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Equalizer suggestions? Will an EQ really make a significant audio improvement?

Art Vandalay said:
Granted, the gain adjustment provided more punch, but the overall sound reproduction remains dull, flat, and without depth.
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I'm not sure what "punch" is either, but adjusting the gain of the phonostage shouldn't do anything at all to the sound quality except make it louder (or quieter).
 
Id try a different amp with the current config. I have had issues with AVRs in the past. They build a lot of heat inside and parts fail.
 
I am still not clear on if the CDs were ever tried in stereo with just the Bose, and if the AVR settings were ever set up for 2 ch with the TT.
 
If you dont address the phono issues first, your going to be really sad after a different debatable better speaker purchase.
I would suggest doing some reading, research, about setting the cart up yourself. Somethings not right, and different speakers isnt the fix.
Out of curiousity have you tried plugging it into different inputs on the AV unit?
Keep plugging at it and good luck.
 
Btw. Because of this thread I dug out my old Sansui FR-D35 turntable. Its been sitting 37 years, sporting the original factory cartridge, and stylist. Mellowing to Pink Floyd The Wall, as I type this. Yes it sounds like a record but sounds good.
 
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While it could be 2 defective units, the odds are the phono preamp is now known to not be the problem. It is isolated to the records, the cartridge, the phono cables/connections, or the receiver. There literally isn't anything else it could be.

There are still some really cheap things you can do.

1. Turn up the volume up so the phono is as loud as the CD. (They are different sensitivities.) Then compare the sound.
2. Try the TT in the CD input on the receiver (a couple of us have suggested this)
3. Bring it to someone else's house/shop and switch in components. That TT has a standard headshell so use the friend/shop-owner's headshell/cardtridge as a test swap.

If you really have the urge to buy something, get a the cheapest good A-T cartridge on a headshell e.g. https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT-VM95E-Turntable-Headshell-Cartridge/dp/B07JLX1JZ7 If it sounds the same, return it. If it fixes the problem, get your money back on the now-known-defective Ortofon.

Second choice: Get a brand new highly acclaimed pressing of a record you want.

While the speakers may not be the favorites of the many anti-Bosers above, they are not defective if they work fine with the CD.
 
Art Vandalay said:
Well, I replaced the Pyle with the ART DJ preamp and played a few tracks from the Dan's Pretzel Logic. I wish I could say the new preamp made a much better and significant difference in reproduction, but I cannot. Granted, the gain adjustment provided more punch, but the overall sound reproduction remains dull, flat, and without depth.
I will replace the Orotfon Red cartridge with the replacement I received the other day, but I'm not expecting any improvement in sound. I will just put my records back into the closet until I can afford new speakers.
I really appreciate everyone's assistance here.
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Where are you located, someone here might be near to you, and able to help you with getting it sorted. If I were near you, I'd be happy to do so myself.
 
C Hart said:
While it could be 2 defective units, the odds are the phono preamp is now known to not be the problem. It is isolated to the records, the cartridge, the phono cables/connections, or the receiver. There literally isn't anything else it could be.

There are still some really cheap things you can do.

1. Turn up the volume up so the phono is as loud as the CD. (They are different sensitivities.) Then compare the sound.
2. Try the TT in the CD input on the receiver (a couple of us have suggested this)
3. Bring it to someone else's house/shop and switch in components. That TT has a standard headshell so use the friend/shop-owner's headshell/cardtridge as a test swap.

If you really have the urge to buy something, get a the cheapest good A-T cartridge on a headshell e.g. https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT-VM95E-Turntable-Headshell-Cartridge/dp/B07JLX1JZ7 If it sounds the same, return it. If it fixes the problem, get your money back on the now-known-defective Ortofon.

Second choice: Get a brand new highly acclaimed pressing of a record you want.

While the speakers may not be the favorites of the many anti-Bosers above, they are not defective if they work fine with the CD.
Click to expand...
The turntable is connected to the receiver's CD input because the receiver does not have a dedicated phono input. I will check for another available input and try that.
I am also going to reconnect my CD carousel to make certain I recall it's sound correctly.
 
So sorry about the headshell issue which was baed on my bad assumption, and for all the trouble you went through otherwise. Good luck, and thanks for a post that got a lot of people interested.
 
C Hart said:
So sorry about the headshell issue which was baed on my bad assumption, and for all the trouble you went through otherwise. Good luck, and thanks for a post that got a lot of people interested.
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Don't apologize, I really appreciate all of the suggestions and assistance!
 
Art Vandalay said:
Well, I replaced the Pyle with the ART DJ preamp and played a few tracks from the Dan's Pretzel Logic.
Click to expand...

