Why does my new vinyl sound distorted?
Stylus / Cartridge Issues This is first on the list because it is the most common reason for distorted sounds. The more the stylus rubs on vinyl the more it wears down, and the lower it gets worn down the worse it sounds. The cartridges rarely wear out before the styluses do, but it does happen.
What does distortion sound like on vinyl?
Most of the time it sounds like a high-frequency distortions (hiss/squeak) and/or a smeared (mushy) sound. On lower end phono gear it can be less noticeable as the sound that is dished out is less focused and imperfections in the playback is kind of more or less muffled/hidden.
What is inner groove distortion vinyl?
Inner groove distortion is just something that’s inherent to records. It’s an audible distortion that comes closer to the end of a record. This means that the closer to the end of the record you get, the more compressed the music is, and the stylus doesn’t have as much time to trace the grooves.
How do you prevent inner groove distortion?
Mastering engineers will attempt to mitigate end-of-side distortion by pressing quieter songs, with moderate bass and lower HF energy towards the center of each side. Alternatively, they will restrict the playing time, or spread an album over two discs to avoid inner grooves.
What is inner groove distortion?
Why does my vinyl sound scratchy?
Dirt and static electricity may cause good records to sound “scratchy”. An old or worn stylus will cause your records to sound bad or sound scratchy. This is because a worn stylus is getting down to the bottom of the record groove where there is no music.
Why does my vinyl sound wavy?
The ‘wavy’ problem you describe could be a what’s called ‘wow’ (as in wow and flutter). This is when the rotational speed varies. The ‘rattly’ sound could be noise from the drive-wheel that makes the turntable spin.
Why does my vinyl sound like a robot?
The tonearm is incorrectly calibrated – correct balance, tracking force and anti-skate forces are critical to clean playback and to avoid damage to records. the cartridge is of poor quality or incorrectly wired. the stylus is damaged.
Is inner groove distortion normal?
Inner groove distortion is just something that’s inherent to records. It’s an audible distortion that comes closer to the end of a record. Even if a record is, say, 35 minutes long, and could technically fit on one, spreading the music out over two records avoids as much of the inner grooves as possible.
Why are my Vinyl Records so hard to track?
Subsequently, the wavelengths become gradually shorter and more compressed (like an accordion) as you get closer to the records centre. These more condensed grooves are much harder for the stylus to track accurately. The problem is most noticeable at higher recorded volumes (particularly if there’s a lot of high-frequency energy).
What causes inner-groove distortion?
Let’s dig (briefly) into some light physics… The fundamental cause of inner-groove distortion is the progressive reduction of linear resolution as a record progresses. Put another way: there is more vinyl per second available at the large-diameter beginning of the record than exist at the smaller-diameter toward the end of each side.
Is vinyl a flawed medium?
Various attempts have been made to mitigate end-of-side distortion – such as purposefully misaligning the cartridge to improve inner-groove tracking at the expense of outer grooves, however, the fact remains it will always be a compromise. With all of this in mind, it would be easy to dismiss vinyl as a flawed medium, which of course it is.
Why do my records sound distorted through my PRAMP?
Setting the tracking force too light causes distortion and excess record wear. I very much doubt that the phono stage in your pramp has anything to do with this problem, but investing in a Musical Fidelity V-LPS phono stage will certainly improve your sound quality a lot.