@lewm: Did I miss someone else's mention of London (and/or Decca for that matter)? When someone has already mentioned a product I make a habit of crediting them. I took a second look, and still don't see London or Decca.
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.
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I also find that my analog playback sounds better after a few records and goes from a little harsh and edgy to a smoother and more coherent sound. I use the DS Audio S003 system and I think it’s the cartridge because I can have the equalizer "warmed up" for 24 hours and it still takes a couple of records. I did not notice this with my previous moving coil set up. I wonder if it's because of the suspension loosening up. |
Warm up is real for me IMO. very obvious with my Pass gear and DACs from Denafrips. but for a Phono cartridge, first I heard huh. If it were me, I would get another used or inexpensive cart and swap it. Then see if the changes are real and not imaginary. Anything on the chain can be doing except you pre and power as you mentioned that Streaming is not affected, leaving it happening on the analog side. If you find that it's your old cart that is having the issue, then time to get a new one. I don't know if you can have the motor replaced |
Joey, baby, a phono cartridge is most apt to "warm up" before sounding its best, among all other audio gear, IMO. It has suspended moving parts, and the suspension is made from organic materials or synthetic versions thereof. Those materials have to flex in the course of doing their job. Initial flexing is beneficial for literally warming the materials to operating temperature and also making them engage in their full range of motion and remove any residual stiffness. |
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