Warm sounding phono cartridge

I agree with chipcalzone, this is very clearly a setup issue. If azimuth is off, you will definitely hear more noise from the record than if azimuth is set right, or more right than you have it.

And in my experience, thinness in the sound, to the extent that it's related to your front end, is caused by having the arm a little too high.

Check your arm height again, with the stylus sitting in a record groove, and make sure the arm is exactly parallel to the record surface.

If your tonearm has an adjustment for azimuth, try adjusting that better. Keep in mind that the best sound may not come from a stylus that's perfectly vertical to the record surface.

Tolerances in cartridge manufacturing are larger than we might expect and in many cases cartridges are sold that exceed the manufacturers own tolerance standards.

IOW, you likey have not yet heard what your cartridge actually sounds like, so don't go shopping for a new one until you get to hear the one you already have.

Azimuth is about crosstalk, the fraction of the R channel signal that appears in the L channel, and vice-versa. How does that affect “noise”?

@knotscott Mentioned Nagaoka… IME the MP500 has an exaggerated top end, to the point many people attempt to tame it, but if you want the same signature with a tad less extension (better for his pop/click problem) and want to save a a bit of money, even the mp250 may do the trick. Slight difference in output I believe. I got a Zu DL103 at one point and it may do what you want. Or the Sumiko Blue Point.

@thebrokenrecord I had the dealer that I bought the cartridge from outside Boston, MA set it up for me. One thing I do notice is that albums sound more open when I’m not using a record mat on the platter. I have a Clearaudio Satisfy tonearm. I think there’s a set screw on the side of the plinth where I can adjust the arm. Thanks for the advise. 

@rfauto 

The umami blue is the forward lively sounding model vs the warmer laid back umami red.  That said it should not sound thin- 

have you verified that the headshell is perfectly level when resting on a stationary LP? 

how many hours on the cartridge?  give it 25-50 hrs before it starts sounding smoother. 

what are your phono preamp load and gain settings?  

not saying it will be a warm sounding cart but it should sound better than you describe.