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Phono stage and cartridge

Hello FriendsI'm hoping some one can give me advice, I live on the far south coast of Australia, there is no Hi FI, shops, down here, the closet is 4 hours drive to Sydney, the biggest city in Australia!My audio gear is:1. Onnce Analog TT,  made here in Aust
2.."the wand Arm " made in New Zealand, with a Zu/Denon 103, cartridge
3 .Phono stage, is PS Audio GPH4. Pre amp is PS Audio, stellar Pre/Dac5. Pair of audiolabs, mono blocks 2500 WPC
5 Zu Audio Soul MK 11 speakers!!Most of my  recordings, sould great, but there are a lot. that has good bass, but a harsh, sound overall!!I put this down to The Zu Cartridge, or the PS phono stage??I have never consider, the use of a "sub", as i don't no, how this worrks??Can you friends, give me a "heads up" ??.1. New cartridge??, yore input??
2. Different phono stage(I like a strong balls in the Bass)?3. Subs? I have no experience, with these, where do I place these??
Many thanks, any input would be appreciate !!
Regards
128x128daveyonthecoast
folkfreak's avatar
folkfreak
1,349 posts
 
Echoing @whatthe in my experience 99% of recordings will sound excellent if your system is working properly (presuming the LPs haven’t been damaged). 

However optimizing  vinyl playback is a painstaking and complex endeavor 

based on your system and my experience with the Wand I would suggest checking

1. Alignment of the arm and cartridge - is it all perfectly aligned using the steel alignment tool that came with the arm? Have you tried adjusting VTA, presumably you have it level at present, and what are you using to measure VTF?
2. Making sure that the unipivot is not fouling, a harsh sound is often the result of a unipivot being off center or catching, it’s hard to get the Wand off center but the edges of the pivot housing can catch, also you may need to renew the grease
3. Gain matching - what gain setting do you have the GCPH (I think this is what you have) on as it’s got a lot of options and you could be overloading the preamp

only once you’ve optimized everything you own would I think about changes

finally if you can let us know which LPs are giving you issues that would also be helpful
dsholl1
99 posts
 
Hi

I had a similar problem with my set up. I was using a Denon 103. They’re are a bit fussy with tonearms and sound best with a heavier mass tonearm. 

I tried an Ortofon Cadenza which smoothed things up whilst offering greater resolution too. 

I am also on the SNA forum. I have the Cadenza Red listed on eBay and SNA as I am hoping to upgrade to the Bronze or Windfeld Ti. 

I also live in OZ. 
chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
Zu Audio Soul MK II is a lower model compared to my adorable Zu Druid MKV which comes with different full range driver and additional supertweeter, but it’s not harsh sounding at all. You can try different loading for your DL103, and maybe you will be able to check a better cartridge in your system, it’s worth it as you have a conical tip right now. The conical tip is less fuzzy in set-up, but definitely lacking the accuracy. That’s why the more advanced styli are better and always more expensive, they are much closer to the cutting stylus shape than conical/spherical. I hope you can invite some friends with different cartridges to try first.
amg56's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
amg56
887 posts
 

Hi @Daveyonthecoast so you must be between Batemans Bay and Eden? My old holiday stomping ground. I am a "pre-laker" from Canberra and now in Brizzy.

Your '103 is a straight shooter so should see the bass through. I would check and re-check the alignment of you cartridge. It's amazing what a difference that can make. If this is a new occurrence, definitely check the room, the cart and connections and clean your records.

You might have beautiful beach sand on the grooves!

chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
The alignment of the CONICAL tip will NOT make a big difference, the conical tip is the most forgiving profile when it comes to alignment. You can set up by eyes and it's done. It is CONICAL/SPHERICAL, just look at this.  

And learn more about profiles here: 
https://www.vinylengine.com/turntable_forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=22894
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