2. analog
  3. 1051721513

Help, I'm going crazy with vinyl noise

I recently changed from an Aesthitix IO phono stage thru a Placette passive to an Ortofon MC step up transformer through a VTL Deluxe MM preamp (financial resons) and a Wilson Benesch Analog rig. Sounds good except every time the cartridge goes over a warp, and I mean even a teeny tiny warp, I get a scratching sound from one channel. It is loud enough to be heard when music is playing and IT IS DRIVING ME CRAZY!

This new set up has more energy at higher frequencies, cymbals and bells are louder but they sound natural and in balance with the rest of the music. The scratching may have been there before and the former set up masked it, or maybe it is just coincidence but I suspect it is just being revealed by this new set up.

I have adjusted antiskating, tracking force, and azimuth from one extreme to the other but it has no effect. Lowering VTA has a slight effect but with the back all the way down it is still very noticeable. I know it is the trurntable because switching the leads into the transformer switches the noise.

I don't have another cartridge to try and this one cost around $3000 so I can't afford to just get another one unless I'm sure this one is bad. I had it rebuilt by Wilson Benesch a while back and it seemed to be fine until now.

Sorry for the length but I thought too much detail was better than not enough. Any thoughts? I considered bad bearings in the arm hanging up when it goes vertical but it is a uni pivot variation that they claim will last forever. My best guess is that something is rubbing in the cartridge when it makes a vertical excursion.
herman
herman OP
2,259 posts
 
Thanks so far the suggestions.

Marakanetz, I have tried another transformer so that eliminates it as the culprit. I built a simple high pass filter to eliminate subsonic frequencies, no help. I am now pretty well convinced that something is wrong with the cartridge. DRAT!

Pbb, I was pulling your chain a bit, I do have quite a few Cds that I listen to and enjoy. Probably a thousand or so that are not available on vinyl. There is too much good music that is available on digital only and I am unwilling to limit my listening to music issued only on vinyl. Besides, it is really hard to play a record in my car.

Eldartford, I switched the leads out of the turntable into the transformer. So if the scratching stayed on the same side it had to be after the turntable. Since it moved it means it was coming from the turntable. I agree that a multi format player is probably the wisest choice for digital. However, that still does not get past the problem of limited software. Most of what I would want that has been reissued I have on vinyl. It may be interesting to compare the 2 formats but I would rather spend my money on something new to me than another reissue of an old classic.
zaikesman
3,017 posts
 
Herman, assuming you've reversed or swapped-out all the connectors (including headshell leads) as a diagnostic precaution, I would have to guess that since what you changed was the pre-preamplifier/preamplifier chain, you might have engendered a slight overload problem somewhere in the gain structure. Infrasonic info could then result in clipping distortion products yielding the 'scratching' sound you actually hear. Why this would manifest itself in only one channel is hard to say, but since you report that reversing the TT leads reverses the symptom, there could be a response imbalance within your cartridge which could be innocuous under other circumstances (such as with your gear before). I assume your subsonic filter was inserted after the VTL - if so, try inserting it after the step-up and see what happens (just keep your volume control turned down at first, as putting the filter before the preamplifier could add a lot of other noise).

Either that, or as you say, your cartridge is screwed up...Best of luck! :-)
edle
235 posts
 
I think your cartridge is making contact with the warp part of the vinyl.

I would suggest that you set your tonearm higher(VTA) to see what happen.

Use the same warp vinyl for testing. If noise is gone, problem solved.....
herman OP
2,259 posts
 
In case anyone is interested, I found the problem. The sound had gotten much worse so I took off the cartridge to inspect it. My eyes aren't that good and I can't see the stylus very well when it is mounted. I gently pulled on the cantilever and it slid out of the tube it was mounted in. It didn't break, I can slide it back in. I guess the adhesive they used gave up and it was free to move about.

I'm not real happy about it but at least I can send it back for repair.
zaikesman
3,017 posts
 
Either that, or chewing gum ought to fix it...sorry to hear that's the problem, but glad you figured it out - and time to get a spare cart! :-)
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