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Missing out on drums?

L

LostTurntabl

Member
Got the new Daft Punk on vinyl this week. I love it. But I noticed that when I spin it on my turntable the drums sound muted. Tried out a few other records, compared them to the CD versions, and found the same.

Here's a comparison
The first 30 seconds are from the CD version of a track off an album called Outrun by Kavinsky. The second 30 seconds are from an LP rip of the same track. The drums definitely sound different, especially the hi-hats, and not in a way I like.

My setup is a Technics 1200 with an MP-110 Nagaoka cartridge/stylus. I read up on this a bit, and some suggest that if I really want to hear the drums and high hats accurately, I need to step up to an Audio Technica 150 MLX, or something from Ortofon's OM series. Those are both crazy pricey though.

Any opinions?
 
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It's mastered differently for vinyl. Whether or not this is the entirety of the difference is impossible for me to say. Vinyl simply does not have the dynamic range that is available with modern digital formats. If the engineers had to squeeze a long performance onto the side of an LP, dynamic range is compromised further.
 
Try varying your setup a bit. Move around in the VTF range. Play with the anti-skate, etc. See if you notice a difference.

Regarding more upscale carts, my not-expensive Denon DL-110 pops on drums. It sounds amazing on recordings like Quadrophenia.
 
LostTurntabl said:
Got the new Daft Punk on vinyl this week. I love it. But I noticed that when I spin it on my turntable the drums sound muted. Tried out a few other records, compared them to the CD versions, and found the same.

Here's a comparison
The first 30 seconds are from the CD version of a track off an album called Outrun by Kavinsky. The second 30 seconds are from an LP rip of the same track. The drums definitely sound different, especially the hi-hats, and not in a way I like.

My setup is a Technics 1200 with an MP-110 Nagaoka cartridge/stylus. I read up on this a bit, and some suggest that if I really want to hear the drums and high hats accurately, I need to step up to an Audio Technica 150 MLX, or something from Ortofon's OM series. Those are both crazy pricey though.

Any opinions?
Click to expand...

I have to agree must be the vinyl....the MP-110 is a bass beast compared to an AT 150MLx. I had the MP-110 for about a year and never had the need for more bass.
You could try tail down a bit and see if that helps but.....
 
Thanks for the replies.

Well, its with every record, so it's not the vinyl. And it's not bass I'm talking about, it's more of the high end, the hi hats and such.
 
Sounds like you just want more highs on all your records, and a different cart can certainly do that. However, that's an interesting example. The vinyl version has greater dynamic range than the CD by a good bit, but it definitely sounds kinda bad. It has a garbled sound like a bad MP3. I tried increasing the volume 1.5dB on the vinyl to make up for the dynamic range difference, but it didn't help. I compared spectral content to see if the mix was different, and it doesn't look much different except for more upper treble on the LP. So, I half-assedly conclude that whatever is causing the garbly sound plus the dynamic compression on the CD version is the main difference here. I brought pictures:

waveforms
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spectrum
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You may just need to make some fine tweaks on your turntable. If you can adjust the tracking angle on your tt, that may make a difference, along with what moon_man suggested. You don't say how many hours are on your stylus. If it's worn, that could make a difference also. Is your stylus clean?
 
Did the tweaks, no change.

Stylus is clean, I checked and I actually bought this in November, so not much wear at all as I spent about two months out of the country.

Like I said, I've always had this problem with this stylus but I'm just noticing it more now that I've gotten a better ear for this stuff.

I'm going to give the Denon a shot, is that a good one for highs? Any other recommendations would be great.
 
LostTurntabl said:
Thanks for the replies.

Well, its with every record, so it's not the vinyl. And it's not bass I'm talking about, it's more of the high end, the hi hats and such.
Click to expand...

Got it.......I woulld suggest going to square one and re-align the cartridge, make sure it is all good and reset the VTF and VTA. The MP-110 is a natural, warm cartridge...the mids and highs are not pronounced.

My MP-110 started sounding "different" at about 550-600 hrs. I also noticed the cantilever became a low-rider at these hours..... The good thing is the replacement needle is only about $60 from LPGear.
 
Sounds like perhaps the Nagoaka is simply not detailed enough for your liking, OR the cart wants to see a different load at the phono- preamp.
 
I was about to suggest the same thing as Ths364 - what's the loading? I just listened to your file and it reminded me of the difference I hear when I change the setting on my el-cheapo ART DJ II.
 
Moon_Man said:
I was about to suggest the same thing as Ths364 - what's the loading? I just listened to your file and it reminded me of the difference I hear when I change the setting on my el-cheapo ART DJ II.
Click to expand...

Oh? I'm using an ART USB Phono Plus. What settings could I change aside from the low-cut filter and the gain?
 
LostTurntabl said:
What makes you say that?
Click to expand...
It's (120E) the same price as the Nagaoka, and should give you a more aggressive sound with more HF detail. In the worst case, it would at least give you a different reference point.

P.S. somebody asked if the stylus is clean a while back. Is it?
 
On the ART DJ pre II you can change the Input Cap, on the phono plus you cannot.
 
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