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sssibilancccce...

Some used records I've picked up have ssserioussss isssuessss with sssibilanccce. OK, you get the idea. There's a wicked distortion on "s" sounds only. Otherwise the records sound great. What's up? I have a modest analog setup, well actually WAY modest consisting of the dreaded DD turntable, various isolation tweaks, low end Grado cart, old Rotel phono stage, and decent cabling (have used Harmonic Tech, Silver Audio and Audio Magic) but as it only occurs on certain discs I'm inclined to think it's not my gear. The only cleaning I'm doing right now is with a discwasher and homemade stylus cleaner. Would a vac machine take care of this, or is the record just junk at this point?
jfacker
jameswei
795 posts
 
Your system is good enough to hear bad engineering. On some older recordings, the engineers turned up the treble to offset treble-deficient speakers of most of their customers. Do you notice anything about the bass?
plato
1,543 posts
 
sssibilancccce could also be related to improper VTA or anti-skating adjustments, or simply, to worn record grooves. If your TT has an arm height adjustment, to set the VTA, I'd raise the arm height a bit and see what that does. Likewise, playing with the anti-skate adjustment may help. If you have a cartridge alignment guage, it wouldn't hurt to check that as well. Even tracking force set too low can cause the symptoms you've described.
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joeabrams
132 posts
 
One other factor to check is the tracking force. Many folks set this on the light side assuming that this will cause the least record/stylus wear -- actually, the opposite is true. Be sure your tracking force is set at least at the mid-point of the allowed range or higher. Both sibilance and noise should improve.
Best of luck,
Joe
detlof
1,899 posts
 
Plato and Joe are right. Check VTA, your antiscating and the tracking force. Be patient. It can be done. Cheers,
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