stability across every unit.

It’s a different route to the same goal as the Ultima’s bamboo composite body: a structure that supports the magnetic assembly without adding its own resonance into the signal.

Like the rest of the XV series, the Prima uses an inverted V-body that exposes the magnetic circuit entirely, rather than enclosing it — removing the resonance an enclosure can introduce, while the V-shape itself gives a secure, confident grip that most nude cartridges don’t offer.

Eight ALNICO magnets keep the flux path short: four through the V-shaped front yoke, four more sitting directly against the armature. ALNICO’s smoother, more linear field (versus the harder field of rare-earth magnets) is a deliberate choice behind Dynavector’s tonal signature. A square aperture and four-part equaliser isolate each coil’s magnetic pathway from the other, and a flux damper on each side of the yoke cancels out microscopic flux fluctuations before they turn into audible distortion.

With a lower internal impedance (6 ohms) than the Ultima and a recommended load above 30 ohms, the Prima suits a wider range of phono stages without needing the same close attention to loading settings.

Features

• Special Annealed magnetic circuit — yokes, equaliser, and all eight ALNICO magnets treated for full magnetic potential and low distortion
• African ebony body — dense, uniformly structured and naturally damped, hand-finished after machining for consistency
• “V” topology with 8 ALNICO magnets — exposed magnetic circuit and shortest possible flux path, for lower loss and distortion
• Square aperture & 4-part equaliser — isolates each coil’s magnetic pathway for true channel separation
• Dual flux dampers — cancel microscopic flux fluctuations at the source
• PF line contact stylus on a solid boron cantilever — precise, stable tracking geometry
• Straightforward phono stage matching — 6 ohm impedance and >30 ohm recommended load suit most MC-capable phono stages

Frequently Asked Questions

Specifications