2. analog
  3. 1322679187

Mistracking

I am re starting this thread with new found additions.

Does anyone have this new music fidelity pressing? Awesome to say the least, however on Track 3 on side one, "the wind that shakes the barley" I notice only on certain dynamic volume increases the recording sounds as though it was a little "hot" in the vocals? In other words I hear a ever so slight distortion for a split second no matter what volume level I listen to this track at. Could I have a bad pressing or do you think it's simply so resolving, it's coming through via the remaster? Any help or input would be greatly appreciated.

I installed a new Rega Exact cart which has the 3 point allignment that locks you into a nearly perfect tracking angle and I still hear the same ever so slight distortion in the left channel only. Again, only on the parts of the song where Lisa really belts out a lyric. And I tried it with a Graham Slee Era Gold phono preamp, same situaion.

Could the vinyl be damaged due to mistracking with a shibata stylus on the 2M black??

I'm at a total loss.
jimbojrjb
chayro
1,801 posts
 
If it's only happening for a split second on one part of one record, it doesn't sound like your system. Most records have a glitch somewhere. If your system had a problem, I would think you would be seeing this happening a lot more. Are you tracking at the maximum tracking force? Also, some people take issue with the Rega cartridge alignment, but it seems to work for a lot of people. You don't have to follow it if you don't want to.
rodman99999
3,557 posts
 
I reiterate; the range for your Black, is 1.4 to 1.7G, so- you can try .2 more VTF, without exceeding the recommendations. Further- the Shibata stylus is very sensitive to VTA and Rake Angle adjustments. Does your table's arm allow for those? I'd still suggest obtaining a test record, and judging the cart's performance or making adjustments, via the tracking test cuts(controlled and accurate).
davide256's avatar
davide256
362 posts
 
in all liklihood 1 of two things is occurring

a) cartridge linked mistracking is occurring. If you have had the stylus for a while it could be worn out. If the stylus is low on hours of play it could be a compliance mismatch between tonearm mass and catridge. I belive the rega arms are moderate in mass, so this is unlikely for other than a low compliance (stiff suspension) stylus. Angle of the stylus is unlikely to cause... extreme geometry styluses are more sensitive to VTA change but wrong VTA generally causes loss of detail, not distortion. But adjust it if its wrong to be sure

b) tonarm resonance at the recorded frequency. If the voice is intense in the passage, like the proverbial soprano shattering glass it can excite resonance in your tonearm causing distortion.
dougdeacon
3,338 posts
 
Again, only on the parts of the song where Lisa really belts out a lyric.
If the distortion were happening during quiet passages then it would be random and I'd agree with Chayro. However, the coincidence with moments of big dynamics makes it far more likely that there's a system fault. The question is, which fault?

I still hear the same ever so slight distortion in the left channel only.
Eureka! This makes anti-skating (aka, anti-bias) the most probable culprit. Unbalanced lateral pressure can allow loss of stylus/groovewall contact during moments of great dynamics (big groove modulations). Excessive anti-skating pulls the stylus away from the inner groove wall, which is where the L channel information lives. Try decreasing the amount of A/S. Most inexperienced vinylphiles apply far too much and I'll wager you're one of them. :)
rodman99999
3,557 posts
 
Another good reason for the purchase of the Shure Audio Obstacle Course test record: the anti-skate test track.
More to discover