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Weird issue with my VPI... please help

I have a VPI Scoutmaster with a Shelter 501 MKII cartridge.

This is fairly new, so cartridge has maybe 40 hours on it.

Imagine a graphic EQ where you pushed the lowest band up full... and did the same to one other band in the upper midrange... and that's what it sounds like.

I thought it was something else in the playback chain, but I've isolated it to the turntable (switched phono stages to be sure). Other sources play fine so it's not the preamp or speakers etc.

Any ideas? I don't know if it's always been like this because when I first got the turntable I had some serious speaker issues where I couldn't hear the difference between any electronics (had a very muddy sound). Now that I have that cleared up (CDs sound great) I can hear the difference between different preamps etc... so I finally sit down to hear what my new vinyl collection actually sounds like... only to find out I have a problem of sorts.

The cartridge was setup by Elusivedisc.com where I bought the turntable.

Any help much appreciated!
madfloyd

Showing 3 responses by audiofeil

audiofeil
4,011 posts
 
Shelters are low to medium compliance cartridges. As such the ideal tonearm for them is not a unipivot such as VPI. Of course they will "work", but won't be optimized. The cartridge/tonearm combination is critical for top performance.

In fact, Shelters do much better in fixed bearing tonearms.

Anybody with analog experience would know this.
audiofeil
4,011 posts
 
First, I wouldn't play any more vinyl until you're confident the alignment is proper. You stand to irreparably damage the records.

Second, I've found that Benz and Dynavector cartridges perform better than Shelters in VPI arms.

YMMV.
audiofeil
4,011 posts
 
>>The fact that Shelters do better in fixed bearing arms is not the issue<<

Your prior comment Stringbean-
"I agree about Shelter cartridges...they sound fine in a VPI arm"

You can't have it both ways.
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