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Killing sibilance distortion - VPI & Jubilee

Hello,

Along with what others have posted in the recent past, I also have a long running case of nasty distortion on sibilants with my vinyl playback. It is worse in the inner grooves.

To build on some other recent threads about this topic, I ordered a MFSL that is supposed to be a good test for mistracking. I have made a recording clip of my playback playing some of the last track on Side 2.

I have the recording on this link:

Playback Recording

If you take a look at that, we can all be on the same page with what exactly is going on.

The setup is a VPI Scoutmaster table, JMW9 sig arm, Ortofon Jubilee cartridge. The table is leveled on a Salamander Archetype rack. VTA is set with the arm parallel. VTF is set to 2.4g. Alignment is setup with the MINT arc protractor, 10x magnification. The VPI mechanical Anti-Skate is being used, with the lighter rubber washers. Azimuth is level by means of the "VPI straw trick" (a straw in a groove on the headshell).

Is there anyone that can point me in the right direction to fix that sibilance distortion you're hearing on the recording?

I've tried quite a few things, including different cartridges, and VTF, VTA and antiskate settings, but the sibilance is always there.

Here are some photos of my setup:

Cartridge Closeup

Aligning with the MINT

Thanks for reading
by Goatwuss
goatwuss

Showing 3 responses by tobes

tobes's avatar
tobes
436 posts
 
Interesting thread. Love that you've taken the trouble to make the sound clips.

I've listened to the 3 different tracks (via pc - Auzentech Prelude directly into Audio Technica AD900 phones) and to be honest I don't find the sibilance to be that bad, though a bit more than desireable. I can certainly understand how sibilance like this could sound over the top with a 'hot' tweeter and/or untreated room acoustics.

My ranking of the SQ of the cartridges would be:
1. Jubilee
2. Benz
3. AT-33

To me the AT-33 sounds quite bland, the Jubilee sounds much more interesting, resolving and tonally neutral (disclaimer, I'm a Jubilee owner).

I find this thread somewhat perplexing because I've found the Jubilee to be probably the least sibilant cartridge I've owned - and certainly the best tracking.
FWIW, I've used the Jubilee in both a Graham 1.5T and Phantom 2, both on the VPI TNT and setup with MintLp tractor.
tobes's avatar
tobes
436 posts
 
Goatwuss, I would have thought the medium compliance Jubilee (16cu) would be a good match to the JMW9 - at least from a low freq resonance perspective.
Is it possible that the JMW9 doesn't 'like' the heavier weight of the Jubilee (10.5g)?
For reference the Benz L2 weighs 9g and AT33 weighs 6.8g.
Looking at the specs the AT33 would appear to have medium compliance (at 10hz) and low weight, which perhaps works better with the JMW9.

When using the Jubilee in the Graham 1.5T, I always used the heavier counterweight - the Phantom 2 comes stock with a large diameter heavy C/W located close to the pivot - ie designed to work with heavier cartridges. In effective mass terms the 1.5T was supposedly around 11g, and judging by the lowering of fundamental resonance with the HFNRR disc, the Phantom 2 has a somewhat higher effective mass.

If the JMW9 does prefer lighter cartridges, then a ZYX at 5g and 15cu could be a just the ticket. Best to ask Doug, I have no personal experience with the ZYX (though I once owned their grand-daddy the Monster Sigma Genesis).
tobes's avatar
tobes
436 posts
 
Zhenya,
I think we can all agree that the amount of sibilance emphasis/distortion is not normal.
While I don't own that particular AKAUS record - I do own the other Mo-Fi 3 LP live set (mastered using the same system) and Kraus' sibilants are nothing like those recordings when played via the Ortofon Jubilee (in the Phantom).
One of the hallmarks of the Jubilee's sound is it's clean tracking and un-accentuated treble.
Since all 3 cartridges exhibit the same problem to varying degrees, it's hard to escape the conclusion that the JMW arm has some tendency to HF tracking instability. Is there any damping adjustment with this arm?
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