H/K T30C
New Member
Hey guys, recently I've been getting a ton of crackle and pops on my turntable. Here's my specs:
h/k T30c table, used Grado Gold cartridge, new Grado Green stylus
I had a decent buzzing sound when the volume was cranked and no sound was playing, but I moved the turntable away from the speakers and that fixed that issue.
The crackling/popping is pretty loud. It's not just a couple of pops and clicks, it is a steady stream of them. It pretty much ruins any quiet part in the song and is sometimes heard in the louder parts even at decent volumes. I have tried this on new and gently used records as well as really rough records and it hasn't made much of a difference. I've cleaned gently with cleaning fluid and I've also tried aggressively cleaning with soap and water in the sink. No real improvements.
It is definitely surface noise / static buildup I believe. The turntable is grounded and also powered out of the back of the receiver. The receiver has no issues with other inputs. I tried taking out my headshell to look at the cartridge, and two of the headshell wires broke off really easily, so I ordered a new one. Any chance this fixes/helps my issue? I'm starting to think it might be my Grado Gold. I got it used on /r/VinylCollectors for $50 because the sides are scratched up for whatever reason. I don't have another cartridge to test as of now, but I'll try to find one if the headshell doesn't fix the issue.
Am I right in thinking it's probably a cartridge issue or should I just be less picky and deal with the onslaught of pops and clicks? Will the headshell change potentially fix any issues?
I've also tried tracking it everywhere between 1g and 2g and messed with the anti-skate. There was a slight improvement with anti-skate turned off.
I'll also try getting a new mat / better inner sleeves but I don't think it will make that much of a difference really. Another thing is that my stylus is pretty new (just under 50 plays) and I've heard they can open up after some more hours. No idea how many hours have been put onto the cartridge.
h/k T30c table, used Grado Gold cartridge, new Grado Green stylus
I had a decent buzzing sound when the volume was cranked and no sound was playing, but I moved the turntable away from the speakers and that fixed that issue.
The crackling/popping is pretty loud. It's not just a couple of pops and clicks, it is a steady stream of them. It pretty much ruins any quiet part in the song and is sometimes heard in the louder parts even at decent volumes. I have tried this on new and gently used records as well as really rough records and it hasn't made much of a difference. I've cleaned gently with cleaning fluid and I've also tried aggressively cleaning with soap and water in the sink. No real improvements.
It is definitely surface noise / static buildup I believe. The turntable is grounded and also powered out of the back of the receiver. The receiver has no issues with other inputs. I tried taking out my headshell to look at the cartridge, and two of the headshell wires broke off really easily, so I ordered a new one. Any chance this fixes/helps my issue? I'm starting to think it might be my Grado Gold. I got it used on /r/VinylCollectors for $50 because the sides are scratched up for whatever reason. I don't have another cartridge to test as of now, but I'll try to find one if the headshell doesn't fix the issue.
Am I right in thinking it's probably a cartridge issue or should I just be less picky and deal with the onslaught of pops and clicks? Will the headshell change potentially fix any issues?
I've also tried tracking it everywhere between 1g and 2g and messed with the anti-skate. There was a slight improvement with anti-skate turned off.
I'll also try getting a new mat / better inner sleeves but I don't think it will make that much of a difference really. Another thing is that my stylus is pretty new (just under 50 plays) and I've heard they can open up after some more hours. No idea how many hours have been put onto the cartridge.
