A turntable, finally?

[Diapason]

I'm back again, because I'm simply not listening to this thing now, and that was exactly NOT the point of getting it. I don't care if it's not the last word in hifi, but it needs to be at least enjoyable.

I appreciate that the problems I'm experiencing are, or can be, part and parcel of the vinyl experience to some extent. But there are levels, and I'm not able to listen past the issues, so now I'm not listening at all. "Just relax and enjoy the music" is not a viable solution at this point! Honestly, if this were normal, there'd never be any discussion over the superiority of digital vs vinyl. I refuse to believe this is normal, I doubt any of you would be happy with this, so I need to fix it. So yes, I'm having the sibilance problems mentioned before, and on some inner tracks, distorted vocals (a sound not unlike a dirty stylus, or an FM radio slightly off the station). This is not every album, but it's not only occasional outlier stuff either. New vinyl, old vinyl, nothing is safe.

Backing up, here's where we are in terms of stuff I've tested:

• Tracking force: I've set it to be the recommended 1.75g with a scale. I've tested up to slightly over 2g to see if that helps. This brought subtle changes to the sonics (better at 1.75g overall) but no effect on the problems encountered.
• Anti-skate: the control here is agricultural to say the least, but I can't find any setting that does anything with the problems encountered.
• Levelling the TT: I bought a new spirit level to be sure to be sure, propped up a couple of feet on playing cards to make sure it's spot on. Really thought this might have cracked it. No joy.
• Alignment of cart: It's a Rega three-point mounting, but even if I consider removing one of the screws and trying to move it, I'm not going to do better with my eye than it's currently set. It looks fine to me, cantilever lines up on the protractor, etc.
• The stylus: I've cleaned it regularly with a liquid I got from Cloney at the time of purchase.
• The vinyl: as mentioned above, it's new vinyl, old vinyl, shake it all about vinyl that seems to suffer without rhyme nor reason. I always clean with a brush before playing, but some old grungy vinyl that's horrible in other ways doesn't seem to suffer.

There's no other adjustment left to me at this point on the TT. What else could be up? Well, the cart has apparently got high output and it's conceivable that it's overloading my phono stage and causing clipping. Seems unlikely given the fact that problems only seem to appear on inner grooves, though.

If I knew I could solve this problem (or at least "solve" to the extent that I could listen and enjoy) with a new cart I'd buy one in the morning. The only thing holding me back is the idea that this could be something else and that throwing money at the problem won't solve it. As much as I'd like to step up to MC level, I'm just not there and I don't have the budget for the required new phono stage, etc. But again, I keep coming back to the point that I've heard other people's bog-standard, bought at Urban Outfitters kind of TTs not exhibiting this problem, so I *must* be able to find an MM that will be good enough, surely?

Thanks for reading my rant!

[Ivor]

I wouldn't have an awful lot of faith in your cartridge but that might not be the issue either - there are a lot of variables with vinyl - as there are with computer audio. Less so with CD but what's predicable/reliable about CD is also uninvolving. I wish I had a cart to lend to you but I suspect my old Denon 103 is somewhat askew! The cheap and not very cheerful TTs available in some stores probably won't exhibit THAT problem but only because they don't exhibit much of anything.

I know what it's like to have audio niggles, not fun. But at this stage my listening is 95% vinyl. I suspect my CD player has healed up and I only use downloads etc to find stuff I want to source on vinyl. I appreciate that doesn't solve, or even address, your problem but it might be worth persevering a while longer.

[Diapason]

Oh I'm not giving up now, I keep buying records!!

[Ivor]

Oh I'm not giving up now, I keep buying records!!

Attaboy....

[Georgi]

Hi, I didn't read all of the storie, but could it be any issue with the phono stage?

[tweber]

Hi, I didn't read all of the storie, but could it be any issue with the phono stage?

Was going to say the same thing.I had an issue that drove me insane a while back and nearly had me selling my turntable and lps....turned out to be a phono stage issue but I should've coppped it.
My setup isn't high end by any stretch but I love the sound when I get a chance to listen properly and it rivals a linn sondek set up a friend of mine has but for a lot less (pro-ject debut carbon). Keep on persevering, it's worth it👍

[cybot]

Sounds to me, just going on the extract below, using the process of elimination that it may well be that phono stage. Are you using the AI Series 500 integrated? Can you borrow another amp with a phono stage? Of course you could try and borrow another tt first before you go the ps route.....As an aside did you notice anything last time you visited the Cloney boys with your sibilance issue. Did you take your tt with you then or was it one in the shop? You know where I'm going 🤓

"But again, I keep coming back to the point that I've heard other people's bog-standard, bought at Urban Outfitters kind of TTs not exhibiting this problem........"

[Cyndale]

Why not try listening to the 'offending' LPs on someone else's system and see if you hear the same thing that is bothering you. I have LPs that sound great on most systems, but I have LPs that sound awful on most systems I have heard them on.

That was a fatal mistake I made when auditioning hi-fi. I tended to bring bad sounding LPs to see if I could hear an improvement in the gear I was auditioning.

I copped on after a while that the thing to do was to bring great sounding LPs to see if I could get them to sound better.

The 'bad sounding LPs don't bother me any more, I take them for what they are.

[Diapason]

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Thanks all. The phone stage might indeed be an issue, but as mentioned the sonic problems only seem to occur on inner grooves, so that makes me think it's not the main culprit. I've tried using 2 phono stages here, both built into amps: the Copland CSA28 is the normal one in use, but I've also tried the Audio Innovations. Both show the same sonic issues.

I'm delighted with the sound at the beginning of records, btw, so I'm definitely persevering. That's part of the frustration: everything sounds great at first, but the closer I get to the centre the worse things become. Here's another example I've just checked: Back to Black by Amy Whitehouse. First song, "Rehab", leaps from the speakers, solid, sounds great. Go from there to "Love is a Losing Game" on the end of side 1 and it's a different story, thin, distorted, as if the stylus is covered in fluff (but it isn't!)

I tried to take a photo of the stylus yesterday but my phone wasn't really up to the task as you can see. Still, I can't help but feel like it's "slightly" off to the right a bit. I'll accept that this could be my eye, it's very hard to tell. There also seems to be a lot of play left to right in it. I'm still convinced it's donald ducked!

[Diapason]

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