some LPs sound a little harsh in the upper range.

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Krink, Jan 16, 2017.

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  1. Krink

    Krink Forum Resident Thread Starter

    OK...I have noticed a lot of my vinyl is sounding fairly brittle in the upper range(eg: piano on Crime of the century, guitars on Animals). I listen to mostly rock, and I listen fairly loud....of ciourse it isn't near as harsh at low levels. I have an older Denon DL-160, older Sota Satellite TT with Audioquest arm, Jolida JD9 Phono stage. I recently put new Bluejean interconnects on but the harshness was there before with my handmade silver interconnects. I have tried a titch more weight on the tone arm...didn't help. I turned the treble down on the preamp....helped a bit...but lost some mids as well. I am assuming it's the denon showing it's age. Any other ideas?
     
  2. MonkeyLizard

    MonkeyLizard Forum Resident

    Location:
    Philadelphia
    Have you tried adjusting the VTA?
     
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  3. BuddhaBob

    BuddhaBob Forum Resident

    Location:
    Erie, PA, USA
    Try lower resistive loading. 1K or start at a jump below the usual 47k--say, 32k ohms. Give a listen.

    VTA might be an issue but I wouldn't fiddle yet if it is close already.
     
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  4. Try1256

    Try1256 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Winter Springs, Fl
    Could be all the above.
     
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  5. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    What kind of cartridge and what is your gain setting? Those JD9s phono pres pump out some serious gain and you could be overdriving your preamp.
     
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  6. jackfairport

    jackfairport New Member

    Location:
    Fairport, NY
    If one or two tracks (or LPs) sound harsh, that's one thing. But if you're getting a lot, you might want to consider how many million miles you have on the needle.
     
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  7. Thorensman

    Thorensman Forum Resident

    Anything over 500 hours and its possible the stylus is worn,
    When this happens it comes out of.
    The blue.
    One minute its fine ' the next
    You start to find fault
    Probably useless to try adjusting
    Presumably it was fine previously
    at the present settings.
     
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  8. back2vinyl

    back2vinyl Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    Do you mean the upper frequency range is a little too bright for you, but free of any distortion? Or do you mean you're hearing some top-end distortion, especially distorted esses?
     
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  9. Krink

    Krink Forum Resident Thread Starter

    yes...I've tried that.
     
  10. Krink

    Krink Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Ive changed the load levels...and I use the low output goig to my preamp.
     
  11. Krink

    Krink Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Yes...its not every LP. The new Wall remaster sounds amazing.
     
  12. Krink

    Krink Forum Resident Thread Starter

    No...I wouldnt say distortion....just too bright for the rest of the mix...and just to harsh to listen to.
     
  13. EddieVanHalen

    EddieVanHalen Forum Resident

    He's using a Denon DL-160 high output MC cart designed to be used on MM phono pres, I own it and its output is on the low side so I don't think overloading is an issue unless his phono pre is set to MC, then it will overload.
     
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  14. I have a Jolida JD-9 and when new, it was a little bright for my taste. I did the cable thing, power and interconnects with only a slight difference. Then I changed out the stock JJ 12ax7 tubes. I went with the new production Mullard 12ax7's. Good bass with a smooth on top end. A big plus, they were not overly pricy. If you have not already rolled the JJ's switching 12ax7's may help.
     
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  15. Krink

    Krink Forum Resident Thread Starter

    I ad EH tubes installed before I bought it/ Load is set at cartridge recommended setting.
     
  16. Krink

    Krink Forum Resident Thread Starter

    I just checked...and I have the PT-7 arm. I don't see how to adjust the VTA...but looking at it...the VTA looks perfect. I am messing with the damping fluid bowl right now.
     
  17. Majestyk

    Majestyk Rush Resident

    Location:
    Vancouver
    But not nearly as good as the original UK.
     
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  18. Majestyk

    Majestyk Rush Resident

    Location:
    Vancouver
    Which pressings are they? The Speakers Corner Crime of the Century gives me ear fatigue by the third track. The Original UK does not. And I'm sure there's more than one lousy pressing of Animals.
     
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  19. The FRiNgE

    The FRiNgE Forum Resident

    First thing to do is buy a replacement stylus. You'll have it on hand at any point even if your present stylus proves to be ok. You have a change in sound quality, but no changes made in the setup, so stylus wear/damage is very suspect. If your stylus is damaged, this may have further cause/effect on groove damage, perhaps the reason some records sound more harsh than others.

    Aside from all of the physical set up parameters, offset, overhang, azimuth, tracking force and rake angle, one of the foremost causes of harshness is in less than optimal electrical loading of the cartridge. The load impedance and capacitive loading are major players in the sound of your cartridge.

    If the loading is too low, the typical magnetic will produce a resonant peak at and above 10 kHz, and a null at about 4 kHz. Certain records may sound harsh with improper loading. Maybe it was always there, and you haven't noticed until now? In my experience, my ears have become well trained in my lifetime. I hear stuff I've never heard before, even though my ears may be biologically less sensitive than they once were.. this make no sense but it's true.
     
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  20. Krink

    Krink Forum Resident Thread Starter

    yea...speakers corner of COTC. I am also referring to the new animals remaster.
     
  21. The FRiNgE

    The FRiNgE Forum Resident

    Oh :magoo: You have a MC high output! (Magoo you've done it again) My comment on moving magnet loading and stylus replacement does not apply here. Your stylus may be damaged, or loose... maybe a good time to have it inspected!
     
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  22. Majestyk

    Majestyk Rush Resident

    Location:
    Vancouver
    This doesn't surprise me. Don't go trouble shooting your gear by these two remasters. I know the Speakers Corner COTC gets a lot of love on this forum but it's considerably goosed over the originals. It sounds nice at moderate levels but it's an uncomfortable listen when it's cranked. Unfortunately, it's hard to find a good original pressing. Even the original UK's are inconsistent. As for Animals, try finding just about any original pressing. Particularly a UK A2/B2 Pressing...I know easier said than done to find a clean/inexpensive one.
     
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  23. Robert C

    Robert C Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    What's your room like? Do you have any treatments?
     
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  24. Krink

    Krink Forum Resident Thread Starter

    No treatments...its my living room...well....my families living room....and I get to use it once on awhile.
     
  25. back2vinyl

    back2vinyl Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    Well, that's nice and simple! If all you want to do is tame the upper end of the frequency range a little, you can either start playing around with loading as others have already suggested - a lower capacitance will probably do the trick - or you can change to a cartridge with a warmer sound. At the budget end of the range, the Shure M97xE is famously non-bright.

    Ideally you'd get into loading because then you fine-tune any cartridge to suit your preferences instead of having to rule out many otherwise excellent cartridges.
     
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