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Kleos Sibilance

Hello Folks,

I posted this in a Delos thread but I thought I'd better start it's own thread.

I have a new Kleos in a JMW 9 Signature on a Scoutmaster. I am getting sibilance on vocals beyond what I have heard with either a Shelter 501 II or a VPI Ortofon on the same table. My dealer put the Kleos on the wand I had the VPI cart on. I have gone to 1.8g and did not solve it and I have checked the alignment. I brought the rear of the arm down as well. It may be less pronounced but it is still there. Otherwise the Kleos is quite nice. It has 3 or 4 hours on it now. I do not hear misstracking on high level passages, just sibilance and sometimes some grunge on male vocals. It is not on all vocals but it is fairly common.
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107 responses Add your response
geoch's avatar
geoch
354 posts
 
Robob,
If you really don't hear any mistracking on high pitched tracks, (it seems that your alignment is OK & so in terms of phonostage overload) but you do hear sibilance & grunge, I suggest you, after you get your new arm, to examinate your cable loom : (clean highs, refined mids, but full of body with strong foundation & soundstage completeness).
Overall the problem seems to be a synergy thing : TONALITY
IMHO you need a more capable arm & more sophisticated cables to find calmness & effortless flow & do some experiments with platter MAT.
audiofeil
4,011 posts
 
The arm is certainly an issue.

I speak to dozens of folks with very high level systems on a weekly basis and very few if any use vpi arms. Look at some of the more highly regarded poster's systems here on Audiogon. You won't see many vpi arms in use. And those folks who do eventually wise up and move up.

They are, at best, very average.

Nothing more.

Get yourself a better performing tonearm and that Kleos will sing like a bird.
geoch's avatar
geoch
354 posts
 
Stringreen, the two cartridges are at the opposite sides of anyone's favor. The LP is flat & boring & used as a calming medicine (like the Cardas speaker cables) while the Kleos is balanced at the extreme razor's point. So, the reflected energy of both is not comparable.

Happy New Year
stringreen's avatar
stringreen
6,457 posts
 
I too have a JMW arm. I am using a Benz Ebony LP with absolutely no sibilant issue. Your problem is not a JMW arm issue.
audiofeil
4,011 posts
 
Consider a tonearm upgrade. Even with factory tweaks, the JMW-9 is an extraordinarily average product and incapable of optimizing most high level cartridges.

Your Kleos deserves far better.

IMO

Dealer disclaimer
theo's avatar
theo
2,680 posts
 
I have had my Kleos on an LP12/Ekos for about 3 months as well. I do notice some sibilance from time to time so I write it off to the recording. One thing I have noticed with this cartridge that I have never really noticed in the past is warm up time. It seems that after one side of an LP it really opens back up. On the intial album side it sound great but somewhat confined by the end it is sounding better and the second side is just where it should be. Have either of you noticed that?
jsaah's avatar
jsaah
0 posts
 
I've had my Kleos for three months and like other cartridges, I would give it 50hrs to settle in before making any judgments. I track at 1.77 with the arm (Graham Phantom 2) perfectly level and have no sibilance issues. I find it to be a very accurate, quiet, and musical cartridge and hope yours eventually pleases your ears.
Joe
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