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Hissing when listening to turntable
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Vincenzo View Drop Down
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    Posted: 23 Oct 2025 at 9:38am
Good morning, I have the impression that when I listen to a record where vocals are reproduced I hear that the S is not said clearly but it seems to hiss. I understand this might be a strange topic but I wanted to understand if it could be normal or there is something wrong with the head arm settings. Thank you.
Amp. Musical Fidelity M6si,Turntables VPI Scout Signature, Cartridges Ortofon Cadenza Bronze, Graham Slee Accession MC, Speakers Triangle Esprit Antal Ez, Cables Rotrwell The River,ATLAS Equator MKIII
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BackinBlack View Drop Down
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Points: 2139 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BackinBlack Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Oct 2025 at 2:23pm
Hi Vincenzo,
What you refer to is known as sibilance.
If it has slowly become noticeable and no arm adjustments have been made recently it is most likely a worn stylus. Other possible causes might be insufficient stylus downforce, incorrect bias or cartridge misalignment.
Just listen, if it sounds good to you, enjoy it.
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Vincenzo View Drop Down
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A thousand thanks.
Amp. Musical Fidelity M6si,Turntables VPI Scout Signature, Cartridges Ortofon Cadenza Bronze, Graham Slee Accession MC, Speakers Triangle Esprit Antal Ez, Cables Rotrwell The River,ATLAS Equator MKIII
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Points: 2139 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BackinBlack Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Oct 2025 at 4:25pm
One more thought, is the stylus really clean? I took it for granted that you had checked that.
Ian
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Vincenzo View Drop Down
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Yes, the stylus is clean and checked under the microscope.
Amp. Musical Fidelity M6si,Turntables VPI Scout Signature, Cartridges Ortofon Cadenza Bronze, Graham Slee Accession MC, Speakers Triangle Esprit Antal Ez, Cables Rotrwell The River,ATLAS Equator MKIII
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Points: 2139 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BackinBlack Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Oct 2025 at 5:20pm
Originally posted by Vincenzo Vincenzo wrote:

Yes, the stylus is clean and checked under the microscope.

Was just a thought.
Just listen, if it sounds good to you, enjoy it.
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patientot View Drop Down
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What is the complete set of gear here? How many hours on the stylus? 

Sibilance can be tricky to deal with. I say that as someone extremely sensitive to it. I even notice it in actors' voices when watching TV. 

First thing to do is check a good digital version of the recording. If you hear Sibilance there chances are not much can be done to fix it. 

Sometimes records are cut hotter than normal or simply mastered in a more aggressive fashion which exacerbates sibilance. 

Some cartridges, regardless of price, do not handle Sibilance very well. In rare cases you can also have a diamond that was poorly mounted to the cantilever or mounted off-axis which will make things worse...

Fatter diamonds and cartridges with stiffer suspensions also do worse here. 
SL-1200 MK7 (modified) + Reflex M + PSU-1 used with AT150-40ML, AT VM610 MONO, AT VM95ML, Stanton 680mkII + Ogura, and Shure M35X cartridges.
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