[bundee1]

Tubey you seem to be the Papa Smurf of vinyl, oh wise one can you please help me before I quit vinyl completely. Here is my problem: I bought a Music Hall 2.1 about 2 weeks ago. I thought I set it up correctly and bought a few used reggae records. They sounded ok no hints of what was to come. I then bought a record brush, an Allsop Orbitrac, and a Shure stylus gauge. Last Friday I bought Pink Floyds DSOTM and played it. Everything sounds awesome EXCEPT the vocals. They are SHRILL and SIBILANT. I used the Shure and found out the tracking weight was 0.2 too low and the cartridge was not parallel according to the little cardboard measuring card. I adjusted both and still there is SOOO MUCH SIBILANCE!! Should the tonearm be parallel to the record while its playing? How do I adjust the VTA? Any other suggestions to alleviate this problem? Should I just buy a new cartridge? Its driving me insane!!! Im thinking about selling and sticking to digital, but I just made my first big score at my local thrift store.
Thanks for your wisdom and previous generous offers of free vinyl to convert others and thanks for all your help!!!!!

PS Im sorry for the long rambling post but Ive had a horrible week and this just adds to my problems.

 

[Matthew-Spaltro]

You might want to PM him instead of creating a new thread about it.

 

[Sol_Zhen]

I don't think you can adjust the VTA on the MMF 2.1. You might try using a shim to change the angle.

But first, I'd try a different cartridge. When I had the MMF 2.1, I found the Audio Technica AT440 cartridge was an improvement over the stock cartridge.

 

[mclaren20]

you dont have yours anymore sol?

 

[Sol_Zhen]

I have a Sumiko Pro-Ject 1.2 now. Using the same AT440 cartridge.

My MMF 2.1 had a faulty power switch, so I returned it for an exchange, ordered the Pro-Ject at the same time, and compared them. The MMF is the same table (Sumiko OEMs both), but the Pro-Ject had the nicer tomearm and heavier platter. So, I returned the MMF and kept the Pro-Ject because I felt the price difference justified the heavier platter and more configurable tonearm.

Not much of a sound difference, though.

 

[bundee1]

Well Im looking for help from anyone here who is knowledgeable about analog. Tuberoller seems to be the most passionate about it, but anyone else generous enough to share their info is more than welcome. It would be appreciated immensely.

 

[Hirsch]

VTA of the 2.1 is adjustable. IIRC there are two set screws in the base of the arm. Once those are loosend slightly, the arm will move up and down in its base. Adjust to taste. Run tracking weight at the maximum for your cartridge, even a little above if needed. Reduce antiskate to the absolute minimum you can get away with (as close to the pivot as you can get, dispense with entirely if needed).

Parallel to the record is a good starting point for VTA, but some cartridges need to lean forward a little, while other like to lean back. You can only try and see what works best. Also check azimuth. Is the headshell parallel to the record when viewed from the front? If not, this may need to be adjusted. I don't know of a way to do this on the arm, so you might need shims here.

 

[drewski]

I'm not sure if your cartridge is brand new or not, but cartridges take quite a while to break in- some as long as 200 hours. I had a grado gold that I thought for sure was defective- thin and shrill sounding! But after about 150 hours, I either got used to the sound or it got broken in and it was wonderful sounding.

 

[bundee1]

I cant get those 2 screws in the base to budge with the allen key. The pillar is supposed to slide up and down right. No movement not a mm. Any suggestions or ideas why this isnt working?

 

[TB1]

ugh the mysteries of vinyl....I don't have a 2.1 but I do have a MMF-7. My Golring cart arrived with the stylus sheared off. Have you examined the assembly closely to rule out any damage? Roy Hall shipped me a new cart asap (I only had to return the damaged one to him). I did find the Golring Erocia to be a tad sibilant even after running it in so replaced it with a Sure v15xMR. The Sure is one smooth cart! I rarely notice any sibilance with it (the new pressing of Dark Side of the Moon should be very warm and smooth). There is a ton of info on cart alignment in the FAQ section on audioasylum.com. The vta MMF arm adjustments are a pain. If the tonearm is running close to parallel when playing it's most likely pretty close. You could play with other mats (a thicker one) to explore other vta without fighting the little screws. Rest assured that when your rig gets dialed in all the trouble will be worth it!

 

[bundee1]

I finally got the screws off but it wasnt with the included hex key. That piece of crap didnt even fit the screws so I had to buy a whole set. I finally got them off and adjusted the VTA. Not much of a difference in terms of sibilance with the arm parallel, but the sound suffered a little. What would be a good but cheap (under $100) cart to upgrade to? BTW Thanks for all the help guys.

 

[Hirsch]

Parallel may not be the right angle for you particular cartridge. It's a starting point. Try moving up and down in slight increments and listen for alterations in the sound. I like to use percussive tracks. It makes it easy to listen for localization, and the combination of high and low frequency components to the sound can make a flaw very revealing. Another trick is to use a known noisy LP. A cartridge at its correct VTA can reject noise better than one sitting at a bad angle. With some stylus geometries, it actually allows the stylus to make contact deeper in the groove, where wear is less likely. So, an angle that results in good noise rejection is near where you want to be.

 

[Sol_Zhen]

Quote:

Originally posted by bundee1 What would be a good but cheap (under $100) cart to upgrade to?

The one I mentioned above, the Audio Technica AT440 is a good cart for not much money. The guys at AudioAsylum like it as a value. It's about $90.

About Grados, I've heard of a "hummmm" problem with using Grado carts and this table. That's because the Grado carts are not shielded and neither is the MMF's motor.

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally posted by Sol_Zhen The one I mentioned above, the Audio Technica AT440 is a good cart for not much money. The guys at AudioAsylum like it as a value. It's about $90.

IMO, the AT440ML is one of the best under-$300 cartridges available. The Microline stylus profile makes a *big* difference... I no longer get sibilance on anything, nor noticeable distortion on the inner grooves. Everything is just so smooth & perfect, with amazing detail.

The cart is a bit bright (upper midrange emphasis) but not dramatically so -- perhaps not for fans of Stanton-like midbass emphasis tho. It's a complete steal at $90 (something like a new pair of Senn 580's selling for $75).

 

[bundee1]

I saw that cart at needledoctor and it said it was MC not MM. I only have an MM input. Is that a misprint? Also how long does it take to break in my Music Hall Tracker/Goldring Elan cartridge? Ive probably put close to 40hrs on it and its only sounded worse. Any chance of it getting better? Thank you guys again for all your support. Im still on the roof but a little farther from the ledge.