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Mft 's suggested VTF: Follow or not to follow???

Dear all,
I would like to seek your advice on this issue: Should we or should we not always follow the manufacturer's suggested VTF???

I've been dealing with female vocal's sibilance since like forever and NOTHING seems to help totally eliminate the phenomenon of sibilance pulls to the left channel !!! I have read numorous posts and try them all without achieving the level of satisfaction i expect.

I ran though this problem with an Avid Acutus-Origin Live Conqueror tonearm - Koetsu Urushi, SME 20/2 - SME VI.Vi - Lyra Helikon - Project Perspective - Sumiko Blackbird on discs like Holly Cole " Dont Smoke In Bed", Diana Krall " From this moment on"...(All of them are Classic Records). Using Feikert Protractor AND Wally's universal tractors (have settings for most of popular arms), I can achieve rock solid imaging, huge soundstage and make the speakers totally disappear with LP playing, EXCEPT making that siblance disappear ! With other discs like Classical, Jazz, 60s-70s-80s-90s pop/rock, I DO NOT detect (or extremely rare) distortion/mistracking. ONLY Female vocals, especially discs from Classic Records.

I'm very careful and patient in setting up turntables, also played around with VTF, VTA, Azimuth...etc..etc but i cannot get rid of that annoying sibliance. On some discs, that pull-to-left-channel never seems to happen, but it always happens to some degree in Classic Records' female vocals. Until now, i'm so frustrated I dont know which to assump: my setup or those discs??? Would greatly appreciate if someone can point me to some directions.

(I have the tendency to refuse in believing that Classic Record's mastering-cutting head is cutting these bad sibilance in discs like this..hm..)

now, a question also emerges during my LONG setting-up sessions:
ALL of the cartridges-arms-tables combo that i have tried (listed above)only pass 2nd track and NEVER get passed the 3rd Anti-skating track on Hi Fi+ Test record (the 300hz, 14dB). With all other parameters (VTA, VTF, Alignment, Azimuth..) carefully checked, IF i use more VTF (up to 2.1-2.2gr for Lyra Helikon, 2.3-2.4gr. for Blackbird), the cartridges tracks a bit better.

So..Should i use the VTF which helps the catridges track better or just stick with what the manufacturer suggested VTF and forget about the HiFi+ test record? My concern is that those sibilances are mistrakings, and that will ruin my records ( i care more about records than cartridges !!)

PS. Even with the cartridges tracking better, the sibilance issue doesnt improve much.
Thanks in advance.
jaytea
etbaby
138 posts
 
Hi Jaytea,

You have tried alot of things so I'm going to suggest a few more things for you to try.

1. Make sure your table is level in the x, Y, and Z dimensions. Don't just use a bubble level to confirm.

2. Set you VTF to the midpoint of the manufacturer's specification. Then set your antiskate to 15% of the VTF recommended by the manfacturer (see Thornes white papers on the subject).

3. Clean the record. If you live in a dry environment make sure that you use a zerostat. Also use Last record preservative or gruv-glide after the record has been cleaned.

4. Don't rule out the possibility that your cartriage is defective.

Good luck.
jaybo
4,478 posts
 
classic records is the skull and crossbones of vinyl.
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 

05-28-07: Jaybo
classic records is the skull and crossbones of vinyl.
You definitely need to expand the selection of LPs you use to test this. It appears that you've changed all the variables *except* the "test disks." I've sometimes reduced or eliminated spitty sibilance by changing VTA/SRA (usually by making the arm tilt backward a little bit), but you mention that you've experimented with this as well.

The Diana Krall recordings tend to be on the hot and spitty side. I have several of her CDs, an SACD ("Girl in the Other Room"), and a Classic Records LP of "From This Moment On". Although my Krall LP has some noise issues on some of the tracks, the sibilance is OK. On the digital disks, though, they're almost all spitty, so I think it may go all way back to the way she's recorded.

Anyway, try some other female vocals. A lot of people on this forum have issues with Classic Records pressing quality.
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