When we designed the DG-X turntable, we didn't start by asking what an entry-level deck should look like. It would be easy to say ‘this is the price point, that is the limit of what we can do’. At Vertere the thinking is very different. We design the deck to a much higher level. Its core engineering has not been compromised to hit its price. During development we don’t use the Black Line cables and Sabre Lite cartridge, we use HB cabling throughout, a Mystic cartridge and the CALON phono stage. Our test system will be hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of high-end equipment.

The thinking is simple. The fundamental design of the deck must be good enough to shine in these conditions. It cannot be compromised because of price. Once the design is performing to a high level in our reference system we then think about what we can strip it back to the hit the price point.

What's been pared back are the finishing touches: the cartridge, the cabling, and the power supply. That's a deliberate choice, and it means the DG-X was not designed with a low ceiling. All of these changes can be reversed if the customer wants to upgrade over time. Rather than building the player and then thinking ok how can we improve this? We build the player and think ok how can we strip this back for the customer to start their journey with Vertere?

It is this core philosophy that gives our DG-X customer a very easy upgrade path that will take their deck to the next level. Every element can be built back up, one upgrade at a time, whenever you're ready.

That's the whole idea behind this guide. We'll walk through the upgrade routes open to DG-X owners whether it be power, isolation, cartridges, or cabling we will explain the ways you can improve your sound.

Power - LunA Dedicated DC Power Supply

The usual upgrade instincts point elsewhere and the power supply tends to get overlooked. But at its core, a turntable is a precision motor drive, which means the quality and stability of its power supply is one of the most consequential variables in the entire signal chain.

The DG-X ships with our DC-2 power supply, which is already a step up from the generic supplies you'll find on most turntables in this bracket. LunA goes further. Its circuit architecture is drawn directly from the linear power section of our higher-end Imperium motor drive, delivering a fully regulated 30V DC output at up to 4.5A through a toroidal transformer and a gold-plated PCB, housed in a machined solid aluminium alloy enclosure that doubles as electromagnetic shielding.

Motor drive electronics are sensitive to noise on the supply rail. Instabilities in voltage and interference from a standard supply affect the timing accuracy and low-level resolution in ways that are subtle but cumulative.

Adding a LunA means the motor drive in your turntable will receive ultra-clean, low-noise energy, minimising unwanted interference and allowing the record player to perform at its absolute best. You will notice a more settled, composed presentation.

Don’t forget to upgrade the cable feeding your LunA for an even bigger improvement. Pairing it with a Redline mains cable will increase its impact significantly.

Isolation – DG Iso-Platform

The DG-X is designed so that it already does a lot of isolation work internally. The three-layer cast acrylic plinth floats the sub-plinth away from the main chassis on a compression suspension system, specifically to keep the bearing, platter and tonearm assembly separated from internal vibrations.

Isolation performance, though, is ultimately bounded by what it's isolating from. Even a well-engineered internal suspension has limits, and those limits are quickly reached when put on a poor surface. Footfall, vibration from the loudspeakers and all manner of nearby energy can affect your performance.

This DG Dedicated Iso-Platform acts as an added barrier from these contaminants delivering lower noise floor and allowing greater detail, clarity and dynamics in your music.

The DG Iso-Platform is available as a stand-alone isolation plinth or with an optional wall-mounted bracket. So those with solid walls will be able to take it one more level.

Cartridges

The DG X's Groove Runner X tonearm was purpose-built to make cartridge upgrades genuinely straightforward - VTA, azimuth, tracking weight and anti-skate are all easily adjustable. To make things even easier, if you are using the deck with the Phono-1 phono stage, the best settings for each Vertere cartridge are laid out in the manual.

