8ight Posted March 15, 2014 Share Posted March 15, 2014 I only notice it on a few albums, but it's annoying enough that I generally don't listen to those albums because of this. Some "highs" such as hi-hats or "sssss" sounds in vocals get distorted for me. I'm wondering how I can fix this. Is it an issue with my turntable set up, or possibly the needle/cartridge? I'm somewhat knew to vinyl, so my apologies if this is a repetitive/noob-ish question. My turntable is a Technics SL-1200MK2 with a Stanton 500-II cartridge (came with turntable). If it's a set-up issue, could you guys give me advice to setting up my turntable? I don't have a blank record, nor do I have a printer. And if it's a needle/cartridge issue, I'd appreciate suggestions there as well! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxmartinxx Posted March 15, 2014 Share Posted March 15, 2014 Could be a fucked stylus or a misaligned cartridge. If you don't have a printer and you don't want to spend money on a protractor, I don't know what to tell you. 8ight 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8ight Posted March 15, 2014 Author Share Posted March 15, 2014 A protractor is probably the cheaper option, so I could start with that. One thing I just remembered is that the floor my turntable is sitting on is not level. it's bad enough that I can visually see that it's not level (I live in an old factory converted into apartments). I tired to compensate and adjust, but I'm just using my eyes. Do I need to get a leveler as well, or will a protractor be enough to get everything leveled/set up properly (basically: does a turntable need to be perfectly flat, or can you compensate base on set up)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jase Posted March 15, 2014 Share Posted March 15, 2014 A protractor is probably the cheaper option, so I could start with that. One thing I just remembered is that the floor my turntable is sitting on is not level. it's bad enough that I can visually see that it's not level (I live in an old factory converted into apartments). I tired to compensate and adjust, but I'm just using my eyes. Do I need to get a leveler as well, or will a protractor be enough to get everything leveled/set up properly (basically: does a turntable need to be perfectly flat, or can you compensate base on set up)? Take your turntable off the floor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8ight Posted March 16, 2014 Author Share Posted March 16, 2014 Take your turntable off the floor. As in wall mount? I didn't mean my turntable is literally sitting on the floor, if that's what you thought... just that the floor slopes down a bit on that half of the room. My question was basically just whether a turntable needs to be perfectly leveled, or can it be set up to compensate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allenh Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 Yes you can compensate and some have adjustable feet , you have an SL1200 so get a spirit level, see how far out it is and adjust to suit but make sure it's completely stable when you have finished. What you are describing though is called sibilance and is quite often caused by incorrect VTA. If all the other cartridge alignments are correct then check your vertical tracking angle, which again as you have an SL1200 is very easy to adjust, you just spin the big adjuster at the base of the arm and adjust the arm up or down. Ideally you are looking for the arm tube to be dead flat when playing, what you are adjusting is the stylus angle in the groove and too much one way will make it too bright giving you sibilance and the other too flat. 8ight 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcguirk Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 I would not say that the arm tube must be dead flat. I measure by the bottom of the cartridge. And even then, one can adjust the VTA to taste... I prefer running my DL110 slightly belly-down only Thorens TD126mkii to gain a little more bass response. But dead flat is a good starting point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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