Sibilence/distortion

by **The_Shrike** » 04 Apr 2006 10:26

This fault is showing up on both my system and my fathers, which are similar.

Audio Technica AT110E cartridge on Rega Planar 2, (3 in his case,) Nait 1 and
Hi-Answers Compact Monitor Speakers, (DIY design.)

On certain LPs, we are getting the above fault on vocal sss sounds and on violins. It seems to be when the volume rises with the note, i.e. transients.

Obviously, with the systems being practically identical, so is the cause.

Any suggestions would be welcome. If it is down to the cartridge, any recommendations for replacement? It would need to be MM due to the Nait 1 - wonderful amp!

Thanks in advance.

by **audioorigami** » 04 Apr 2006 22:20

hi The_Shrike

is it possible the stylis is not at the correct tracking wieght...or possibly not square in the grove?

has it worked ok before?

is the cartridge square in the mounting holes?

best wishes
j7

by **The_Shrike** » 05 Apr 2006 08:43

Hi Audioorigami,

Thanks for your questions.

Cartridge and stylus are brand new,

Actually, we replaced the original Audio Technica 110E as, being 10 years old, thought it might be the cause. The new one is aligned with rega's own protractor, as was the original.

As regards tracking force, presently using 1.9 gms - raising or lowering the weight doesn't improve the problem. Neither does varying the bias.

It seems to me, it is worse from the middle to the end of side, now that I think about it.

It was there before in a less intrusive way, but has been highlighted since we both changed to Nait 1s.

by **JaS** » 05 Apr 2006 12:28

I'd be tempted to let the stylus run in a little, but it sounds like it could be a combination of the AT110E being too bright in combination with the Naim amplifier (quite likely), or perhaps the new stylus, as old ones tend to get duller treble as they wear. I'm also presuming that the new stylus is genuine Audio Technica? After market replacements can be a little rough around the edges. For a smoother sound you could try the Ortofon OM series?

Regards,
JaS

by **Flat Earth** » 16 Apr 2006 14:26

The_Shrike wrote:It was there before in a less intrusive way, but has been highlighted since we both changed to Nait 1s.

As a long term NAIT user I can attest that such cartridge faults will always be revealed in all their glory.

Having said that, IME the AT110E can perform better than you describe.

Three things I'd suggest trying before considering changing them out altogether would be to: 1) make sure they are firmly mounted into the headshells using proper stainless hex screws if you aren't already using them; 2) make sure that the cartridge bodies are siting square relative to the headshells when viewed from the front (azimuth); and 3) remove the flip down stylus guards.

The second bit is especially important with the AT110E as the open ended mounting lugs are barely wide enough to span the headshell mounting slots, and therefore allow twisting of the cartridge body if the torque applied to the two fixing screws isn't similar (and/or is excessive).

I'll also second the opinion to let them run in a good while longer before coming to any final conclusions.

Flat

by **Andries** » 17 Apr 2006 07:38

This is what I like about the Vinyl Engine forum - there's always someone who will have the same question / issue as myself. This weekend I was at the receiving end of severe sibilance, but just on one LP. So I want to know from you guys: Does anyone have the Eva Cassidy LP Songbird, the 180 gram S&P Records pressing? Throughout the entire LP "s" and "t" sounds are perfect, except for the title song at the end of Side One. Here the sibilance is really bad. My LP is in mint condition and I am now wondering if the sibilance is not simply an inherent part of the recording - maybe she was too close to the mike when she sang this incredible song?