Help with inner groove distortion


Hello!
I'm hoping someone can help me troupleshoot my turntable system.
I have a Technics SL-3200 turntable with an Audio Technica AT440MLa cartridge. I've aligned the cartridge using the Technics Arc protractor from Vinylengine.
I've adjusted the tracking force and anti-skate to the recomended settings.
Nevertheless, certain LPs become increasingly more distorted as the tonearm moves toward the center of the record. The last tracks of some brand new records are hardly listenable.
I confirmed the problem using the Hi-Fi News Test Record. My setup will not track the 300Hz +18dB test tone on the inner-most track without a lot of buzzing. I've tried modifying the alignment, tracking force, and anti-skate with no luck.
I was under the impression that the AT440MLa cartridge is one of the best-tracking cartridges in its price range, so this problem is a bit surprising.
If I want to eliminate the inner groove distortion, do I need to get a 'better' cartridge, a 'better' turntable, or ????
Thanks for your help!
Mika
mwaller
Dear Mika: The AT440 has a dynamic compliance of " 0nly " 10 cu, this means that it is in the low level of medium cartridge compliance. With a right tonearm ( best match with it ) this cartridge can track ok, nothing outstanding, with no problem like the one you report.

If your cartridge is right on specs ( good operational condition specially on its suspension. ) then that Technics tonearm could be the " culprit ": first because is not a good match for that cartridge, second because its bearing and design is not up to the tracking task or third that the tonearm is out of specs.

You can try your cartridge in a different analog rig or in yours with a different tonearm and see what happen. IMHO I think that you don't have to change the cartridge till you have a clear diagnosis of what is happen in your analog rig, of course that you can try a different cartridge.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.