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Where is the problem? Tracking error?

Let say I am listening to a piece of classical music. Full Orchestral. When the strings and everything sounds mushed together especially during loud demanding peaks, what is the likely culprit? cartridge, tonearm, or isolation? During certain passages, is it a tracking problem that some cartridges cannot handle all of the vibrations occurring in the groove and is that being magnified by not enough tracking force, isolation, platter not having enough mommentum? Just curious... I do not notice this when listening to CD's so I know it is not anywhere else. Everything is clear. It has to be occurring on the turntable. Where should I start looking for answers?
tzh21y
dougdeacon
3,338 posts
 
Good additional insights by Stringreen.

>> I suspect that bias compensation acts like damping...

Exactly so, as does VTF, and for identical reasons. Both apply a constant force (whether lateral or vertical) which presses the cantilever into the suspension. Pressing a vibrating rod into an elastomer dampens the vibrations. The precise effects will vary by frequency, amplitude and the characteristics of the particular elastomer and rod.

As Stringreen observed, every cartridge's sweet spot for VTF is unique. (The same is true for anti-bias, though the differences are subtler.) The only way to find it is by experimenting. I'd suggested starting with VTF because its effects are the most audible, at least in my setup. I adjust much more frequently than he does, sometimes daily, but for exactly the reasons he described.
axelwahl
788 posts
 
Tzh21y,
just try a good MM or MI and see what happens.
I have had all this nonsense with some pretty good MCs and no amount of fiddling with the set-up would cure it completely.
Lately I put in a MP-50 Nagaoka (MI)(~$500) and voila! Problem solved!
Made me think, now why it should be so is yet another inquiry.
(My system is posted, and nothing much out of the ordinary)
Axel
tzh21y OP
1,654 posts
 
I checked my alignment with the Mint LP. Suprisingly, it was close to perfect if not as perfect as it could be. I did not touch it. It turns out the guy who set up my turntable is the best in my area. It took him over 4 hours to do it. I never knew that. He told me that it is not always what you can see that can cause problems, he said it is what you cannot see inside the cartridge that could cause problems. It does track pretty decent up to those very last grooves and that is where I hear most of the distortion. The Cardas cables are better than the JPS labs that I was using. I do have some Audioquest Opal interconnects I may try just to see what happens. They are old but could tell me something.

He did tell me that I should learn how to do it because he could have a heart attack someday. He told me I shoud get the VPI Classic. He said it is the best sounding table he has had at his shop since he opened it. Has anyone heard the Classic?
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