LONDON Decca, Tzar DST and similar cartridges

I always ‘mute’ the amp before raising or lowering the cartridge to avoid any chance of ‘unnecessary trauma’ to the speakers.
That’s just good practice and would avoid your experiences if you did likewise 😊

@halcro  - smart :)
Here is an info I got form an experienced Decca user:
"Clicking and clunking sound when stylus is lowered into or raised from the groove is, IMO, mainly associated with VTA/SRA settings. At some point of VTA/SRA adjustment, the contact noise will disappear. Of course, other adjustments such as bias, leveling, tracking angle, etc. also come into the picture. Make adjustments as needed."

And another bit of info from the net:
"It really does seem that the better the diamond profile, the less of a problem the extreme treble is and obviously arm damping and resonances aids this as well. You can always tell if a Decca is misbehaving as the nasal sounding "snap" as the stylus enters the groove is quite pronounced."
Was wondering if other LDR users second that. I definitely have this short "snap" sound, which until recently I though was inherent to the design. 

Just tried the LDR raising and lowering it without the ‘mute’ engaged....and I get a ‘squeak’ when raising the arm but not when lowering it.
And the squeak occurs regardless of any position on the vinyl....so I’m going to proffer that it seems normal.
It is still inaudible with the ‘mute’ engaged 😁

@halcro I’m waiting for Brian and John to comment. When I lowered the VTA a little bit, the squeak became less pronounced. To lower further I have to take the TT out of the plinth and work on the EMT930 tonearm rest...a pain :/

Anyway, halcro not sure if you read my earlier comments on the cart - it is a revelation!! I’d like to thank you for providing so much valuable info on it which helped me discover this gem! I've started buying more records and invested in costly vintage tubes for my amps :)

@bydlo I'm pleased you were able to 'trial' the LDR via my videos and find it a "revelation" 😃
I have been listening to it just the last day and agree with you....
I would not recommend that you adjust the VTA just to try and eliminate this sound because I believe it's quite normal.
The reason I think there is no 'squeak' when I LOWER the arm, is because the hydraulic lifter on the FR-66S lowers it gently in a very controlled manner.
Because the LDR has no cantilever, I think there is no 'flex' when the cartridge contacts the groove or leaves it.
Therefore I'm convinced it is perfectly normal and nothing to worry about...🤗
Happy listening