Downside to "revealing" system?


Greetings, hope all are well. Since upgrading my rig over the years( ML 11a, REL s812s, VPI Prime Sig. Soundsmith The Voice cart, Pass xp25 phono, and Luxman L509X with Cardas cables and various powercords, plus S/R room treatments which have been unbelievable) many beloved older pressings have revealed themselves to be just about unlistenable. I'm speaking of, for example, 70s Reprise Neil Young, Randy Newman, Joni etc. Pressings are immaculate and cleaned on an Audio Desk cleaner and table is definitely set up properly. Newer " audiophile" pressings sound great. End result is I am listening to more cds since acquiring an Esoteric X01 D-2 which make even old cds sound great. I've always been a vinyl person and have over 4,000 records acquired over 30 years. I am thinking of getting a new cart next year and have heard great things about the Dyna XV-1s. ( input appreciated) Anyway, forgive the long post, I am actually grateful for a diversion from current events, stay well friends!
joeyfed55

Showing 1 response by mglik

Hi I have the same exact problem.
I have been pulling out even some of my favorite albums. Harsh in the upper frequencies especially when louder. Ralph at Atma-Sphere has been advising me and I now have and love his M-60 amps and MP-3 preamp with phono stage. The latest improvement is a Triplanar SE  tone arm which is coming in about a month.
I hope the harshness problem has a lot to do with bad tracking. But Ralph strongly suggested my rack may be a main culprit. I hear amplified sound when I knock on my rack. Maybe a good platform under the TT will be enough.
Ralph has also said that I should be able to listen to all my albums. Unfortunately, I still only listen to about 60% of my collection.