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New system sounds a little muddy!

R

ryanf1087

New Member
Hey everyone, I just put together a new system without auditioning anything and it's sounding a bit muddy to me. Also, the s' on a lot of vocals are sounding a bit distorted, which I'm hyper sensitive to so it's driving me crazy.

Here's what I got:
Rega Planar 2 (NEW)
Ortofon 2m Blue (NEW)
Rega Brio amp (USED 2012) (Noticing a seemingly loud buzz from the phono stage when nothing is playing)
Klipsch Heresy iii (NEW)

I set the tracking force at the recommended 1.8 to start and then changed it to 2.0 because I read that a higher tracking force sometimes yielded better results. I used a 2-point cartridge alignment protractor that I bought on amazon.

The weird thing is, it sounded great when I first turned it all on, and then maybe two days later I noticed the change... Any thoughts or ideas for figuring out the culprit would be greatly appreciated!

-Ryan
 
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Very hard to say due to the number of variables but would rule out the TT and Speakers..

Assume the cartridge isn't gunked up being brand new? The 2m is a lovely sounding cartridge, clear and punchy so doubt very much it has anything to do with your issue. That said have you checked the alignment?

My money is on a dodgy preamp. No idea on that kit but are you sure it is set up right for a moving magnet cartridge? I hope it is just a setting up issue, I see it is used equipment.

Good luck and keep us updated as to how you resolve the situation.

Kind regards

Leon
 
I just looked up the Brio's specs and noticed they don't list it's THD, disappointing. First, sanity check. The stylus isn't dirty is it? Second about the buzz, do you have the turntable grounded? Lastly if you have access to a different amplifier try it.
 
Thanks for the responses!

Leon, I aligned the cart with a 2 point protractor, so I don't think that's the problem. Also, it actually started on the stock cart(Rega Carbon) that came with the table beforehand. I hoped the upgraded cart would get rid of the issue, but it didn't. The amp is the only thing that isn't new, so I'm assuming that could be the issue.

I first tried going through a cambridge audio preamp to see if it would still give me that buzzing sound, and it didn't. The buzz was gone, but the records still sounded muddy with distorted s'...

After that, I grabbed an old technics SA-500 just to see if it sounded better and it did. The s' were less harsh. It's not a great amp, so that is pretty telling to me.

Eastman, the stylus and vinyl are clean. I know what a little bit of dust caught on the needle can do! ;) The Rega P2 doesn't have a ground wire. It's somehow grounded without needing a separate wire.

You guys think i should sell the amp and get a new one? Any suggestions? Maybe something with a warm sound that would pair well with the 2m blue?
 
Also, just tested for the buzzing on the Technics SA 500. It has a pretty heavy buzz from the left channel, but not the right... I switched the phono inputs to see if the buzz would follow and it did... Do I have to worry about the table now?
 
Check the wiring on your cart, if the hum is following the cables it's almost certainly a problem with your 'deck/ cart. That SA-500 is a pretty nice amp and would probably sound even better after a service. A recap always helps bring back the highs and tightens up the lows.
 
Concerning the buzz. I have a project turntable that was internally earthed it buzzed really bad so I found where it was earthed and put in a propper earth cable to attach to my amp. No more buzz.
 
I had a similar issues setting up my ProJect Carbon. I switched out 2M Red for an AT120Eb just to check it out. While changing cart, I inadvertently damaged a tonearm wire. It wasn't obvious because the casing of the wire didn't break, but the copper inside did. The sound came and went on one side, and the buzz was pronounced. Also, there was some inner groove sybalance. Ultimately, after working on stylus overhang adjustments and adding a second thin felt mat for thinner records to compensate some for VTA, I was able to greatly improve the performance of the stylus (I like the AT better than the Red) but the wiring issue was trickier. Just figuring out what was wrong took a week. Try touching the cartridge leads to see if any noise happens. Also, you can check the other end of the tonearm wires where they connect the the RCA jacks. I used a multimeter to test the circuit and I noticed one wire went from weak to off. I found a local guy who makes custom audio cables and tonearm wire. Cost me about $50 for a set of really nice litz wire with connectors. I got a wire that's pure copper, 34 ga, 40 strand wire with silicone casing. Excellent sound, super flexible and notably tougher than the stock tonearm wire. I couldn't ne more pleased now, but it was frustrating for a while there. Most annoying was that I feel the turntable should have been built with a slightly heavier wire for the cartridge connection stepped down to the thinner limper wire to travel the distance to the outputs. Test your tonearm wire, they're too easy to damage.

Also, this is important, those Ortofon carts are notorious for losing pins while extracting wires so be super careful pulling them. I used a tiny clipper to hold the pins at the base while I used a tiny plier to pull the wires off. I was successful and didn't damage my cart, but I hear it happens a lot from my local ProJect dealer.
 
You mention nothing about cabling. How are you wiring all this up? It might be time for some improved interconnects etc.
 
Sibilance on 'S' sounds is most likely an alignment issue (assuming the stylus is clean and in good shape). If lateral alignment is solid, what about vertical? Is your tonearm a little tail-down (or tail-up)?
 
Double check the headshell leads on the rear of the 2M Blue. Their pins are layed out in a criss cross configuration vs. a vertical one on most, if not all other carts.
 
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