Luvrockin, if your cartridge and phono pre are new it's going to sound bad without break in. It's going to be thin and harsh. That's the bad part of analog there is no repeat button to burn in gear. I mean no disrespect but if you bought phono pre new and could return it I would. Without a full sounding 3D phono pre with gain adjustments it's going to be hard to enjoy your purchase.
Turntables
I am kicking the idea of trying out vinyl. It’s been a long time since I had a turntable and it took a lot of thought whether I can deal with what always seemed like the snap, crackle & pops of an album. Anyway, I’ve decided to take a plunge after all the buzz how awesome it is. Of course before I make any final decisions, I always turn to the Audiogon community for their expert thoughts, opinions and education. I’m also looking for suggestions for a nice affordable table with tone arm and cartridge. Being the fact this is new to me and I may hate it, I’m looking for suggestions on the best affordable set up I can do for a new or used in the price range of $1000/$1500. I’m sure I can get a better bang for the buck going used. I just don’t know anything about these animals. My system is older but I still enjoy it which consist of a Mark Levinson 23.5 amp, Proceed AVP 2+6 used for 2 channel audio, Audio Acoustics model 9 speakers, Ayre DAC for digital with Transparent Audio Ultra mm2 cables. Any input is greatly appreciated!
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++1paulcreed There are a couple reasons you could be experience that from your LPs in-addition to what paulcreed stated. Firstly, some vinyl is just plain better. It depends on how it’s pressed when it was pressed, the label it’s on, etc. Were those LPs that you were given new? Check out the Kate Bush new box set release thread on Agon. Mine were fine, others reported horror! My copy of Donald Fagen’s Nightfly180g release is incredible sounding. I just received Broken Social Scene’s, Broken Social Scene, my favorite Indy band, It has very poor resolution! Secondly, Please look to my post about setting up your TT. I was suffering the same issues with that expensive rig until I set it up correctly. Records were popping and had poor resolution. I get dead silence between the songs, in the lead in groove and dead wax, with no popping etc now. You will need an accurate protractor, (I use a mirror type for $20. You can pay a lot more for one. A paper protractor will not work) and scale. Again VTA is so Important! TAKE TIME TO DO THAT. You’ll need to final adjust “by ear” as discussed on the S-S website. Don’t depend on the previous owner’s TT set-up for your new cart. EVERY cart is different. Please don’t give up yet. You will be richly rewarded using vinyl! Michael Lent |
@luvrockin , Your new cartridge is certainly going to new some break-in time, probably about 50 hours before it's at its best. After 10-20 hours it should start to improve. Remember it's got a moving suspension and needs to loosen up. So don't panic just yet. That Norah LP was reissued a number of times. Some versions are demo quality, a fine recording. Perhaps you've got a dud? One other thing that may be contributing to clicks/pops is static. If you have forced air heat running most rooms get very dry inducing static. Humidifier and anti-static gun are worth consideration. Sorry to say, but I agree with @paulcreed; a phono stage without adjustable gain is a real pity. If you ever want to try a moving coil cartridge, one with easily adjustable loading is far smarter choice too. Cheers, Spencer |
May want to put in your cable for digital in your phono pre temporarily just to trouble shoot, that monster cable could be killing signal. You will still need to break everything in but may make you feel better that things can be improved. Is your tracking force set to 1.75 on your counter weight. You could try between 1.50 or 2.0 I believe without damage but may need to research it. I would not give up so soon. |
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