2. analog
  3. 148528-2484

Sussurro MkII and surface noise?

I know there are a bunch of folks here using the SoundSmith Susurro MkII. I just finished setting mine up on my VPI Avenger and really the first thing I noticed is how much more surface noise it picks up off my records. I mean, by a lot. My previous go to cart has been a Benz Wood SL, one of the later ones with the MR stylus. I found that to be relatively quiet. The SS uses a O.C. Line Contact type stylus - not quite the same as a MR, but if anything I'd have thought it would be contacting areas of the groove not as heavily traveled as with the MR stylus, thinking it might be either the same or quieter. Not the case by a long shot. Anyone else experience higher surface noise with the Sussurro MkII?
tonyptony

Showing 10 responses by tonyptony

tonyptony OP
614 posts
 
SMARTractor and AnalogMagik.
tonyptony OP
614 posts
 
You might be right, lewm. There's no doubt it is noisier, but I have read that OCLC types are very sensitive to set up. Maybe I need to experiment a bit. I'd be surprised, though, if the cart could quiet down so much from where it is with break-in - but who knows?
tonyptony OP
614 posts
 
New cart.

@mijostyn, yes that's a good approach. AnalogMagik's paradigm is that these interrelated adjustments are all optimized through the minimization of distortion as measured during each adjustment, cycling through the adjustments as needed (in a particular order) until the lowest distortion values are reached. I'm only just learning the ins and outs of this program, so maybe it's a good idea to fall back to a known method for this. 
tonyptony OP
614 posts
 
Thanks @folkfreak. I agree. 
tonyptony OP
614 posts
 
@folkfreak and @testpilot, what kind of distortion numbers were you getting from the VTA adjustment?
tonyptony OP
614 posts
 
The AM setup seemed to optimize especially well for clarity and channel separation.


Yes, this is what I've been concluding as well.

tonyptony OP
614 posts
 
Since the only person that I need to please is myself (from a system perspective), I did not feel the need to remeasure and validate my set up using the software.


Yes. While I can appreciate the logic behind what AM is doing, I think the final judge winds up being your ears.

Point taken @viridian. What threw me is that in past cart setups I hadn't been surprised like this. My Zephyr MkII was/is relatively quieter. I'll give it time after I feel I've gotten it tweaked properly in setup.

tonyptony OP
614 posts
 
Maybe, @slaw . I set up my Benz SL when I first got a 3D arm in about 5 minutes. I figured the cart alignment gods were smiling on me that day. 
tonyptony OP
614 posts
 
Hi @dhite71. At the moment I have no update for you. I was running a Benz LP-S nicely until I packed up my house for my retirement move. At the moment now, only the digital side of my system is set up in the new house. I need to get the room painted, the rug installed, the electrical done, before I unpack that behemoth of a VPI Avenger and set it up. I don’t want to do that more than once! :-) I do plan to hook the Sussurro back up, though. 
tonyptony OP
614 posts
 
@audioquest4life , I’d love to get your thoughts on how the LPS and the Sussurro MKII compare to each other. 
I packed up all my stuff a year ago June. With all the crazy stuff going on it took me until July of THIS year to get everything here. But those delays resulted in me getting a tremendous price for my house, so I won’t complain. I moved all the audio gear myself, of course. :-)
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