Annoying Sibilance Problem

Hi,
so let's share a bit here...

A new recording by Mobile Fidelity... pressing by Classic?: Alison Kraus & Union Station "so long so wrong" side two 'It Doesn't Matter', and even worse 'Find My Way Back To My Heart' are close to unbearably sibilant in my system.

I have tried to track this issue down, and had some expert opinion that: "sibilants are caused by frequencies out of the '[soundssssss] envelope'... (as close I can recall that statement)
I'm not a recording engineer and do not exactly get the full meaning of it, BUT it seems it has to do with a 'phasing' problem in the 3kHz - 7kHz frequency band (during recording, BUT also during playback)

Having said that, I now have checked my cartridge with the 'Ultimate Analog Test LP' by Analog Productions and an oscilloscope according to their instructions.
The result? NOT AT ALL ENCOURAGING!
Two cart parameters are out of spec. by some margin and then some: cross-talk and channel balance (I spare you the details, if interested have a look at the thread: http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?eanlg&1242643525 )

So, it COULD well be, that your cart has an issue, which is mostly unnoticeable, ONLY with sibilants, AND in my case orchestra tutti, and massed instruments, i.e. if things get loud and busy. The sounds then get 'smeared' by the phase-incoherence L/R as I currently understand it.

If you can, try another cart and see if it reacts differently. And oh, I assume that your arm set-up is OK, and that you have already tried various alignment-tweaks without any noticeable improvement...

Greetings,
Axel

I have a Grado Statement Reference low-output cartridge on my TNT with JMW 12 arm and I get excessive sibilance on some LPs, especially female vocals. I think that this is a known trait of Grados if I am not mistaken.

Jaytea is right - trying different VTF and anti-skating settings (if your tonearm is so equipped) will help reduce this problem.

Good luck.

Best,
Dave

Grados are known to do that.

Jaytea and Headsnappin are exactly right.

Axelwahl wrote:

A new recording by Mobile Fidelity... pressing by Classic?: Alison Kraus & Union Station "so long so wrong" side two 'It Doesn't Matter', and even worse 'Find My Way Back To My Heart' are close to unbearably sibilant in my system.

I've played THREE copies of this LP in my system. One was brought over by a friend. The other two were mailed to me by fellow A'goners. They were convinced the recording or the LP was flawed because of high frequency distortions ("unbearably sibilant") when played in their systems. Just like in Axelwahl's.

All three of these LP's played perfectly. This LP does have very extended and fairly complex high frequencies. Close miking combined with a reverberant recording space make tracing and reproducing those HF's a challenge, but with the right equipment and setup it can be done, with beautiful and lifelike sonics.

I have other LP's that contain even more difficult sibilants. One in particular is my acid test. Only 2 or 3 sytems that I've heard will play that LP cleanly, but that also can be done.

It can't be done easily or cheaply. It can't be done with a Grado, thanks to its bludgeon of a stylus. But there's nothing wrong with that Allison Kraus LP.

I've tried adjusting the table to no avail. I'm starting to think it's the cart/stylus. I may bring the albums over to Goodwins and toss it on their table with the Goldfinger... That should tell me if it's the album or not.