Turntable sound bad


I have a Rega rb250 with mitchell technoweight, vta adjuster, dnenon dl 103 cartridge. A Rega Planar 3 plinth, with aftermarket steel spiked feet. The problem I am having is setting it up to sound right. After the first few songs play, the voices start to sound hissy, and progressively get worse toward the last song.

I am wondering what would cause this: turntable being out of level, Vta, cartridge overhang, Tracking weight? Obviously I am not doing something right, and this is way beyond my limited knowledge. Oh well I hope someone out there can direct me what to try first. Thank in advance, Jason.
jasonh37
What you describe is normally caused by a misaligned cartridge - 11-28-08: Narrod

Yes! You need to re-check for correct cartridge alignement
You should have the Rega paper template for this
Some thoughts. The Rega template diverges from Van Baerwald alignment. Download the Rega Baerwald protractor from The Vinyl Engine.

The compliance of the original Rega feet is an integral part of the Rega resonance control system. Using spiked feet defeats the compliance of the feet and feeds all of the energy from the stand directly into the thin plinth. It is a recipe for disaster. Get Rega feet and use them.

Finally, the effective mass of the stock Rega arm is waaaayyy too low for the Denon 103 cartridge, though some report good results. A new arm or more appropriate cartridge would be in order, but if this is not in the cards, try something like the TWL mod to add mass to the arm. It is a bit of a band-aid but it should get you going.
Viridian, agreed, removing the stock feet is a recipe for disaster with this table. Those feet are tuned for the table and provide the best support/isolation for it. I don't think that is the core cause of the problem scribed.

Wendell
Narrod, Viridian, I disagree with both of you regarding the feet. On my Rega 25, I put Cardas blocks under the unit which bypasses the feet, and it made a huge difference for the better.