Mysterious hum in Blue Point Special
Paul Hildahl
I recently purchased a Sumiko Blue Point Special cartridge for my Sumiko
Project 1.2 table and installed it myself. My problem is this...
When the cantilever is moved, even slightly, a distinct low-level white
noise sound is sent through my system. Very lightly breathing on the
cantilever causes this to happen! When I place the needle on the lead
groove this noise rushes through my system. The effect either disappears
or is masked when in loud passages, but I swear it comes back in quiet
passages. Nothing in my system has changed but the cartridge, i.e. my
Audio Alchemy VITB gain level is the same, etc... I don't believe that
this should be happening. Is this an "unadvertised" feature of the MC
Cartridge?
Paul Hildahl
phil...@infinet.com
Hank Dole
I also own this cartridge (and installed it myself), and the thing works
and sounds incredible! Maybe you got ahold of a bad sample from the
factory.
Paul Hildahl <phil...@infinet.com> wrote in article
<phildahl-140...@news.infinet.com>...
nite...@voicenet.com
>> When the cantilever is moved, even slightly, a distinct low-level white
>> noise sound is sent through my system.
I have no first hand experience with the Blue Point Special, but your noise,
which I would not describe as a "Hum", is caused by the polymer blocks
surrounding the stylus being piezoelectric. A piezoelectric material generates
a voltage when it is mechanically stressed. The old Crystal or Ceramic
cartridges operated on this principle. Unfortunately, your cartridge operates
on a magnetic principle and should not exhibit any piezoelectric secondary
effects.
Hopefully you have a defective cartridge. Unfortunately, I have only come
across a few individuals who have observed this problem. I have been after
one cartridge manufactrer for about 18 years to acknowledge that ALL of
their cartridges suffer. Fortunately, almost all the turntables using their
cartridges mute the signal when the arm is off the record. Users assume
the noise comes from the record and don't complain. The few users that do
complain are, like you, using turntables that don't mute.
My suggestion is to try to get another sample of the Blue Point. If the second
sample exhibits the same problem, change to another brand. I don't think that
you will ever be able to convince the manufacturer that you aren't some sort
of malcontent and if this is a design problem, they either won't admit it or
will have to change the design to fix the problem. If they change the design,
it will be a different cartridge and you'll have to start your evaluation from
scratch.
By the way, when you evaluate the next sample, be sure to play a few sides
in rapid succession to compress the polymer blocks. Then lift the arm and
listen for the noise while the blocks return to their rest state.
Barry
VideoTravl
New England Audio Resource, Inc (NEAR) of Lewiston, Maine announced today
that it will unveil two models of speakers using state of the art
vibration control systems at CEDIA EXPO 96 which will be held in Dallas,
Texas from September 4 to 8.
NEAR's models 50Me and 15M speakers will be introduced incorporating a
variety of innovations, including anti-resonance control systems installed
inside to eliminate distortion caused by cabinet vibration. NEAR has
previously pioneered innovations in their speaker designs including the
introduction of metal drivers and metal cones. Says NEAR president,
William Kieltyka, "Distortion caused by enclosure vibrations is the single
greatest obstacle left for manufacturers to overcome. By using the latest
anti-resonance technology, we strip away the last veil that separates the
recorded material and the listener. These vibration control units are
installed at the specific sites and tuned to the exact frequencies that
produce resonance in our cabinets. By canceling these specific
frequencies, we allow our drivers to deliver pure sound."
Tekna Sonic's Vibration Absorbers are an array of elasticized polymer
plates that can be tuned to respond to frequencies from 40 Hz to 2 kHz.
When activated by the speaker enclosure panels, the vibration absorbers
respond by converting the mechanical energy of the enclosure into minute
amounts of heat which do not produce sound distortion. Tekna Sonic has
sold a consumer version of these units for several years to audiophiles
who used them to improve the performance of their systems by applying them
to the back panels of their loudspeakers.
NEAR's decision to treat their speakers inside at the exact points and the
precise frequencies that cause distortion is a first for any speaker
manufacturer.
Tekna Sonic's Director of Research and Development, Len Thomasen
commented, "Our method of removing enclosure vibrations picks up where
current designs for bracing and making cabinets more rigid leave off.
NEAR has gone through great lengths to provide the latest technical
advancements in these speakers. By removing the precise frequencies that
cause harmonic distortion in the cabinet itself, NEAR sets itself apart
from other speaker designs and can compete on every level against products
that are considerably more expensive."
NEAR and Tekna Sonic will present two joint sessions at the CEDIA show,
one on September 6 and one on September 7, to explain the enhancements in
these two loudspeaker models and answer technical questions
Contacts:
Tekna Sonic,Inc. NEAR
Len Thomasen Lee Lareau
(707)794-1512 207)795-0609