@lewm
Azimuth.
Hi again….l agree azimuth defines left and right channels and crosstalk. I wonder if you think some of the things l have experienced apply to your azimuth experiences.
With regard to the OP and his noise/crackle issues, if the cartridge azimuth is out it will be detrimental to the tracking accuracy of the stylus.
If the tip of the stylus is skewed (azimuth not vertical) it will never find the lowest part of the groove. This will cause the stylus to ride up on one side of the groove and track much higher. Any minute damage on the records surface would then be accentuated as the stylus should be tracking the groove much deeper down and missing that detail. It is a misconception to believe that a stylus tracks totally the whole height of the groove.
l have noticed this myself and is a similar effect to incorrect bias compensation (anti-skating for our American friends). It is also true that too much force on one or the other walls of the groove increases the cartridges output from that channel too and throwing L+R balance out, but that’s a different problem.
Of course a badly worn stylus will do the same thing as an azimuth error as this would cause the stylus to ride up higher out the groove similar to fluff around the stylus that also increases surface noise. Of course noticing suddenly more noise can also indicate the approaching end of the stylus life and increased record wear/damage.
So perhaps the OP could try adjusting the azimuth first and have a few listening tests.
