Since the preamp only seems to be acting up when it gets hot, and Spectral is going on holiday until the beginning of the year, I decided to go ahead and try a couple of things. I changed the cartridge load to 100 Ohms, which opened up the sound and increased the gain, as well as improving transients and details. I didn't go up higher, as the next step is 800 Ohms, which seems to high given previous comments.
Next, I replaced the stock rubber belt with silk thread. This really reduced the noise floor and provided even more details. I'm not sure of the optimal distance or tension to have on the thread, so input would be appreciated.
After these two changes, the sound still lacked a little in the dynamics, so I backed off slightly in the VTF. This provided significant improvement. I have ordered an Audio Additives digital stylus force guage to better estimate this force, but I plan to fine tune it by ear.
Finally, with all these changes, small changes make bigger differences, so I'm going to have to fine tune VTA, azimuth, and reassess whether or not to use anti-skate or remove the whole thing along with the damping trough.
With regard to longer cables and hence getting the table away from the speakers, the problem is not whether the Spectral will handle it (it has the possibility of using balanced cables as well), but the expense of reference MIT cables, which Spectral requires due to its ultra-wide bandwidth. I am also still considering altering the suspension, but I need to do these things step-by-step.
Next, I replaced the stock rubber belt with silk thread. This really reduced the noise floor and provided even more details. I'm not sure of the optimal distance or tension to have on the thread, so input would be appreciated.
After these two changes, the sound still lacked a little in the dynamics, so I backed off slightly in the VTF. This provided significant improvement. I have ordered an Audio Additives digital stylus force guage to better estimate this force, but I plan to fine tune it by ear.
Finally, with all these changes, small changes make bigger differences, so I'm going to have to fine tune VTA, azimuth, and reassess whether or not to use anti-skate or remove the whole thing along with the damping trough.
With regard to longer cables and hence getting the table away from the speakers, the problem is not whether the Spectral will handle it (it has the possibility of using balanced cables as well), but the expense of reference MIT cables, which Spectral requires due to its ultra-wide bandwidth. I am also still considering altering the suspension, but I need to do these things step-by-step.