Crackling distortion


I have a used (new to me) VPI Scout with a new Dynavector 20x2L with a bunch of new vinyl to go along with it. I used the VPI rig to set it up and followed all the instructions on se up, with the amount of anti skate be set right not 100% there. I have a Shure force guage and I'm running 2.2g grams + .1g per VPI recommendation. 2.2 is max for DV cart.

I've noticed on some albums I'm getting a crackling distortion in some high transients and on some vocals - especially the emphasized.

I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong or what to do next. I did notice that after 12 hours on the new cart I had just a hair more than the 2.3 g of force, so I adjusted that yesterday, but I'm still hitting the crackling. Could I of already damaged the cart?

I double checked the overhand with the VPI and its right on the dot. My VTA is level.

The record is new and freshly cleaned and dry. The needle was brushed and cleaned as well. Both channels seem equal as well.

Any help would be appreciated.
last_lemming

Showing 3 responses by dougdeacon

I admit this is optimized only for the one part of the record which has the sweep.
Bingo! And that's why it's largely a waste of time.

Little if any real music includes a pure 315Hz sine wave recorded at +12dbu. Real music is a randomized, constantly changing mix of frequencies and amplitudes. These will cause the stylus to act differently than it does to a simplified test track, rendering one's supposedly optimized setup non-optimal when it actually matters.

Better, IME and IMHO of course, is to ignore test LP's and adjust anti-skating by ear. Spend as much time as you can listening ATTENTIVELY to difficult-to-track passages on real records. You'll learn how your rig responds to the music you actually listen to, which will let you adjust anti-skating and other parameters to optimize sonics when it matters.

Test records provide false security and results that have little applicability to real music. I own several. None of them has left its sleeves in years. I've set up dozens of cartridges and made thousands of adjustments without them. So can anyone, I'm convinced, if they'll only play music and adjust with a thoughtful mind.
These were the tracks that allowed my ears to zero in and minimize tracking distortion. I don't think I could have done it without them. Everything else was a guess before I realized how to take advantage of the tones and their position on the record.
Now that's a good use of test tracks. You didn't just blindly treat them as some "test" to be "passed". You used them to understand and optimize the behavior of the stylus in the groove, balancing one adjustment against another.

My "test records are useless" posts are indeed strongly worded. Too many vinyl-philes treat test tracks as gospels rather than as diagnostic tools. To improve our setup/adjustment skills we must abandon slavish devotions in favor of listening and thinking, as you have. My hyperbole is meant to inspire that fundamental change in attitude.

You understand this already so you're right to question such blanket statements. You've advanced beyond them.

Now try this: having heard and understood just how your cartridge behaves across those test tracks, try making the same fine adjustments while listening to music. Your results will probably differ from the test record. There's a high probability that (slightly) reducing VTF and anti-skating from what's optimal on the test tracks will result in better sound on most records.

With a little practice you may find yourself listening to music one day and saying, quite willy-nilly but with considerable confidence, "That VTF (or SRA, or anti-skating) needs to go down (or up) a skosh for this record". Then you too can retire the test record and post like some annoying curmudgeon!