Turn table - balance, sibilance, output level... bit new to this vinyl stuff.

[TheKman76]

I realise this will be completely off-topic almost anywhere, but I assume the brains trust has some turn table skills?

We were gifted a used turn table at Christmas and now have a very small niche of vinyl. However, the experience so far has been less than stellar. In the beginning there was a lot of distortion in the right channel which followed the RCA cables (swapping left and right the distortion followed the cable). The cartridge was a Ortofon OM10, which I've since augmented with a 20 stylus.

Here's what we got:
Project 1.2 turntable, aluminium tone arm with OM20 cartridge. RCA cables are fixed to the unit. I guess it's roughly 20 years old.
Rotel RA-1592 receiver
DIY floor standing speakers based on my own 3-way design

So far I've checked the rake angle, the azimuth, set the tracking force to 1.5g and set the anti-skate weight to medium.
Certainly this is a vast improvement over the original experience, but there are still some issues.
There seems to be slightly more presence in the right channel and maybe a touch of sibilance. Also - though this could be the limited number recording I've listened to - certain mid-bass frequencies seem to resonate more in the right channel. Bass seems consistent and the mid range seems broadly the same too.

Anyone have any wild ideas about what might be going on here? Have I made a mistake replacing just the stylus and not the whole cart given it's possible age?

Appreciate any help.

 

[Dogs of Doom]

not familiar w/ your particular brand & parts...

Look up the manual for your turntable, if you don't already have one. The turntable, w/ stock cartridge will have a certain tracking force & anti-skate...

1.5 might be too little. Try 2 & also anti skate at 2, unless your turntable calls for 1.5 specifically.

The 3 turntables I have, say somewhere between 1.8 & 2.2, but, the one I'm using (Audio Technica) states 2.0 & anti-skate also 2...

 

[Jon Snell]

The weight is soley governed by the cartridge manufacturer.
Has the deck been serviced ... if the arm is stiff, you will get distortion and can lose one channel in the worst instance.
Maybe it is just a damaged cartridge.

 

[TheKman76]

Thanks folks.

This cart and stylus call for 1.5 grams and "medium" anti-skate. Project TTs have this odd weight system where the anti-skate force is adjusted by moving the fine nylon thread to a position with more or less leverage on the arm. This one has three positions and medium is specified for the OM carts.

Jon, I did a basic service myself also, though it has been kept in excellent condition. All the bearing surfaces were cleaned and lubed, belt tension was ok and the platter spins with about 5 thou of wobble, which I understand is quite reasonable. I shimmed it to the point I can't really measure the wobble anymore, which is probably irrelevant given how wobbly most vinyl can be.

I'm certainly leaning towards a damaged cart

 

[Cal Nevari]

I realise this will be completely off-topic almost anywhere, but I assume the brains trust has some turn table skills?

We were gifted a used turn table at Christmas and now have a very small niche of vinyl. However, the experience so far has been less than stellar. In the beginning there was a lot of distortion in the right channel which followed the RCA cables (swapping left and right the distortion followed the cable). The cartridge was a Ortofon OM10, which I've since augmented with a 20 stylus.

Here's what we got:
Project 1.2 turntable, aluminium tone arm with OM20 cartridge. RCA cables are fixed to the unit. I guess it's roughly 20 years old.
Rotel RA-1592 receiver
DIY floor standing speakers based on my own 3-way design

So far I've checked the rake angle, the azimuth, set the tracking force to 1.5g and set the anti-skate weight to medium.
Certainly this is a vast improvement over the original experience, but there are still some issues.
There seems to be slightly more presence in the right channel and maybe a touch of sibilance. Also - though this could be the limited number recording I've listened to - certain mid-bass frequencies seem to resonate more in the right channel. Bass seems consistent and the mid range seems broadly the same too.

Anyone have any wild ideas about what might be going on here? Have I made a mistake replacing just the stylus and not the whole cart given it's possible age?

Appreciate any help.

Welcome to the vinyl rabbit hole! The turntable, cartridge, and stylus you named are all very good. The amp and speakers you use are going to make a big difference as well, but Rotel makes excellent amps so you're probably fine there. Have you used the DIY speakers with other sources, such as CD players or radio? If so, and they sounded good, you're also probably good there. Sounds like the RCA cables are damaged, so it's a shame you can't swap them out for better cables. Even if you're not much of an electrician, this probably wouldn't be too difficult even for captured cables. It sounds like you've done all the microadjustments to the 'table that you can do and done them properly, so my suggestion would be try to swamp out the RCA cables, if possible. Both of those styluses are good ones but if you want to try a different cartridge, that might help. There are usually four cables that run out of the cartridge, so maybe a good idea to check those, too. Good luck!

 

[TheKman76]

Thanks Cal.

For context the amp and speakers have been around for a few years, mostly listening to digital sources through the built-in DAC, occasionally Bluetooth from a phone when we entertain. When I built the speakers during the pandemic lockdowns they were tested against the designed response with a calibrated mic and exhibited little variance from the design. Room acoustics are a problem, but the speakers are fine and digital source sound perfect.

You make an interesting point regarding the cable, I hadn't considered that. I suppose the cartridge isn't dissimilar to a pickup, so the same issues with cables, impedance and termination all apply. I've never used any of the analogue inputs on this amp before, my education as an electronic engineer is letting me down in the digital age! I guess I'm far to used to expecting stuff to 'just work' like a millennial.

I suppose I could swap the channels on the cartridge/cable connection and see if the fault still follows the cable. Good tip, thanks.