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Please help diagnose sudden turntable problem

Hi everyone,

I just encountered a very sudden problem with my turntable. I have a fairly new Marantz TT15s1 that was sounding great until yesterday afternoon. I noticed an unusual amount of static, but I chalked that up to the dry air from running the A/C for a couple of days. I used a zero stat gun, and that seemed to help a bit.

Today, however, the problem got significantly worse within the span of a couple of albums. Now, I have significant static and distortion, sometimes completely obscuring the music. It sounds like an amp being overdriven. I have tried two different phono amps and two different preamps, but in every case I get the same sound.

The Marantz has a captive tonearm cable, so I can even swap that out. It's a Clearaudio Virtuoso cartridge that looks to be in excellent shape. The stylus is not bent or damaged. All the leads are plugged in securely. I'm at a loss.

Any ideas would be welcomed. Thanks!
Scott
smrex13

Showing 1 response by fleib

fleib
1,124 posts
 
I agree, most likely the stylus. Why don't you buy a spare stylus and upgrade your Virtuoso? This is a win/win solution. Even if something else is the problem (unlikely), you'll improve the cart.

The easy way is to go to Lp Gear or Turntable Needles and order an AT95 shibata replacement stylus, about $130. You'll find it at Lp Gear listed under their own brand name. Remove the old stylus by prying up the edge and pulling straight down. Use a wire cutter and carefully trim off the plastic on the new stylus so it looks like the Clearaudio.

If you have questions or want illustrations, go to Audio Circle - AT95/Clearaudio and beyond thread.
Regards,
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