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Distortion Problem with New Cartridge

Posted by Dr RAC (A) on February 23, 2017 at 05:13:10

Hello People,
My analog system is experiencing some technical difficulty (intermittent distortion but only with certain passages on specific albums) after I installed a recently purchased rebuilt EMT JSD-5 G JUBILEE SERIES cartridge. This cart had been re-tipped with ruby cantilever by SoundSmith (they've done a fine job on 2 of my Dynavector carts as well).

My system consists of a Clearaudio Ovation table and Clarify tone arm into a Bob's Device SUT into a Leben phono pre-amp into a Leben CS 300 integrated amp into Devore O/93's. Prior to the installation of the EMT I ran a Dynavector XX-2 MC cartridge.

There is a 3 gram weight difference between the Dynavector cart (8 gr.) and the EMT cart (11 gr.). The Clarify tone arm specs note that the arm will work with carts weighing up to 13 grams (so I knew I was in safe territory there). After installing the second counterweight on the Clarify arm (needed for the 11 gr. EMT), I set up the cart to the recommended (by the previous owner) 2.3 VTF and checking all setup points, I reinstalled the table into my system and played two albums I know well: 1. Davis' Kind of Blue (the EMT sounded like a new cartridge). 2. Allen Toussaint's The Bright Mississippi (first side): And that's when I noticed the trumpet (panned hard right and positioned up front) distorting. I quickly lifted the tone arm and rechecked the setup and played the album again. The problem continued. (I also confirmed that the problem is not in the main system - I cleaned all the contacts in the system; I have no problem with my tuner in the system; and I switched out the SUT and Leben phono pre for another MC phono pre and the distortion still returned occasionally depending on the album I played.)

I corresponded with the seller and he suggested that I add more VTF as his tone arm (a Zeta arm) is high mass and mine is medium mass. I set the VTF to just above 2.5 and things seem ok for most albums (for a cart that is just breaking in), but I occasionally hear that intermittent distortion on some tracks that are panned both hard right and hard left (but only for specific instruments - trumpet and piano primarily - no problems with drums, guitars, basses, et al... so far). And I still have the same distortion problem with the first side Toussaint album.

I am becoming a bit anxious about this cart in my system and would appreciate any thoughts you all might have about what causes this distortion and how I might solve this problem. (By the way, I did search "intermittent distortion" on this forum, but didn't find too much that was applicable to my problem).
Thanks... Randy

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