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Left Channel LP Distortion

I have noticed that more than a few used LPs I have purchased have periods of distortion in the left channel only. This is on LPs that have been thoroughly cleaned.

Other LPs, and new LPs have no such distortion.

Is this a sign of groove damage from having been played on an improperly set up table?

What would cause this damage (if it is damage)?
tvad
theaudiotweak
1,793 posts
 
Poorly set or calibrated anti-skate would be a reasonable cause resulting in the audible effect you describe. Tom
stringreen's avatar
stringreen
5,112 posts
 
Could be improper anti-skate ( I like NO anti-skate)or too light VTF...or trolls.
tvad OP
9,467 posts
 
I set anti skate using the HiFi News Test LP. If anything, the right channel was
most difficult to set-up with anti skate. The left channel would play cleanly
sooner than the right.

Tonight, I played one particularly offending LP, and I took the antiskate
completely through its cycle with no effect. IMO, the LP is damaged...perhaps by
the original owner playing it on a table with an arm that had improper antiskate?
cpk
190 posts
 
or just a bad pressing
dan_ed
2,451 posts
 
Tvad,

forget setting AS using that test record! As Doug Deacon has pointed out, those tracking grooves are way beyond anything a normal record would put a stylus through. Most likely you can get much better results with far less AS. We've traded the metal AS weights on our Triplanars with a few o-rings. I believe I have less than 1 gram of weight on the cantilever for AS. You will get much better micro-detail and timbre with less AS.

When I encounter left channel distortion I usually try to increase VTF by a few tenths of a gram (again, o-rings used for VTF find adjustment). If that doesn't improve things I write it off to damage or just a bad pressing. It does come with the territory with some used LPs.
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