Distortion on the last track of any side.

[Hymefly]

Recently I started getting into vinyl records once again. I started out with an ION USB turntable last year. I got rid of because I noticed the whole vinyl would sound great until it reached the last track on both sides. I noticed it would sound distorted. I got rid of it for that reason. I then got a Stanton USB turntable. Again, I got rid of it for the same reason. I finally decided to get a Technics SL-1200MK5. I insatalled a Shure M97xE. Both are brand new. I'm using 1.5 grams to 2.0grams of weight on the cartridge. This is the recommended weight. It is also properly aligned. By the most part, it sounds excellent! I, however, still have the problem of every last track on any record on any side sounds distorted. It seems the closer the stylus moves to the center of the record, the worse it sounds. I don't know what to do. Please help!

[richie00boy]

Sounds like you either are playing knackered vinyl or your anti-skate is set wrong.

[Conrad Hoffman]

Maybe it's not as "perfectly aligned" as you think. Try an arc template drawn for the specific table length. PM me for a pdf if you can't draw your own. I'll need to know the exact distance between the arm pivot, and the platter spindle. I've had tables with automatic arm lift that tended to put extra force on the arm near the end. There's also the issue of how many inches per second of vinyl are going by the stylus. Vinyl records simply don't perform as well near the center as they do at the perimeter. Normally the producers take that into account by not putting the most challenging tracks at the end. Also, don't rule out a misaligned stylus- just because the cartridge body is aligned doesn't mean the diamond it.

[hailteflon]

There are many factors that come into play with the inner grooves.

(1) The quality of the pressing including the quality of the vinyl. The hi-freq modulations of a groove approach the dimensions of the grain of the vinyl. Re-cycled vinyl has a much coarser grain. There are also various grades of vinyl and the profit margin of the company that month had a lot to do with what they used. The wear on the stamper is also a critical factor as is the generation and wear of the master tape. The later pressings in the mid to late 80s were often digital because they used a single-head deck with a digital delay line to control the cutter depth. Digital seems to have worse distortion.
They are not "digital remasters", they don't even mention digital.

(2) The inner grooves have a much lower linear velocity and the waveforms have a much steeper slope. This puts the stylus motion at its' greatest disadvantage. The tendency of the stylus to move in and out of the cartridge is pushed to the limit.

(3) This is the tender part of the record and is most susceptible to wear. If you are buying used records or even supposedly new ones that are actually re-wraps then you may be reproducing damaged caused by a worn stylus. Records from the 60s were often played on a console with a severely worn sapphire stylus: a cutting edge.

(4) The vintage and manufacturer of the record as pertains to the type of cutting used is very important. "Tracing simulation" is usually purported by cutting engineers to have almost never been used. I am quite sure that it was extensively used. Many records, Columbia and RCA for example, often sound terrible with a small tracing radius. A 4x7 elliptical will often give a much smoother sound on most USA pressings. An RCA Dynagroove is often maligned. Dynagroove is some of the finest vinyl ever made, but it is specifically cut for a conical stylus. Dynagroove was the first computerized cutting process and the "stylus correlator" provided the tracing simulation. European classicals of the 70s on the other hand used very little tracing simulation. Philips and DG sound distorted with a large radius.

(5) You may have a vinyl deposit on your stylus. The little paint brushes that Shure gives you won't get it off. Use one of the abrasive stylus cleaners. A vinyl deposit can cause massive distortion.

(6) Most if not all feedback-type RIAA equalizers tend to accuate noise. I never achieved a listenable inner groove until I built a "passive equalizer". They don't equalize in a feedback loop.

(7) If your records are not very clean then dirt will interfere with stylus
contact.
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Tracing simulation changes the slope of the groove such as to subtract the distorion caused by the tracing radius. The larger the radius the more subtraction. There was a knob on the circuitry box at the lathe. Theoretically the styus adds the distortion back and they cancel. The simulator is set for a particular radius. Play a Dynagoove with a conical and then with a 2x7. The difference will be obvious.

These are some of the major factors.....IMHO, Good Luck, Mark

[planarboy]

I've got a pretty good rega based deck with all expensive stuff and still get a bit of distirtion at the last track.

[Hymefly]

Thank you all for the great advice. For now, I'll just deal with it. Like I said, my vinyl sounds superb for the most part. What bugs me is that I just got the "blue" album from The Beatles and my all time favorite song ( The Long and Winding Road) happens to be the one closest to the spindle. Oh well. Thanks again, guys.

[planarboy]

Hey, don't forget to shell out for te LOVE album on vinyl, I listen to it about 3 times a week.
You wanna hear the mix of eleanor rigby theyve done, and yesterday.

[Pjotr]

Simply check overhang an off-set angle of the cart with an alignment template. There are many free on the net available you can print. Search for “Baerwald alignment template”.

[Mitch Alsup]

I googled up "phono cartridge alignment" and found several useful and informative disertations on cartrige alignment.

http://www.soundfountain.com/amb/ttadjust.html

Being the most informative.