I also have a TT with a linear tracking arm, although it's a vintage one. Perhaps you could lower the arm until the sibilance is at a minimum but you still have the detail and soundstage. I use a Grado gold, which easily mistracks if setup isn't perfect, and it tracks great on my TT.
Tonearm Tracking Woes
I have what I feel is a prety good analog rig - a Teres 255 table, ZYX Airy 3x-sb low output MC cartridge and an Airtech MG-1 linear tracking air-bearing tonearm. Phono preamp is Supratek Syrah.
I've generally been happy with the results, but recently I find that I hear what can be described as a sibilince (sometimes even outright distortion) on some high notes. Also, when I use the HiFi News & Record Reveiw Test LP, I find that my tonearm/cartrige scores really badly on the tracking test tracks - I get noise on track 4 or thereabouts - well before the 'torture track'. I'd welcome advice on what may be amiss, how I might correct things or if I should really get a new tonearm.
I replaced an OL Silver tonearm with this Airtech and found the Airtech to perform better at the time. The Airtech (http://airtech.atspace.com/index.htm) is not really a known entity but it appears to be a poor-man's Air-Tangent tonearm. All told, it's definitely a great bang for the buck, but perhaps I need to go the extra mile and get a new tonearm (I don't have any 'surge tank' though - I don't even know what that is, or if that would be a partial solution). My primary choice would be a Schroeder Model 1 or DPS, or perhans a Model 2.
Anyway, I'd really value advice from you analog gurus on best next steps to optimize my rig. Thanks in advance for any advice.
I've generally been happy with the results, but recently I find that I hear what can be described as a sibilince (sometimes even outright distortion) on some high notes. Also, when I use the HiFi News & Record Reveiw Test LP, I find that my tonearm/cartrige scores really badly on the tracking test tracks - I get noise on track 4 or thereabouts - well before the 'torture track'. I'd welcome advice on what may be amiss, how I might correct things or if I should really get a new tonearm.
I replaced an OL Silver tonearm with this Airtech and found the Airtech to perform better at the time. The Airtech (http://airtech.atspace.com/index.htm) is not really a known entity but it appears to be a poor-man's Air-Tangent tonearm. All told, it's definitely a great bang for the buck, but perhaps I need to go the extra mile and get a new tonearm (I don't have any 'surge tank' though - I don't even know what that is, or if that would be a partial solution). My primary choice would be a Schroeder Model 1 or DPS, or perhans a Model 2.
Anyway, I'd really value advice from you analog gurus on best next steps to optimize my rig. Thanks in advance for any advice.
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