Killing sibilance distortion - VPI & Jubilee

I started reading through your thread and this last post prompted me to reply. I also own and use a 33PTG cartridge and I've found it to be an amazing tracker. It may not have quite the treble response and clarity or the better tonal balance and bass "slam" of the other cartridge I have setup, a Dynavector DV20XL, but the 33PTG almost never reveals sibilance distortion (if I'm using that term correctly) that I occassionally hear with the 20XL. I actually use the 33PTG to verify whether the distortion I hear from the 20XL is caused by a damaged used LP or is an alignment or tracking problem. (I have identical turntables setup so can easily compare specific components such as cartridges, phono stages, cables, etc.)

I'll be setting up a new turntable and tone arm sometime in the near future (when they arrive) and so will have an opportunity to see if a tone arm upgrade minimizes or eliminates the occassional sibilance distortion I find with the 20XL. I'll try and remember to post my findings.

Tom

Tketcham - That is great that you've also had good results with the AT 33PTG. I would encourage everybody who is encountering sibilance to give this cartridge a try.

The main realization for me is that you can't assume that any given cartridge in any given arm will track cleanly, no matter how precise the setup is.

What turntable and arm are you using?

Interesting thread. Love that you've taken the trouble to make the sound clips.

I've listened to the 3 different tracks (via pc - Auzentech Prelude directly into Audio Technica AD900 phones) and to be honest I don't find the sibilance to be that bad, though a bit more than desireable. I can certainly understand how sibilance like this could sound over the top with a 'hot' tweeter and/or untreated room acoustics.

My ranking of the SQ of the cartridges would be:
1. Jubilee
2. Benz
3. AT-33

To me the AT-33 sounds quite bland, the Jubilee sounds much more interesting, resolving and tonally neutral (disclaimer, I'm a Jubilee owner).

I find this thread somewhat perplexing because I've found the Jubilee to be probably the least sibilant cartridge I've owned - and certainly the best tracking.
FWIW, I've used the Jubilee in both a Graham 1.5T and Phantom 2, both on the VPI TNT and setup with MintLp tractor.

Hi, Goatwuss, the turntables are mmf-7 with the aluminum Pro-Ject 9 arm. Nothing fancy but they work. The DV-20XL rarely has problems tracking but there are a few recordings that seem to give the cartridge a bit of trouble. The AT33PTG just plays on through. It isn't quite the cartridge that the 20XL is so I don't listen to the 33PTG as often.

Tom

Hi Tobes,

Thanks for chiming in! It's good to get another opinion on here, even if it's different from mine.

To me, the sibilance distortion on the Jubilee sounds really bad regardless of system. What I've been using for the most part is my Sennheiser HD-650, plugged into Corda Aria amp, plugged into an Auzen Meridian sound card. I hear it the same way in both my 2 channel room (Gallo 3.1, Supratek pre, Wyred amp, heavily treated), and my HT room (Anthem electronics, GR Research sealed box monitors w/ ribbon tweeters)

The Benz is a bit better, and the AT much better than the Benz on the sibilance to my ears. I'm sure different ears, different systems, all plays into this, but for whatever reason sibilance distortion really bugs me.

To me, other than the sibilance, the audio quality sounds really close between the carts. I probably agree with your rankings, but to me the better sibilance handling of the AT far outweighs the other gains that the Jubilee and the Benz carts may have.

Does anyone else have any comments about the cartridge sound quality differences/rankings from these audio clips?

That is interesting that you've found the Jubilee to be your best tracking cartridge. The big variable here is the tonearm. You are using Graham arms, and I am using a JMW9sig. It is completely possible, though as of now not confirmed to me, that the whole problem could be the matching with the tonearm (or just the tonearm itself), as opposed to just the tracking capability of the cartridge. My suspicion is that the Graham arms are much better at tracking than the JMW9sig.

I also wonder if there are any top notch, high end carts that track as well as the AT33PTG. ZYX perhaps, as Doug mentions above?