Dynavector 20XL

I have a 20XL and used to hear this type of noise in the louder passages of records. I adjusted the anti-skating and it seems to have gone away. Give it a try.

Thanks for the responses. I will try the antiskate adjustment.

The noise is persistent even when I change phono preamps, so I know it's not the phono stage.

Hi, K, it might be an azimuth problem. I've had some distortion (not really "static" though) show up with a DV-20XL when the azimuth was off. Resetting azimuth solved the problem.

You shouldn't be hearing anything harsh with that new 20XL. It sounds pretty darn good right out of the box. (I found that there was a subtle improvement with break-in.) If the harshness continues even after carefully checking alignment/antiskate there's either a problem with the cartridge or somewhere in the chain between the cartridge and the phono stage. You could try swapping the previous cartridge back onto the tonearm to see if the problem persists.

Tom

Hi Tketcham, and K...
I second the azimuth adjustment check-up, B U T as long as that refers to 'lateral' azimuth and more easily identified by "zenith" i.e. the turning left or right of the cart, and not turning left or right of the head shell (which of course is also important, to have the cart at 90deg to the record surface)
Zenith, in my experience causes much more of the described noise problem and with some records so much so, that it can sound as if the record is faulty (scratchy noise mostly from one channel).

With the correct zenith found, the same record can sound practically clean after the correction. It can happen most easily if the cantilever of the cart is not quite centred inside the cart housing and thereby leading to a misjudgement in zenith alignment.
A.

Hi, Axel, it's funny that you mention zenith as a more concise description of the vertical/perpendicular alignment of the cartridge to the record surface. I've been wondering why azimuth has become the more common term when zenith is perhaps the better term.

Tom