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Cartridge rings at certain high frequencies

Hi all, I am new to the forum, and this is my first post. First my system, mainly vinyl based and consists of Linn active Amps & Speakers, with a Michell Gyro modified with the Orb platter, plus an SME 309 arm. Phono pre amp is a Graham Slee reflex C, cables are Nordost. Cartridges are various, but exist on all of them, currently an AT33EV MC.
On certain high frequencies I get a ringing sound, a sort of harmonic, but not truly a harmonic sound. It's not on all albums I play, such as all my 180gm, but shows up on a lot of the 120-140 general vinyl. So far I have tried the following. Checked the arm and cart every setting at least fifty times, so much so I can now set the Azimuth blindfolded and asleep. I thought it was my music room, so in went the rugs, carpets, cushion, sound defuses, traps etc. didn't make any difference, it was still there. The TT does have DensoDamp fitted and the SME doesn't ring at all. The only thing that hasn't been changed is the cable......so I have bought a lot of Linn cable to try, but first thought some of you kind people may hopefully tell me of something that I have missed.
I do have a DS player, not that is used a lot as vinyl is my prime listening pleasure, and I occasionally get the slight ringing, but not as prevalent as with my vinyl setup. Thank for reading and thank you for any assistance that you can provide.
Brian in the UK
brianev
sidssp
1,077 posts
 
Have you checked the cartridge loading on the phono pre amp? I don't have
the AT33EV but the standard loading for most MC cartridges is 100 ohm. I
suggest you start with that and adjust it up or down accordingly - lower
loading to reduce ringing, higher loading if it sounds flat or dead.
brianev OP
10 posts
 
Hi, thanks for your suggestion, the phono pre amp is fixed at 100 ohm, and not changeable. I have tried other phono pre amps ( Project) and it was exactly the same. So I am still wondering what can cause this?
Regards
Brian
swampwalker's avatar
swampwalker
5,138 posts
 
Not an engineer of any kind, but looking at this from a deductive standpoint:
I do have a DS player, not that is used a lot as vinyl is my prime listening pleasure, and I occasionally get the slight ringing
says to me that the issue is NOT in your vinyl front end but in your pre-amp or somewhere downstream. Perhaps something that the wider dynamic range of the vinyl excites to a greater degree, or that the digital filtering or D/A process in your DS player removes to a greater degree, that is affecting a downstream component?
buconero117
2,311 posts
 
Could be the acoustic energy that flies around the room when you are playing the TT. Few people tame this large source of energy as it hits the TT, cartridge and all the components. Put the TT in another room, away from the speakers and see what result you get.
zenblaster
504 posts
 
It sounds like something is loose or ringing somewhere since it happens when the speakers reach a certain frequency or energy. Could the tweeters or speakers need to be torqued down?
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