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Sound from my turntable is veiled (like behind a curtain)

Hi everyone, my first post here.

I want to improve the sound of my turntable (Technics SL-1200 MK2, with Ortofon MC1 Turbo). My guess is that I need a better phono stage for it, right now I use the phono input of an old Toshiba SY-C15 pre-amp (https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/toshiba/sy-c15.shtml), connected to my Hegel H100 integrated amp. It is mainly the voice that sounds veiled (excuse my French, I am not sure if I use the right word). When I compare a same song from a digital source, through my DAC (Hegel HD-20), the voice and other high pitch sound are not present when played from the phono. I noticed this problem lately, when I changed my Rega Naos speakers for Amphion Argon 7LS.

What would be a good phono stage for this setup, and would this makes my analog source sounds better than the digital, as I expect it. I have a budget of around $1500 for this, used is fine.

Thank you!
ggagnon
yogiboy's avatar
yogiboy
5,675 posts
 
Get that old Toshiba out of the loop. This Croft tube phono should be on your list!
https://store.acousticsounds.com/d/88039/Croft_Acoustics-Croft_RIAA_Phono_Preamp-Phono_Pre_Amps
 
ggagnon OP
6 posts
 
@roberjerman I cleaned the stylus with little bit of isopropyl alcool, on a tiny paintbrush, and guess what, the sound came back.  Thanks.  I will put cleaning the stylus on my weekly schedule, right after I take out the garbages :).

@yogiboy  This device looks interesting, I will read on it, and see if I can listen to it locally.   Thanks.   On the Toshiba, you would be surprised of what it can deliver, I also have a tuner on it, and my friends are always surprised when I tell them they listen to the radio.
hifiman5's avatar
hifiman5
1,832 posts
 
Did you set up your table, arm, cartridge by yourself or did you have it done by an expert?

I ask this because when I replaced my Dynavector MC with a new updated version and had it set up by a guy with diagnostic equipment who could truly optimize it the improvement in all areas of sound quality have been remarkable.
lewm
13,048 posts
 
 Be very careful about putting pure alcohol directly onto your stylus. Alcohol may dissolve the glue that holds the stylus to the cantilever, and soon you will be playing LPs with a cantilever and no stylus. Styllast ,the company, makes products specifically designed to clean styli. You could buy a bottle of stylast very cheaply. Also there are other products like magic eraser and ultrasonic cleaners That do a good job cleaning a stylus. But alcohol is a nono.

Toshiba almost certainly needs maintenance if it’s from the 70s or 80s.  Your own report should tell you that at the very least the switches are dirty and probably also the volume controls. That is why you are occasionally losing the output from one channel or the other. That alone could cause the sound to be veiled. But having said all that I agree with others that there are any number of modern inexpensive outboard phono stages that would probably be superior to the Toshiba, even if the Toshiba is working 100%. 
roberjerman
4,319 posts
 
+1 ggagnon! I clean the styli on my cartridges after every side. I have used isoprophanol on the Discwasher brush for decades without any damage! The use of a cleaner from AT or LAST is a good recommendation! Before playing a side I like to apply a lubricant (Stylast). Claimed to reduce wear on the diamond stylus!
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