"Shrivel" wrote in message ...
"David Goodwin" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 28 Aug 2003 20:07:32 -0400, in rec.audio.opinion you wrote:


Yes, if it's the hardware. Trying starting with the tracking force at
the
upper end of the suggested range and see if it's still there. If not,
gradually drop the tracking force in small increments until you begin to
hear it and then raise the force to just above that threshold.


How exactly do I *do* this? I always hear people talking about
tracking force, but I have no idea how to adjust it.

That's gonna depend on your turntable. Some have knobs, some have
adjustment screws. My Dual uses a counterweight at the end of the tonearm
that I rotate to adjust the tracking force. The proper procedures will vary
depending on your setup.

Here's a couple guides that might help...

http://www.walkeraudio.com/fine_tuni..._turntable.htm

http://www.classicrecs.com/newslette...cfm?Article=57

http://www.amtrakdjs.org/essays/ttsetup.html


One other thing you might check for from experience: often a new stylus
(especially some of the ATs that dig deep into the groove) will dig out
dirt
and collect it behind the stylus. It may not be easily visible to the
naked
eye, but it can certainly have the effect of adding harshness to the
sound.
Use a magnifying glass and carefully brush out any dirt that may be
trapped
behind the tip.


Will any sort of brush do?

Any little brush like a toothbrush should be fine. Just be careful to avoid
bending the stylus - you want to brush only the diamond tip of it.


For a quick MP3 clip of two sibilance examples, please go to:

http://www.lukpac.org/~handmade/sdistort.mp3

and

http://www.lukpac.org/~handmade/sample.mp3

All three are from *different* records.

Okay, I hear the sibilance, but it's certainly not as bad as I've heard
other times. Doesn't sound like a dirty stylus - probably just a bright
sounding cartridge that's being run at a low tracking force in combination
with a bright pre-amp stage. My guess just from your samples is that a
tracking force adjustment will take care of it.






I'm really panicking about this...I changed my cartridge because it
was damaged, and I spent a lot of money on this one..I don't want to
have to replace it again!:-(


-D


There are many things that can be tried, checking stylus ange (VTA),
tracking force (VTF) and clean the record with liquid and vaccum. The
most difficult sibilance record I have is the Cowboy Junkies Sweet
Jane (se below). Changing cartridge to the Shure V15VxMR did improve
things quite a bit in the high frequencies. The record grooves can be
destroyed after misuse with old cartridges, and changing to another
type of stylus can sometimes improve high frequencies.

http://hem.bredband.net/b113928/sweetjaneSV.wav