2. analog
  3. 170417-161828

A pitch too High!

Recently, I damaged the V2 MM cartridge of Clearaudio Concept Wood turntable, so had it changed with a Grado Prestige Blue. The VTF for V2 is 2.2g while Grado blue stands at 1.5g. I took someone’s help to fix this. He even made azimuth adjustments and it sounded fine. But I soon realised that the sound had become thinner, voice being the primary indicator and just before the stylus landed on the record, it skipped back a bit then hit the record. Sometimes the tonearm would skip all the way out of the record, backwards. I called the guy back, and he felt the VTF should be fixed to around 2g to avoid the backward skip. He did so and that problem was licked and it seemed the voice thinning issue had also vanished. But last night, I put on the first pressing of Aretha Franklin Amazing Grace, and all along I found her pitch way higher, it was all too high pitched and uncomfortable. Seemed the bass had gone missing a little. On my Boulder 866, I could immediately hear the difference when the track was played through Roon. It was not as high pitched, thin as it sounded on analogue. I intend to call the guy again but wanted to know from experts here as to what the issue could be.
128x128terrible
terrible's avatar
terrible OP
44 posts
 

@mijostyn I just got Joni Mitchell - Live at Carnegie Hall, there is a blank side on the third record. I'll use that. Just reconfirming, since so many things are being said, do I put down the stylus on a rotating blank record at the centre or at the assumed run-out area? And then watch it drift slowly towards the spindle?

For the laserdisc method, I found a video of an Indian guy, he used a CD. Though I don't have a blank disk, can I use one like this?: 

 

terrible's avatar
terrible OP
44 posts
 

Yes! Exactly but in your video the arm is drifting too fast towards the spindle so you want to add more antiskate. I also must add that your turntable must be level, exactly level. 

 

@mijostyn I have centred as much as I could. Please look at the pic below and let me know if there's an issue with TT balance:

I have also done a test on a blank record:

 

 

And this is what Joni Mitchell sounds like currently on my system:

 

 

mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 

There is a divot in that blank record. See how the arm goes back and forth? Put the arm in closer to the run out area. It should slide only in one direction. Did you add any more antiskate before this video?

terrible's avatar
terrible OP
44 posts
 

@mijostyn There is no divot in the record. Those are prints and they are smooth. However, I’ll try again bringing it closer to the spindle, before the record dips. Yes, I did increase the anti-skate considerably from where I was previously; About 2 and a half rotations clockwise from the previous point.

mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 

I'd back off 1/2 rotation counterclockwise. 

More to discover