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Vinyl Warm Up Time

Curiously, I am finding it’s only after a few vinyl albums into a listening session that my system starts to sound convincingly good. 

For instance yesterday, I started off with a couple of Billy Cobham albums, Spectrum and a live one. This was followed by Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe. All three albums sounded quite harsh in places, although good sound shone through in others.

It wasn’t until I got to a fourth album, Yes’s Tormato that the sound became really convincing. Then with the fifth album, Yes’s Drama things started cooking. It sounded absolutely superb.

This seems an inordinate length of time for the system, presumably the cartridge to warm up particularly in summer. It has been fairly humid recently.

I have returned to vinyl last year after a gap of five years. I don’t remember this ever being an issue in the past. In general,  I am getting a much better sound than before due to various upgrades to the turntable and the rest of the system.

I am using the same model of coil cartridge, a Linn Kandid that I used for many years previously. I bought the current one used, so it may well be getting towards the end of it’s life. The turntable was rebuilt and upgraded towards the end of 2024.

Maybe, it’s just me who takes a long time to relax and get into the listening zone. I don’t get the same issue with streaming, but then I never reach the same heights as I do with vinyl.

Is this typical of other members’ experiences? Any advice will be much appreciated. 

newton_john
theo's avatar
theo
2,721 posts
 

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.

pindac's avatar
pindac
3,094 posts
 

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.       

puptent's avatar
puptent
250 posts
 

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

bdp24's avatar
bdp24
10,248 posts
 

 

Get yourself a London pickup. No suspension.

 

lewm
13,708 posts
 

Proof that no one reads anyone else’s post.

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