And this Album, has never been played on less than a properly setup turntable (possibly many playing`s) in it`s past life, which might have damaged the LP`s finer musical components by minor groove damage that would have a less than ideal sonic effect when exposed when played now on properly setup turntable ?

Just a suggestive thought, Art Vandalay
 
C Hart said:
While it could be 2 defective units, the odds are the phono preamp is now known to not be the problem. It is isolated to the records, the cartridge, the phono cables/connections, or the receiver. There literally isn't anything else it could be.

There are still some really cheap things you can do.

1. Turn up the volume up so the phono is as loud as the CD. (They are different sensitivities.) Then compare the sound.
2. Try the TT in the CD input on the receiver (a couple of us have suggested this)
3. Bring it to someone else's house/shop and switch in components. That TT has a standard headshell so use the friend/shop-owner's headshell/cardtridge as a test swap.

If you really have the urge to buy something, get a the cheapest good A-T cartridge on a headshell e.g. https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT-VM95E-Turntable-Headshell-Cartridge/dp/B07JLX1JZ7 If it sounds the same, return it. If it fixes the problem, get your money back on the now-known-defective Ortofon.

Second choice: Get a brand new highly acclaimed pressing of a record you want.

While the speakers may not be the favorites of the many anti-Bosers above, they are not defective if they work fine with the CD.
Click to expand...

The Ortofon is most likely not defective. I could install that and align it, balance, set tracking force and Anti-Skate. It likely would play nicely on any of my phono stages, unless really factory defective.

His phono stage is not Ortofon friendly. It's capacitance load is tailor made for Audio-Technica, the exact opposite of Ortofon and most conventional MM and MI loading practices. I say this with a Reloop/Ortofon/KAB Custom Concorde 10 installed on my main system. It works fine with my McIntosh MA 6100 phono stage. And on the Sansui 4000's phono stage.

Agree with your thoughts about him trying an Audio-Technica AT-VM 95E premounted on a headshell if he buys anything. Bet he'd have a happier match with his equipment. The AT on my equipment sounds like his Ortofon on his.
 
KentTeffeteller said:
The Ortofon is most likely not defective.
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the red may not be defective, but my experience with the cart, to a large degree mirrors the OP‘s. My used Pro-Ject Debut Carbon came with an allegedly low hours Ortofon Red cartridge and it sounded like hot garbage on a significant amount of my records. I tried several phono stages to no avail. I thought maybe I had a few bad pressings, but talking to my friend who owns a record store in my neighborhood, he related that such things were relatively rare. Out of desperation and exasperation, I tried an Ortophon Blue cartridge, which was more than I wanted to spend and voila! All of my records sounded good to great. While I haven’t a/b‘d the red with a new model and I’m not inclined to do so, I’m wholly comfortable in declaring the Ortofon Red to be trash, as I’ve since red many reviews that didn’t differ significantly from my experience.
 
I wanted to tag along on this as I have a similar issue with my turntable. I have a Sure M95ED, and a Nagoya diamond stylus. I haven't played many albums yet, and the sound is muffled, not brilliant highs. I also have a chinese hybrid tube dac that when I play pandora through it it from my phone, sounds brilliant, good frequency response, full sound. Also, the receiver section on the JVC R1-X sounds good. I didn't realize a cartridge/stylus had to be "broken in". That may be the problem. The albums are old and may not be the best. The last thing is, I am getting a cartridge setup kit to adjust azimuth, and weight, and tracking accurately. Hope that helps. I also have an Ortofon Concorde 10 to try and see if that makes a difference.

Thanks,
Perry
 
@Gbtr6 There are limitations with the vinyl medium and an A-B with a digital source will often be startling especially in the high frequencies. But good vinyl on a good system should not sound muffled.

Cartridges don't need to be broken in or even mounted well to sound reasonably good. I've mounted dozens as an installer and seen/adjusted dozens more, and they work new out of the box even if a little cockeyed. They may get better after a few hours and certainly should be mounted accurately, but the differences are subtle. Your problem is almost certainly something besides those issues.

The M95ED is a personal favorite vintage cartridge and there is no ambiguity about performance as there was in Art's Ortofon Red. I do not know the stylus - hopefully it is a premium model that befits the M95. You can swap in your Ortofon as a test - if the problem persists it's somewhere else.

The same free/cheap diagnostics apply to your situation as to @Art Vandalay 's: recheck the setup, check connections, use a new well-pressed record (look for Music on Vinyl brand from the Netherlands - excellent!), then start swapping components until you find the bad one. As a wild guess I'd say the phono stage on the JVC might be broken.
 
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