Vinyl distortion - What's the problem?

As you've already tried switching channels, as Zaike suggests, it's probably either: a) the electrical connection in the cartridge-to-phono chain (have you checked the pins on the cartridge?) b) a problem with the cartridge. So, Twl has a point -- if not, then it could be a problem with the coils. (I hope not). Good luck!

You caught me, Greg, thanx. Sorry, it's too late at night! My last paragraph still stands, however.

All the previous posts had good advice. The only thing I would add is to check the cable. Is it worn or in need of replacement? Is it attached securely?

Thanks for all the input. I adjusted the "bias" slider (is this the same thing as anti-skating?) as suggested by Newbee to be around .75-1 units instead of the 1.5 to match the tracking force as recommended by Rega. Seems to have helped a lot. Occasionally, there still seems to be a little distortion as the arm gets onto the inner part of the record, but I'll try to tweak my alignment to see if I can eliminate that.

sounds like you have good ears and are paying attention to what you're doing. you may now be hearing distortion in the record itself - i have a lot of records that distort near the end. i believe this occurs in the cutting process and there is nothing you can do to correct it. if its a set up problem you should hear this on most disc's (and i'll bet you don't). If possible i try to stay away from records which are over long on one side for just that reason.