Dynavector XV Ultima Moving Coil Cartridge

The XV Ultima is Dynavector‘s flagship, and it earns that position through a genuinely unusual construction choice: it’s the only Dynavector cartridge where all eight of the ALNICO magnets — not just the yokes and equaliser — go through Dynavector’s Special Annealing process.

Annealing isn’t a marketing flourish here; it’s a fix for a real problem. Machining and processing distort the crystal structure of a metal at the atomic level, and that distortion reduces how well it responds to magnetic flux. A standard annealing process can’t fully undo it.

Dynavector’s version — precisely tuned temperature, atmosphere, duration, and heating/cooling rates, developed with materials specialists and rooted in techniques used in Japanese swordsmithing — restores more of the material’s original magnetic potential. Applying it to all eight magnets, rather than just the surrounding ironwork, is what sets the Ultima apart even from its closest sibling, the XV Prima.

The moving assembly gets the same “how far can this go” treatment. The coil bobbin is machined from research-grade, ultra-high-purity iron — well beyond the purity of conventional cartridge materials — then precision-cut into a cross-armature shape that strips away unnecessary mass while keeping the rigidity needed for accurate coil alignment.

The coil itself is wound in ultra-fine pure copper wire, thinner than a human hair. Less moving mass means the stylus can follow groove modulation more faithfully, particularly at the high frequencies the ear is most sensitive to — which is where you’d expect to hear the difference between the Ultima and a cartridge with a heavier armature.

Body and construction

Rather than a single material, the Ultima’s body combines precision-machined aluminium with a laminated bamboo composite, chosen for its balance of rigidity, low mass, and natural damping. It’s a different approach to the Prima’s African ebony — both aim at the same goal (a stable platform for the magnetic assembly that doesn’t add its own resonance) but via different materials. The surface is finished in a coating inspired by traditional Japanese Urushi lacquer work, adding further rigidity and damping on top of the bamboo’s own properties.

Like every cartridge in the XV series, the Ultima uses an inverted V-body that exposes the magnetic circuit completely rather than enclosing it — removing the resonance and energy retention an enclosure can introduce, while the V-shape itself gives a secure grip that nude cartridges don’t usually offer.

Eight ALNICO magnets keep the flux path as short as possible: four forming the main circuit through the V-shaped front yoke, four more sitting directly against the armature. ALNICO was chosen over rare-earth magnets specifically for its smoother, more linear field — the tonal naturalness Dynavector is known for owes a lot to this choice.

A square aperture and four-part equaliser keep each coil’s magnetic pathway isolated from the others, and a flux damper wound on each side of the yoke cancels out microscopic fluctuations in the field before they become audible distortion.

A note on phono stage matching

The Ultima’s internal impedance — 24 ohms — is higher than most moving coil cartridges, including the Prima’s 6 ohms. This isn’t a flaw, but it does mean your phono stage’s loading needs to be set correctly to get the best out of it; the recommended load is above 75 ohms. Worth checking with us or referring to the manual before installation if you’re not familiar with adjusting phono stage loading.

Features

• All eight ALNICO magnets Special Annealed — the only Dynavector cartridge built this way, pushing the magnetic circuit’s resolution and tonal smoothness further than the rest of the range
• Research-grade ultra-high-purity iron coil bobbin — far exceeding the purity of conventional cartridge materials, for outstanding linearity and low distortion
• Cross-cut armature with ultra-fine coil wire — minimises moving mass for faithful high-frequency tracking and low-level resolution
• Bamboo composite body with Urushi-inspired coating — rigid, low-mass, naturally damped structure with a distinctive finish
• “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

Frequently Asked Questions

Specifications