I swapped only at the phono pre end. So right output from TT went to left input phono pre and the buzz and woofer pumping swapped channels with the cable.
Help me Identify Electrical Noise/Distortion in my System
I've been dealing with an issue since upgrading to a LOMC and Sutherland Little Loco MKii for my analog front end. I recently installed a Ortofon Cadenza Bronze which should pair nicely with my 25g tonearm. On certain records, I'm hearing some type of distortion or electrical noise predominantly in the right channel, but it sometimes presents in both channels. The best way to describe the high frequency sound is tuner fuzz with some added distortion. Its a crackly sound that I'm not familiar with. For reference, my entire chain is:
Ortofon Cadenza Bronze > MoFi Ultradeck > DH Labs Dimension Phono Cable > Sutherland Little Loco MKii > DH Labs Matrix Interconnects > Simaudio i-5 > DH Labs Q10 Speaker Cables > Kef LS50.
This only occurs with my analog front end - I have no problems with my Lumin streamer. I think I may have two separate concurrent issues that I'm hoping to flush out:
I've done my best to install the Cadenza Bronze with a Dr. Feickert protractor and the Lofgren alignment typology. I'm confident that I nailed the overhang. The azimuth seems plumb based on visual observation. Anti-skate is set as well as I can given the rather inaccurate implementation on the Ultradeck. I have the SRA dialed in confidently as well. The one alignment I'm not 100% confident on is the lateral alignment (twist) of the cartridge. Unfortunately the alignment grid on my protractor is really challenging to visually align the cartridge with. The Bronze sounds amazing, but I have had two mistracking instances where the cartridge jumps out of the groove during extremely loud passages. Is it possible that either an Azimuth alignment issue or a lateral alignment issue could have caused the mistracking or the distortion I'm hearing?
My second issue. For some time now, my right channel phono cable has been testy. In some cable positions, the right channel actually audibly cuts out until I adjust the cable by pulling it upwards. Right now I have a rubber vibration pad forcing the cable up ever so slightly at the back of my phono pre. I have yet to swap cables from right to left channel to see if the behavior shifts with the cable swap or if its a dedicated issue from the right channel of my turntable. Once the cable is in the right position, I have no issues apart from the distortion I described above. I know that I have a wicked ground hum if I don't ground my turntable to my phono pre. Is it possible some ground noise is hitchhiking along one of my phono cables?
Completely - or likely completely unrelated to the distortion is an odd phenomenon I'm experiencing with my integrated amplifier. The Simaudio i-5 (circa ~2000) is a second hand piece I purchased from a family friend. The amp has been a workhorse for years and I leave it on 24/7. Recently I noticed the displayed right channel volume number shutting off for inconsistent periods of time. A change to the volume level via my remote or simply waiting enough time will cause the value to be displayed correctly. Correlated to my right channel issues? No clue but a strange coincidence.
I think I'm likely dealing with a cartridge alignment issue, especially since I experienced a mistrack. I'm just curious if an alignment issue with a Shibata diamond can present like this and what the likely adjustment would need to be (twist the cartridge towards the spindle or away from it) or if I'm dealing with something else.
System photo below:
Showing 11 responses by ajnackman
Welp - tried with a new phono cable and the right channel fuzz is still present. Back to square 1. Realigned my cartridge from start to finish and I’m still experiencing a slight amount of “fuzz” in the right channel on some records. I would say it’s somewhat improved but not entirely. Not sure where to go from here. |
I have a Neoteck digital scale that measures to .01g. I have the tracking weight at 2.6g which is the high end for the cartridge. Ortofon manual states to set VTA between 2.4-2.6g. I've also messed with antiskate values from the maximum to the minimum for the tonearm (pg 3 of manual). I noticed some improvements to the distortion by increasing the antiskate. I even added a small magnetic weight to the antiskate weight to increase the value even more but I didn't hear an improvement and removed the additional weight. https://www.pplaudio.com/documents/mofi-ultradeck-manual.pdf |
So I definitely have something going on with my DH Labs phono cable. Amp on, cartridge up - when I move the cable near the phonostage RCA jack my right woofer pumps and an audible scratching noise is evident. Swapped the right and left cables and the same behavior swaps to the left channel. I opened up the cable connectors to make sure everything still looked okay. Upon visual inspection the solder connections look fine. If I put my ear right up to where the RCA connector and cable meet and bend the cable I can hear an audible crinkly noise. I hear this at both connectors but its far more apparent on the problematic end. Link to photos: https://imgpile.com/p/cMkYs03 I'm going to reach out to DH labs next but does anyone have an idea of what might cause the woofer pumping without any input? Is there some RF signal or a ground issue that is somehow making its way through the cable? |
I do think I have two issues that the DHL cable may be highlighting. I think the RCA to cable connection is definitely problematic. Bending the cable results in the signal dropping out completely. But I also agree that there is another issue upstream of the phono cable resulting in some "fuzz" that also swapped channels with a new phono cable. I heard almost the same sound that I'm hearing from my setup while riding to work this morning in a tunnel listening to the radio with some poor signal. I'm not sure how or if I could rewire or even check the wiring in the tonearm. The tonearm does have adjustable azimuth at the headshell and it appears as if the headshell could actually be remove to service the wiring but the turntable has RCA jacks on the back of it. Would I need to remove the tonearm to inspect the wiring connection to the RCA jack in the back of the tonearm or potentially run new wiring? |
I tested the continuity of the tonearms leads with my multimeter. White, blue, and green leads fluctuated between 0.5 and 0.6 ohms. The red lead fluctuated between 0.5 and 1.0 ohms. It would eventually settle on 0.5 but had a tendency to shift around more than the others. Are these poor enough values to suggest a continuity issue? |