So what are the options when it comes to cartridges from Vertere. The standard package of the DG-X comes with a Sabre Lite cartridge fitted. This is a great MM cartridge, but of course, there are other levels available as you go up the range

Sabre MM Cartridge

The bigger brother to the Sabre Lite. The two cartridges share many of the design principles - aluminium body, Alnico generator, aluminium cantilever, diamond stylus and three-point headshell contact. The key difference being that Sabre Lite simplifies the build to a single bonded body to hit its price point, while the Sabre is designed to keep the generator ultra-stable with its special hand-built quad-point contact design. This added stability controls the unwanted mechanical vibrations and delivers outstanding dynamic range, punch, and precision.

Dark Sabre MM Cartridge

The Dark Sabre takes the quad point design and generator from the Sabre but takes it one step further with innovations found in the XtraX cartridge. Firstly Dark Sabre employs a steeper cantilever angle which results in higher dynamic range through improved contact with the groove. Then there is the addition of the nude diamond micro-elliptical stylus.

Together these produce musical clarity and accuracy the likes of which we’ve never heard from a moving magnet cartridge before.

Mystic II MC Cartridge

The next step in the Vertere cartridge range is to move to a moving coil. The Mystic II is the entry MC in the collection. Like Sabre and Dark Sabre it uses the quad-point contact design but most importantly the Mystic II uses rare earth magnets (Samarium-Cobalt) and pure copper cross-coil winding.

With a wide frequency response extending from below 10Hz to over 40kHz and an output of 0.45mV, Mystic II delivers deep, powerful bass, lifelike dynamics and extraordinary detail. This is a high-end cartridge but the DG-X is more than capable to handle it.

Cabling

Redline RCA interconnects

The standard DG-X Raw and DG-X Sabre Lite packs come with an included Blackline RCA interconnect. Upgrading this cable to Redline will give you a wider frequency response which will give you superb detail at all volume levels. The Redline interconnects will work great with all 3 MM cartridges but when you move to the moving coil cartridges its best to upgrade to veRum.

veRum-X RCA interconnects

Moving coil cartridges are more sensitive than the moving magnet options, because of this the veRum-X has been designed with improved shielding specifically for these types of cartridges.

The multi-layered high-purity copper conductors (silver-plated and meticulously configured - are optimised for signal integrity, when handling the ultra-low output of a phono cartridge. The result is a cable that preserves fine detail, lifelike dynamics and a rich musical texture across your entire system.

veRum- X is a specially terminated variant of the veRum RCA interconnect. It uses the same termination protocol for the shield ground as a standard (5pin mini-din at source) tonearm cable would. This is significantly different to the standard RCA interconnect version, and brings distinct performance advantages especially when dealing with the much lower putout level of an MC cartridge.

Suggested Upgrade Path

Of course, you can upgrade in any order you like, but here's the order we'd recommend to get the most out of each step.

Start with the power supply. The LunA Dedicated DC Power Supply is a great first upgrade, as improving the power supply benefits every other part of the turntable.

Next, look at the isolation plinth. This is especially worthwhile if you're not using a sturdy hi-fi rack.

Now that the power supply is improved and vibrations are under control, move on to the cartridge and cabling. It's best to upgrade these together. For example, the Sabre Lite pairs well with the Blackline cable, but stepping up to Redline cabling can start to expose its limitations — so it's better to move to the Sabre cartridge and Redline interconnect at the same time.

The Redline RCA Interconnect also pairs beautifully with the Dark Sabre cartridge, if you want to take things further. You can add a Redline Mains Cable at this stage too, to extract that extra bit of performance.

The final step is moving to a moving coil cartridge. Adding a Mystic II gives a strong boost in performance, but at this point it's best to also upgrade the RCA Interconnect to Verum-X, given how sensitive the cartridge is.

And there you have it - a clear path from your standard edition turntable to a fully upgraded source. Whether you tackle every upgrade in one go or work through them gradually, each step builds on the last, taking your turntable's performance to a new level. If you're unsure where to start or want tailored advice for your setup, please visit your local Vertere dealer who will be happy to give you personalised assistance.

DG-X Upgrade Guide