Will an RCM make the Rice Krispies go away?

Hi Rballdude,

Great comments from Doug, Ralph (of course), and others. Yes, I didn't emphasize enough that ringing can come from many sources - both mechanical and electrical.

I take it that the A-I is only serving a line stage function - being fed by the Herron? I only know the Heron by its good reputation. Perhaps other Herron owners can comment about its unique strengths and weaknesses (nothing is perfect).

Benz cartridges in general tend to track more quietly than most ... getting quieter as you work your way up the food chain.

Assuming the stylus isn't trashed, I'd look into a thorough cleaning regimen - including the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Properly adjusted, your system is at a level where even a couple of plays without cleaning will be audible to a greater or lesser extent. Now, I'm not looking at this being a silver bullet, but it certainly won't hurt to cover your bases here.

Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier

As for the enzyme cleaner, try Walker Audio Prelude or Audio Intelligent. I agree w/others that a vacuum cleaning machine (e.g. VPI or Loricraft) is 95% required. If you don't have one, plenty of elbow grease will be needed.

If you are looking at cartridges, IME the stylus on the ZYX line will allow you to enjoy your beat up LPs with less noise than most of the competition. ZYX's other attributes are many, but that's for another thread.

As Thom noted, Magic Eraser for stylus cleaning(read the archives) is a superior method, and a critical part of my routine for LP playback.
Don't worry, the old LPs have plenty of music in them. Cheers,
Spencer

Tim,

Initially, the Scorpio's delivered a marginal improvement over my previous speakers. I bought them primarily because my search for speakers was becoming tedious and I'd always appreciated the characteristics of the Virgo's, (warm, liquid mids, precise, crisp highs and acceptable bass). Since the Scorpio's appeared, I've completed four tweaks that enabled them to achieve their potential: ESST, cable elevators, RRL and H.T. interconnects. In fact, the speakers have surpassed my expectations with their accuracy, clarity, soundstage and unbelievable amount of tight bass. They are claustrophobic though, and prefer lots of personal space.

Again, thank you for the recommendations to quell the cereal syndrome. I'm looking forward to the pursuit.

Mike