Vinyl Warm Up Time

Warm up is a real thing and one need not resort to fantasy in order to understand it. Neither tubes nor transistors are at their best immediately after being awakened from cold (which is an argument in favor of leaving SS gear powered up at all times unless you’re going on vacation for an extended period). Then too, cartridges have mechanical parts that obviously benefit from exercise and flexing. Speaker diaphragms also loosen up when signal is applied over time. There should be no controversy on this subject. My systems require 30 to 45 minutes before they “sing”.

It sounds like your phono cart has enough time on it so its fully broken in. Just be aware that when it comes to break in, nothing is like a phono cart. The difference is huge. I've had brand new units that I thought were defective because they sounded so bad right out of the box. For the first 20 hours, or so, I can hear a difference from record to record. As for cables, they break in too, and one of the difficult things about vinyl is to break in a tonearm cable, it has to be done manually with records. Its not like a CD that you can leave on for a couple of days. For me, I like Audioquest cables with the DBS system. The DBS system was designed to make break in faster, and stay broken in for longer times. While possible, I don't think this is your problem either. However, if you try a bunch of things that don't work, maybe have a look at the cable.

I would start off with 2 things. The first is to make sure the problem is TT related, and not something else in the system. Does the issue only occur when you play vinyl, or will a CD player or streamer show the same problem, as well? If so, the problem lies elsewhere. If it is isolated to the TT, I would go over all of your alignment angles. You may be right at a threshold, and putting all of your angles back into spec may fix the problem. If everything is in spec, look at the values for each angle and maybe try some small adjustments while still keeping everything within range. 

If you want a really good setup guide, Brooks Berdan did a complete setup process that was published in The Audio Perfectionist Journal. If you do a search, you should have no problem finding it. If not, go to Vandersteens website. You'll find every APJ issue to download for free. Its a really good guide. I thought his comments on VTA/SRA were particularly helpful.

Thank you, Pindac, for a great explanation of what I have believed for years. I always play one album that I don’t plan to listen to as a cartridge warm up. Then I play the albums I have set aside for my session. I have always felt, and would say proven, the cartridge needs to loosen up to sound it’s best. Much like warming up with exercise before a workout to limber up, not that I’m physically active, but I feel the comparison is very much the same.

A Cartridge that has been sat idle as a Nearly New or close to its End of Usage Life, that has idled for a period, will have lost the effects of Kinetic Energy on the properties of the Damper Compound.

The Damper will Only Optimise and hence Tension Wire only Optimise, as a result of receiving Energy, which is converting to heat, hence the name for the Part is a    ( Damper ), the Part Damps Transferred Energy.

The Stylus effectiveness at producing a Facsimile of Groove Modulation to be sent for conversion to a Electrical Signal, will be much more beneficial, when other Parts that impact on its function are at their Optimised working condition.     

Energy never dissipates, Energy Transforms to a different form of Energy.

Amplitude that is carrying Energy Dissipates and materials with Intrinsic Properties suitable to manage Amplitude, when carefully selected will substantially reduce Amplitude.

Cartridges are uniquely voiced by how a Design is able to Treat Amplitude. A Cantilever > Damper Marriage are quite important considerations.

Cantilever Mass / Material, Damper Material/Materials, Tension Wire Type, Tensioning of Wire and Cartridge Body Material, are where a Cartridge becomes uniquely Voiced.

Other Parts are more generic and will pass on their unique influences within a range of Cart's, (Family Voicing / Sound ) it is the above that brings the differences to the Siblings in the Range on offer.       

I would suspect the stylus suspension. It might be time for a cartridge rebuild.