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Hum/buzz from VM740ML cartridge

Good Morning.

I am new to Audiogon and got back into vinyl again (it's been a while since the mid-1990s).  I purchased myself a mid-range turntable ($399 before taxes)—the Audio-Technica LP-120XBT-USB.  I have it connected to a Schiit Mani phono preamp (once the phono switch is selected, it bypasses the built-in preamp), and my phono preamp is connected to the U-PHORIA UMC204HD analog-to-digital converter. 

My turntable has a static balanced S-shaped tonearm with an effective length of 230.5mm (9-inches), with an overhang of 16mm.  It came with the VM95E cartridge attached to an AT-HS6 headshell, weighing 9-grams with lead wires included.  I wanted a better cartridge so purchased the VM740ML cartridge and had it attached to an AT-HS10 headshell (10-grams in weight).

I’ve been digitizing my vinyl using Audacity with the recording settings at 192000Hz, 32-bit float, and so far the quality has been excellent.  For a while, everything was fine.  Then a problem started with a buzzing/humming sound coming out of the cartridge.  I came to this conclusion after taking steps to isolate the cause of the problem.

At first, I thought it might be a problem with the particular headshell wiring to which the VM740ML cartridge was attached. The reason why I thought this was because when I swapped the headshell that the VM740ML was attached for the headshell that the VM95E was attached, there was dead silence on the VM95E: no noise, buzz, or hiss at all. 

But then when I swapped back in the VM740ML cartridge and headshell, the noise appeared again. 

So my first thought was it was likely a faulty problem with the wiring inside the AT-HS10 headshell. However, after attaching the VM740ML cartridge to a new headshell, the problem still persisted—which led me to conclude that it is the cartridge itself.

I recorded a sample of the buzz/noise, but I don’t think there’s a way to upload that here.

Based on your professional expertise and know-how as audiophiles, what steps or procedures do you recommend I take to resolve this matter?

Any and all thoughts, suggestions, insights, and potential solutions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Respectfully,

Shaun B.

 

smb1978
noromance's avatar
noromance
10,046 posts
 

Try pulling (gently) the replaceable stylus assembly out and reinserting it. 

smb1978 OP
12 posts
 

@noromance 

Hi noromance,

 

Thank you.  Yes, doing what you said along with what the Audio Solutions Specialist from Audio-Technica suggested removed the noise.  The tradeoff, however, is that the output volume is now lower.  But I'm willing to accept that for the removal of hum/buzz.

 

 

mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 

smb, excellent work. You are stumbling around the right answer. What you have is a defective cartridge. Take it back to where you bought it and ask for a replacement. It is under warranty.  

elliottbnewcombjr
5,741 posts
 

congrats on finding the loose stylus. I doubt the washers had anything to do with it.

It is probably a good time to re-check all the alignments and adjustments, 

volume: 4.0 mv, how does it compare to your vm95e which is also 4.0 mv?

the 740's wider channel separation and tighter channel balance should be obvious, I would play something with complex and distinct imaging and compare them, see if the 740 is doing a great job, i.e. no internal problem.

smb1978 OP
12 posts
 

@mijostyn

Hi mijostyn, thank you.  Yes, I agree with you that the cartridge is defective and will be sending it back to Audio-Technica for a replacement cartridge.  The volume is definitely much lower.  

Just to be sure, I recorded a few of the same songs from my records (using the same settings) and compared them to those I've recorded before, and sure enough, the volume is much lower by at least 1 to 2 decibels.  So, even though taking out and reinstalling the cartridge, nylon washers, and screws (as well as removing and reinserting the stylus assembly) solved the noise/buzz problem, it introduced another.  

I already contacted Audio-Technica this morning and will be sending the cartridge back for a replacement.
 

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