When listening to to violin music or Opera on Vinyl a raspy sound (a kind of distortion) comes over when the music gets louder or high pitched. . The radio however, doesnt do this. Does it need a new needle or is it the tonearm or what?
You'll have to tell us a bit more before we diagnose cancer.
What table/cartridge? How old on each? Who set the table up? Has this been developing or is this an old problem you just got tired of hearing? Did it come along suddenly. On all records or just some? Old records? Old, unplayed records? Do you have a record cleaner? A stylus cleaner?
old but unscratched classical records, was listening to Elgars tone poems sung by Janet Baker. Its a Thorens deck with catridge model B808-110. Deck is about 20 years old and hasnt been used much . I suspect it might be to do with tracking/skating. Dont have a stylus cleaner
With the information provided, I would say you could have a problem in any number of areas. If the table hasn't been used much, the grease in the tonearm bearings could have hardened and the tonearm simply doesn't track as well as it should. The rubber parts in the arm and cartridge could have dried out. This is quite common in the rubber dampers at the end of the cantilever as it enters the cartridge body. The tonearm could require a new set up if the table has been moved since the last time everything was aligned. There could be a glop of hardened vinyl on the end of the stlyls from playing records and never cleaning the stylus.
Right now your best solution is to set up the arm properly to eliminate the potential of problems in that area. If that doesn't solve the problem, a new stylus would probably be the most logical next step other than taking the table in for servicing.
This is tracking distortion, plain and simple. It's in the highs. It gets worse in louder passages, particularly in peaks of strings, cymbals, and vocal sibilants. And it probably changes slightly depending on where on the record you're at (beginning, middle, or end). This is usually the relationship between the tonarm/bearings design and the specific cartridge you're using. If it does that on a significant number of records they're not a good match. You should first upgrade to something like a Grado or Audio Technica 440ML. If this doesn't solve your problem get a new table too, or at least have it serviced.
1) i noticed this also in my linear tracker. it dont really bother me since generally the sound is good. i am pretty sure if i upgrade from at122lp to 440ml will make a difference.
2) anyone who has idea how to soften the drop of the arm? looks like i washed away damper (if any) when i cleaned and relubed it. it is slj2 of technics circa 1982. i have the same problem with my mcs 6725 also from technics. i am playing both of them without the cover so i can access the arm to guide it slowly to the groove. tenx, dan
You will have to repack the cueing device to restore the proper descent. Cueing device lubricant is generally available from anyone who sells turntable accessories.
actually before posting my cueing problem i already experimented. i applied silicone (#3000) to the parts of the cueing device which i am sure is the wrong spot because the system was not functioning after i applied the silicone. anyway i was able to take it out again (silicone) and the condition was restored as before. i really dont know how to repack this. i hope you can tell me more details. tenx jan, daniel
Sorry, I don't know how to accomplish this task on a Technics. Normally you can unscrew the cueing device and clean the damping fluid out of the trough. However, if you can find a Tecnics service station or web page, you can probably get the help required for your specific table.