High frequency distortion?


Hello all, I'm newish to vinyl, having gotten my first turntable, a Denon DP 300F within the past 12 months. It's been great so far, but lately I've been noticing distortion in both channels, mostly with high frequency sounds, like cymbals, high guitar notes, high vocal ranges, etc. Pretty much anything that comes out of the tweeters. All of my records were purchased new, so they've only been played within 5 times each. Anyone have any idea what could be the cause of the distortion?

Troubleshooting I've done:

  • Hooked up different speakers to the receiver.
  • Unplugged turntable from phono, and into cd, then used the turntable's built-in pre-amp.
  • Plugged headphones into the receiver while playing a record.

    In each case, the distortion persists, in both channels, at the high frequencies. Thank you so much to anyone who can offer any insight.


128x128bizzy
what exactly do you mean by distortion?  People use that word differently. Do you mean harshness, mistracking, breakup of the sound?  It can't be diagnosed without more specifics, IMO.  But - the usual suspects are too light a tracking force, dirty stylus or excessive static buildup, which can render a record unplayable.  
Or your hearing is so good and your ears are so sensitive that you react to things most people don't. There is a distortion in every recording, and every piece of equipment distorts too.
Try cd player, does it distort ? Or tuner?
if it's been "great so far", and the distortion appeared only "lately", as you say, and after the troubleshooting you described, I guess it must be something related to the cartridge, namely dirt or wear. 
did you buy the cartridge new or used ? how many hours (more or less) did it play ?

I had a similar experience years ago and I solved by just changing the stylus (it was an MM cart).

but maybe it only needs cleaning.
No, the stylus was new as well. I just ordered some cleaning solution, I haven't cleaned it yet, and although it doesn't look dirty, there's a good chance there's stuff there that I don't see.

As for HOW the distortion sounds...like I said, mostly highs. It kindof sounds like a blown sweeter trying to play sound. A little bit of fuzzy cackling, especially during loud highs. No other input distorts, but using the turntable on the other inputs does bring with the same distortion. 
I recommend a complete setup on the arm- set the stylus overhang, check the rake angle, set the tracking weight, etc. Use a protractor to see the overhang; you can't do that any other way!