Records with words with the letter S are slurred

Tfile, when you float the tonearm, when it is level, move the counterweight so that the cart end is slightly up higher than the counterweight end. Set the tracking force and anti skate, then play the problematic album and listen to determine if it sounds better or worse. Also remember that some singers have a lisp. Best of luck.

I am going to thank austinbob for you. Thanks Bob.

As you might surmise from the responses so far, just about anything in the reproductive chain can in one way or another cause sibilance. It's difficult to analyze the cause from afar, but can you say whether you hear sibilance with CDs? If not, that would more or less let the speakers, the amplifiers, and the linestage of your preamplifier off the hook. That leaves the phono section or phono stage, turntable, tonearm, cartridge (or tonearm/cartridge match), or the LP itself.

Then, can you say whether you hear this phenomenon on all LPs, or only a few?

Sometimes if you lower the VTA it will cure that problem! Give it a try,you have nothing to lose.

Get a real tunable!!!