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Weird issue with my VPI... please help

I have a VPI Scoutmaster with a Shelter 501 MKII cartridge.

This is fairly new, so cartridge has maybe 40 hours on it.

Imagine a graphic EQ where you pushed the lowest band up full... and did the same to one other band in the upper midrange... and that's what it sounds like.

I thought it was something else in the playback chain, but I've isolated it to the turntable (switched phono stages to be sure). Other sources play fine so it's not the preamp or speakers etc.

Any ideas? I don't know if it's always been like this because when I first got the turntable I had some serious speaker issues where I couldn't hear the difference between any electronics (had a very muddy sound). Now that I have that cleared up (CDs sound great) I can hear the difference between different preamps etc... so I finally sit down to hear what my new vinyl collection actually sounds like... only to find out I have a problem of sorts.

The cartridge was setup by Elusivedisc.com where I bought the turntable.

Any help much appreciated!
madfloyd
04rdking's avatar
04rdking
178 posts
 
"........It almost sounds like the phase is shifting, like it's not playing one channel consistently. Just happened to play Dream On by Aerosmith and a guitar lick that I know very well that is localized to one channel wasn't even audible. It truly sounds, well, wrong."

I'd check the connections at the cartridge. Sounds like it may be wired out of phase......

Is the Rhea phase inverting? Some phono pre's are. If so, you need to connect the cart out of phase to compensate for this.
audiofeil
4,011 posts
 
First, I wouldn't play any more vinyl until you're confident the alignment is proper. You stand to irreparably damage the records.

Second, I've found that Benz and Dynavector cartridges perform better than Shelters in VPI arms.

YMMV.
owl's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
owl
139 posts
 
I would also suspect and look at tweaking the VTA. Does your arm allow for easy consistent adjustments there? The Shelter is a hell of a cartridge and should be fantastic if it's VTA is adjusted correctly and this can be done by ear.
artemus_5's avatar
artemus_5
1,924 posts
 
You could have a bad cartridge. I bought a Benz L2 which gave me fits trying to zero it in. A test record showed that it would not pan which seems like your problem as well. Anyway I sent it back to the factory for inspection and they concluded that the coil windings were faulty and replaced the cartridge.

The only way to know is to check all the setup parameters and if it is setup correctly and you still have the same problem, I'd talk to the Dealer about checking the cartridge for defects
narrod
1,064 posts
 
What you describe is NOT a VTA issue. I don't even know how you can set the VTA to get what you are hearing. The cartridge may be connected out of phase. Easy enough to check.
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