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Hum/buzz from VM740ML cartridge

Good Morning.

I am new to Audiogon and got back into vinyl again (it's been a while since the mid-1990s).  I purchased myself a mid-range turntable ($399 before taxes)—the Audio-Technica LP-120XBT-USB.  I have it connected to a Schiit Mani phono preamp (once the phono switch is selected, it bypasses the built-in preamp), and my phono preamp is connected to the U-PHORIA UMC204HD analog-to-digital converter. 

My turntable has a static balanced S-shaped tonearm with an effective length of 230.5mm (9-inches), with an overhang of 16mm.  It came with the VM95E cartridge attached to an AT-HS6 headshell, weighing 9-grams with lead wires included.  I wanted a better cartridge so purchased the VM740ML cartridge and had it attached to an AT-HS10 headshell (10-grams in weight).

I’ve been digitizing my vinyl using Audacity with the recording settings at 192000Hz, 32-bit float, and so far the quality has been excellent.  For a while, everything was fine.  Then a problem started with a buzzing/humming sound coming out of the cartridge.  I came to this conclusion after taking steps to isolate the cause of the problem.

At first, I thought it might be a problem with the particular headshell wiring to which the VM740ML cartridge was attached. The reason why I thought this was because when I swapped the headshell that the VM740ML was attached for the headshell that the VM95E was attached, there was dead silence on the VM95E: no noise, buzz, or hiss at all. 

But then when I swapped back in the VM740ML cartridge and headshell, the noise appeared again. 

So my first thought was it was likely a faulty problem with the wiring inside the AT-HS10 headshell. However, after attaching the VM740ML cartridge to a new headshell, the problem still persisted—which led me to conclude that it is the cartridge itself.

I recorded a sample of the buzz/noise, but I don’t think there’s a way to upload that here.

Based on your professional expertise and know-how as audiophiles, what steps or procedures do you recommend I take to resolve this matter?

Any and all thoughts, suggestions, insights, and potential solutions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Respectfully,

Shaun B.

 

smb1978
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,178 posts
 

smb, excellent work. You are stumbling around the right answer. What you have is a defective cartridge. Take it back to where you bought it and ask for a replacement. It is under warranty.  

elliottbnewcombjr
5,112 posts
 

congrats on finding the loose stylus. I doubt the washers had anything to do with it.

It is probably a good time to re-check all the alignments and adjustments, 

volume: 4.0 mv, how does it compare to your vm95e which is also 4.0 mv?

the 740's wider channel separation and tighter channel balance should be obvious, I would play something with complex and distinct imaging and compare them, see if the 740 is doing a great job, i.e. no internal problem.

smb1978 OP
12 posts
 

@mijostyn

Hi mijostyn, thank you.  Yes, I agree with you that the cartridge is defective and will be sending it back to Audio-Technica for a replacement cartridge.  The volume is definitely much lower.  

Just to be sure, I recorded a few of the same songs from my records (using the same settings) and compared them to those I've recorded before, and sure enough, the volume is much lower by at least 1 to 2 decibels.  So, even though taking out and reinstalling the cartridge, nylon washers, and screws (as well as removing and reinserting the stylus assembly) solved the noise/buzz problem, it introduced another.  

I already contacted Audio-Technica this morning and will be sending the cartridge back for a replacement.
 

smb1978 OP
12 posts
 

@elliottbnewcombjr 

Hi elliottbnewcombjr, thanks - it did solve the noise problem but then the volume coming out of the cartridge became much lower.  I'm going to check for a few more things to see.  For instance, it came with four installation screws: two long ones and two short ones.  I used the longer ones. I'm going to try swapping out those for the shorter screws just to see if the longer ones are interfering with the stylus assembly.  But if the volume issue still persists after doing that, I'll be returning it for a replacement.

With respect to the VM740ML as compared to the VM95E—oh, it is like night and day and makes the VM95E sound crappy by comparison (even though it is not a bad cartridge at all).  The VM740ML is an excellent cartridge and, as you stated, has a wider channel separation and tight channel balance.  I hear details in some records that I haven't even noticed before (like background instruments right before a song starts).  I really do love this cartridge.  I will keep you updated on what happens when I swap out the longer screws for the shorter ones.  

Best,

smb1978 OP
12 posts
 

Hi everyone,

Problem solved.

Audio-Technica got back to me and told me to check the stylus assembly (as you suggested, elliottbnewcombjr...and you were absolutely correct!) and to make sure that the screws were not interfering with its reattachment of the cartridge.  I sent pictures of my cartridge to them was told to use the smaller screws, because there was a small space/gap toward the back of the stylus assembly, preventing it from fully snapping into place onto the cartridge. 

I replaced the longer screws with the shorter ones, reattached the stylus assembly (this time hearing it snap into place), and the problem is now fully solved (no noise/buzz and no lower sound).  

Thank you to everyone here for your help.  I'm also grateful to the people at Audio-Technica, who are excellent in terms of customer support.

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