Serious distortion from Rega RP1

I would check your settings on the phono pre , or even swap it out to see if that's the problem, your going to have to do some trouble shooting.....I would look closely at the phono pre settings and check the cartridge connections (maybe one is not connected very well, use a tweezers to check tightness of connections. The table im sure is fine and the cable is fine also ill bet.

It could be almost anything. Rather than wading through a million blind guesses, could you provide more specifics?
What does it sound like?
Both channels or just one?
When does it occur or not occur?
Etc.

Agree with Matt Miller.

Make sure the wiring is securely connected to the cartridge.

Hi all,

Sorry for the delay and thanks for your responses. The catridge connections all appear very solid. Unfortunately I've only got the one phono stage, so I have no way of swapping it out.

Dougdeacon, here's a bit more info: The distortion is definitely in both channels. It's very noticeable, but it does come and go. It seems to appear during the same passages over and over when I play a record multiple times. Normally I would blame this on a damaged record, but this is happening even on new records that are played for the first time.

Thanks for all your help.

One more note: I know it's often the case that distortion is more common in loud passages due to grooved-out records or toward the end of an album due to cartridge misalignment. This distortion isn't related to volume or location of the stylus on the record.