2. analog
  3. 1354395171

Tracking down cause of distortion on vinyl

Hi all -

Recently LPs on my modest system (Technics SL-1200 w/ KAB Groovemaster) have been sounding off - kind of thin and distorted, especially on loud tracks or passages. The stylus on my cart was destroyed by someone in the house, and I had to replace it with a JICO back in February. The JICO was fine at first (although the suspension was not as good as the original - did not track as well and needed higher force), but I have heard they have quality control issues and suspect that is the cause. But how can I actually verify this?

Is it worth getting a test LP (I hear mixed opinions on the worth of these) - is there anything typically there that would isolate mistracking, say, as the cause?

I love the cartridge, but don't love the idea of ponying up for another questionable stylus (assuming I'm unlikely to get any credit on it now), if that is indeed the problem.

Also, is it true that if it is mistracking badly it is damaging any vinyl I put on?
dmsantini

Showing 2 responses by dmsantini

dmsantini OP
7 posts
 
This is an integrated cart, so there's nothing to adjust relative to the tonearm - if it's misaligned, presumably something is damaged with the cantilever.

I have actually cleaned it with the Magic Eraser since this started (I'm a little scared of that device, so try not to use it much) and use a Zerodust before every LP. (Interestingly, Kevin/KAB is not a believer in either of those accessories.) Of course it's possible I'm not using the Magic Eraser effectively - I'll try again with the audio on so I can hear that it's doing something.

However I have noticed that the new JICO stylus seems more likely to pick up dirt by the end of playing a side than the old stylus did.

Long ago there was a stereo store here in the DC Metro area which would put your cart under a high-powered microscope and check it out for you - too bad they're not around, as I would like to have it inspected.

The guesswork aspect of all this is troublesome, unless I just feel trying another cartridge out for fun.

I will definitely avoid playing favorite vinyl while I work this out. Thanks for the responses!
dmsantini OP
7 posts
 
Hi Richard,

You obviously know way, way more about this stuff than I do. The KAB Groovemaster was one of Stanton's DJ carts, fitted by Kevin @ KAB with a stylus along the lines of a Pickering D3000. That stylus was destroyed by someone accidentally (I went to play a record one day, and it was bent completely sideways).

The JICO imitation stylus sounded perfectly good for the first few months, so I don't think the diamond was off-alignment in the beginning. However, there were immediate differences from the original - with the JICO, records were much more likely to skip from anyone walking around the room, lead-groove skip became common, etc.

I suppose it's possible that whatever inferior material they used has caused the suspension to sag, changing the VTA of the diamond. I did mess with adjusting that some, and it did seem to help a little bit, but just a little.

Right now I'm playing with a Grado Gold I got from someone on here, trying to get that aligned perfectly. First attempt was not great, second attempt pretty good, but I think there's still room for improvement. But I fear that whatever mistracking the old cart was doing did do some damage to some records (comparing a few that I know I listened to and heard distortion with the old cartridge to records that I did not play at all during that period), so I'm loath to do much more testing with that needle.
More to discover