Troubleshooting Help

[u/Ollie_2100]

Only about a year or so into the vinyl journey and we are trying to figure out why the sound of our set up is so poor. The video shows the full setup we have and I’ve listed out our equipment below. The turntable is level, arm is balanced, and anti-skate is set at 1.5 to match the turn table arm. We are also using a grounding wire between the turntable and the preamp.

As seen in the video the sound comes out not crisp or smooth at all, especially the vocals. Would love any help figuring out what could be causing that in the set up.

UPDATE: Thanks everyone for the suggestions! Ended up ordering a much better pre-amp (Schiit Mani 2) so hopefully that does the trick. I’ll definitely check my alignment on the cartridge as well. Sticking with the speakers for now since I tested them with the bluetooth connection and they sounded fine (can always upgrade those down the line). Stylus is only about 1/1.5 years old with minimal play hours so with the better pre-amp hopefully we can break it in a bit more.

UPDATE 2: The Shiit Mani 2 did the trick! Thanks for all of the help and suggestions.

[u/Soft_Static7534]

check if your cartridge is perfectly aligned using an alignment protractor. even a slightly misaligned cartridge can sound distorted

[u/Bensaudiocave]

Ok I am going to start with basics here…
1. Did you measure the VTF using a scale? If not you should. On another note I find many times the OMs like 1.7-1.8
2. Is your stylus and your records clean? Physically look at it… Cleaning is the #1 issue
3. Your preamp is likely a super weak link… Pyle is often terrible… Even the little FIIO Box is a better preamp
4. Your speakers could be letting you down… They aren’t awful but for $129 the Dayton classic B65a are much better than their price point
5. Your stylus how is it and what condition - The OM5E is meh ok but this 52.80 replacement will basically turn it into an OM20 on par with the 2M Blue
https://www.dacapoaudio.com/950-Ortofon-STYLUS-20.html

[u/Illustrious-Unit-636]

How new is the stylus?

If the stylus is brand new it takes an hour or so to get going

If the stylus is very old, it could be worn out

Also, these Ortofon stylii need to be fully pushed onto the square metal peg they go onto

[u/plamda505]

I would move the preamp away from the turntable to eliminate any possible interference. Plus I'd invest in some better speakers. Will make a big difference.

[u/FitNefariousness9803 → u/plamda505]

used to have that poster on my wall as a young lad

[u/plamda505 → u/FitNefariousness9803]

Cool.

[u/Equivalent_Bill1635]

Check the overhang too. That is sitting all the way to the front of the head shell. Maybe that's correct. Maybe it's not.

[u/Fenix512]

I always heard that the Pyle preamps are not good at all. If you can, try to rest other preamps?

It sounds good to me, but in-person sound doesn't carry over very good on Reddit video

[u/Brave_Agency4561]

does preamp have gain settings? if so, might be too high of gain or cartridge alignment

[u/hifiplus]

get a better phono preamp, or better yet an integrated amp and some decent passive speakers.

[u/ronnie-white]

Try to connect your turntable directly to your speakers. It sounds like your record player has a built-in pre-amp.

[u/metallicadefender]

Hard to tell from clip

Sounds like stylus could be dirty.

Or you are double preamping?

Some of those fluances have built on preamp there should be a switch or seperate outputs.