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Expensive vinyl rig - still not performing ;-

Hi Folks:
I purchased a vinyl rig about four months ago comprising a Teres 135 turntable kit, an Origin Live Silver tonearm and a Shelter 501MkII Low Output MC Cartridge. I'm using a Supratek Syrah phono stage section.

I'm confident that each of the componets is very respectable and should work well with each other, but something is not working right - the sound is at a lower par compared to my CD player (YBA CD1a). The soundstage is weaker, less airy, there is some apparent sibilence with vocals, and complex passages tend to be rended in a somewhat muddled fashion. Overall, I'm confident that something is wrong. In the absense of my ability to make comparisons with other components to try and identify the weak point, I'm kind of at a loss. I've tried changing vta, tracking force etc but such tweaking is not the issue really. Overall, I'd be really keen to lend my table to a vinyl nut with some good components to compare it to and so identify what's wrong, or have someone come to my house and maybe determine the issue. I'm having my Shelter repaired/touched up due to another issue, but upon it's return, I'm keen to pursue any suggestions any of you may have. (I'm in Los Altos, Ca, in Silicon Valley). I kind of took the plunge from CD into the vinyl realm with nothing but faith that I would see the light (and it's still dark so far, alas) Thanks in advance for any suggestions you have!!!!
128x128outlier
tok20000's avatar
tok20000
608 posts
 
Greetings, I have a mini audio club going in the greater South Bay/San Jose/Monterey area (stressing mini) because it is just 3 of us (and frankly I would not even call it a club... let's just call it a group) that got together recently and did some DAC comparisons. See my Ayre CDP review.

Anyway, one of us lives in Monterey (me), another lives in Aptos, and the other lives in Redwood City.

Maybe you would like to get together with us and do some listening. I would be interested in hearing your system. One of us is getting a Supertek preamp soon. We may be able to help you out with your vinyl problem. I am not the vinyl expert though (I have a non tweaky Rega P9 TT, heh heh).

This goes for any other Audiogoners in the greater South Bay/San Jose/Monterey area.

Just drop me an email.

KF
twl
3,251 posts
 
I'd recommend re-checking the spindle-to-pivot distance(223mm), and then the cartridge alignment with a cartridge protractor. Then make the VTF setting about 1.8g. Then play with the VTA a little, to clear up the sibilance. The sibilance and congestion are probably tracking issues, and the above would normally cure them.
As far as the soundstage and air are concerned, that sounds like a situation that could be either cartridge loading, or possibly even the stand that the TT is placed on. It should be low to the floor, on a rigid high-mass stand. Equipment racks are not suitable, and will definitely reduce the sound quality if you use the TT on them.

I am now using a Shelter 501 on my OL Silver arm, and I assure you that I have absolutely no sibilance problems at all, and my soundstage is 14 feet wide and 8 feet deep, with the proper recordings.

I have the stock OL wiring in my tonearm, and have nothing different than you do, except I now have the wood base that does deepen bass response and smooths things up a bit.

Beyond that, I cannot understand what the problem would be. There is no earthly reason that I can think of that would be causing such low performance of that TT.

Is there anything out of the ordinary that you think is at all abnormal about anything else? Like do you have to turn the volume up real high when using the TT? Are you sure you are plugged into the right phono input on the preamp? Are you sure the loading is at 100 ohms, and not 10? Is there any clue about something that seems strange?
4yanx
1,576 posts
 
Tok20000, the talk of DAC comparisons scares me a bit, being more a vinyl nut, but I'd have interest in kibitzing over audio. Saratoga, here.
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