Agree with Chayro. Unless you're listening to a filthy or damaged LP, "crackling" sounds are noise (an addition TO the signal), not distortion (a modification OF the signal).
The improvement from increasing VTF confirms that, and stylus mistracking was my first suspicion. Letting a sharpened diamond bounce around in a plastic groove will cause irreparable damage to the LP. Good thing you diagnosed this so quickly.
Another suspect would be dirty/loose connections between cartridge pins and tonearm wire clips. Make sure those are clean and snug. If you have a loose fit, slide a wooden toothpick into the clip and squeeze gently to snug it up a bit.
An accurate VTF scale is critical and need not be expensive. You shouldn't have to spend more than $50. Audiophile approved scales costing hundred$ are no better than a jeweller's or gunmaker's scale with a DIY'd weighing step.
Make sure you're weighing at record level and that the magnets in the cartridge are not being pulled toward any ferritic metal in the scale. Be careful! The magnets in a LOMC are powerful... a cartridge can destroy itself in a second if it whips out your grasp and crashes into something.
Please note, no scale can do more than get you in the right ballpark. Every cartridge is unique. Final tweaking of VTF (and some other setup parameters) can only be accomplished by listening. This sort of tweaking can wait until you get more used to the sound and more comfortable with delicate adjustments.
Until then, be *certain* that your stylus is not mistracking (and ruining your records) by operating the Benz near the upper end of its recommended range. Running with VTF too low has trashed more records than all other causes combined. Pay special attention when playing the inner grooves of tough-to-track LPs. That's where mistracking is most likely. If you hear that "crackling" or "fuzziness" again, STOP playing and increase VTF and/or anti-skating until it goes away.
Oh... and have fun!
The improvement from increasing VTF confirms that, and stylus mistracking was my first suspicion. Letting a sharpened diamond bounce around in a plastic groove will cause irreparable damage to the LP. Good thing you diagnosed this so quickly.
Another suspect would be dirty/loose connections between cartridge pins and tonearm wire clips. Make sure those are clean and snug. If you have a loose fit, slide a wooden toothpick into the clip and squeeze gently to snug it up a bit.
An accurate VTF scale is critical and need not be expensive. You shouldn't have to spend more than $50. Audiophile approved scales costing hundred$ are no better than a jeweller's or gunmaker's scale with a DIY'd weighing step.
Make sure you're weighing at record level and that the magnets in the cartridge are not being pulled toward any ferritic metal in the scale. Be careful! The magnets in a LOMC are powerful... a cartridge can destroy itself in a second if it whips out your grasp and crashes into something.
Please note, no scale can do more than get you in the right ballpark. Every cartridge is unique. Final tweaking of VTF (and some other setup parameters) can only be accomplished by listening. This sort of tweaking can wait until you get more used to the sound and more comfortable with delicate adjustments.
Until then, be *certain* that your stylus is not mistracking (and ruining your records) by operating the Benz near the upper end of its recommended range. Running with VTF too low has trashed more records than all other causes combined. Pay special attention when playing the inner grooves of tough-to-track LPs. That's where mistracking is most likely. If you hear that "crackling" or "fuzziness" again, STOP playing and increase VTF and/or anti-skating until it goes away.
Oh... and have fun!