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Trying to get back into Lps, I seem to be throwing

I would appreciate some advice on what I can do to improve my record listening pleasure. I have rescently purchased the Project perspective turntable and have installed the Sumiko blackbird MC cartridge as well. So far I am very disappointed in the sound quality from top to bottom. At this point I seem to be throwing money right down the tubes. My equiptment consists of a McIntosh C37 preamp with the standard MM output and 2 McIntosh 7200 amps with Aerial 9 speakers. I also have an ESound E5 cd player which has been upgraded by Joseph Chow (early 70s Kenwwood fame).
powers55
rushton's avatar
rushton
2,430 posts
 
Power55, the Blackbird's electrical characteristics should match up fine with your preamp (2.5mv output and 47K ohm loading), so I don't think that's your problem. What I would wonder about for you is the set-up/alignment of the cartridge. Is this your first experience with setting up a turntable? If so, are you confident you've got the cartridge alignment (azimuth, overhang, etc) adjusted correctly? If alignment is correct, how about vertical tracking force and VTA, and have you experimented changing these (keeping in mind that these two parameters are interactive)?

If I'm not making sense to you, just say so and we can help you by stepping back a stage or two in the discussion and then helping you move forward. If you can describe what you're hearing or not hearing, that might also help us help you focus in on what to try.
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dan_ed
2,451 posts
 
Rushton is right on. Also, don't forget that there will be some burnin time with the cartridge and wiring. Vinyl can be frustrating at times but also very rewarding.
dougdeacon
3,338 posts
 
Excellent responses so far.

More than most components, cartridges do need some hours on them to play their best. Performance usually changes as the suspension loosens up. This in turn may require adjustments to your setup. Everything in vinyl playback is very interactive.

As Rushton said, can you describe more specifically what's wrong with the sound quality? Compare it to your CDP if that will help you describe it. We won't bite.
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