6 Reasons You Are Experiencing Turntable Distortion and How You Can Fix It (like overamplification)

Distortion can rear its ugly head in many forms when you're listening to your records. Sometimes it's in the form of crackling, wobbling, or sometimes, the sound just isn't as full as it should be. The good news is, there is often something that you can do about it. In this video, we will discuss six reasons that you may be hearing distortion from your vinyl records, and how to fix it.
0:00 Intro
0:17 Your stylus needs to be broken in
0:29 Your stylus is dirty
0:49 Static build-up on your record
1:19 Inner groove distortion
2:56 You have an off center pressing
3:49 Overamplification
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SUMMARY:
If your music sounds muffled, scratchy or harsh, it could be one of these reasons.
1. Your stylus has not been broken in. Like a speaker, a stylus has a break-in period. For the styli included with Fluance turntables. We recommend about 20 hours of listening.
2. Your stylus is dirty. Even new records can have dust and debris from the factory or little bits of paper that come off of the inner sleeve. Ensure that you've cleaned your stylus with the stylus brush and the records with an anti-static carbon fiber brush. Visually inspect the stylus to ensure it's straight and free of any debris.
3. You have static buildup on your records. As your records play, the friction between the stylus and the vinyl record can cause static buildup The static can attract dust, which causes that crackling sound. This is usually the case in dry environments or during the winter when the air is drier. An anti-static brush can be used before playback to remove the static charge from your records. There are also anti-static guns available to remove static without touching the record.
4. You're listening to inner groove distortion. To understand inner groove distortion, you have to consider the outer grooves. The ones on the outside of the record that contain the first song. The diameter of a 12 inch circle is about 37 inches. So if you took those grooves on the outer edge of the record and stretched them into a straight line, it would be about 37 inches long. Think of it like a slinky that is stretched all the way out.
Now consider the grooves that are closer to the inside of the record. The closer you get to the center, the shorter the groove is. For example, if you were to take the grooves right in the middle of the record where the diameter is about six inches and you stretch them out into a line, it would be about 18 inches long. The closer you get to the middle of the record, the less space there is for that sonic information. The grooves get tighter and the stylus has a harder time tracking them, especially in higher frequencies, which have tighter grooves.
5. You have an off center pressing. An off center pressing is when the hole in the middle of the record isn't in the middle of the record. The effect of this is that the music sounds like there's a speed or pitch change. You can tell if you have an off center pressing by looking at the stylus. If the stylus stays where it is, you don't have enough center pressing. But if the stylus moves left to right back and forth, then you have an off center pressing.
6. You're over amplifying. If your turntable has a built-in preamp like the RT80 or RT81, you may be over-amplifying the signal, causing distortion. To check if this is the case, check to see if your turntable is connected to the Phono input on your receiver. If it is, make sure that the Phono/Line connection on the back of your turntable is set to Phono. If it is set to line, then you have engaged the turntable's internal preamp, and the signal is being amplified twice. Once with the turntable's internal preamp, and then again with the Phono input on the receiver.

[@donwest5387]

1. level your turntable 2. adjust anti-skating 3. clean records

[@urmomschesthair5778]

i’m glad ik about breaking in the needle now. i was so confused about why it was distorted cuz i just got it

[@FluanceSpeakers]

If it's very distorted, you'll want to make sure you don't have two preamps connected and active (external and phono input on receiver for example).

[@seanjohnson6394]

Thank you so very much. I just purchased a new (and first ever) turntable. I also had a brand new record and it sounded awful. I did not clue into the switch on the back from phono to line. It was set to line. As soon as I switched it to phono - BINGO. I worked like a charm!!!

[@gregoryfruehwald8418]

Thank you very much !!! Very helpful. I did not take into consideration my receiver/amp already had a built in pre-amp on the phono ports. I had too much power, turned off amp on turntable and no more noise!!! Sadly install instructions for turntable did not mention that possibility??

[@alekskot9240]

Finally!!! Someone!

[@chaotic-evil1009]

I have a question. All my records sound hissy when played. They never sounded like this previously. I ordered a new needle thinking it was the issue, but changing it didn't help. I do use headphones listening to my vinyl, but it's never been an issue before. I'm not sure what to do.

[@tomhanser]

Brand new Audio-Technica ATLPW30TKR, cabled into NAD preamp PHONO input, turntable set to PHONO (not LINE), NAD preamp set to MM, not MC. Sound is very distorted on first play. Stylus looks clean, but I'll brush if off, carefully. What else could it be? Break in the cartridge for a while?

[@Natalia_Kyle]

I have a question, I’ve done all of these steps however all of my records have this choppy sound at the beginning and end of each song, especially if they have fade ins/outs. I don’t know how to fix this

[@bbc4dub]

Thank you! Just needed to clean my stylus… too much dust.

[@jro7075]

I have just gotten a Garrard at-60 turntablr used it is in great condition the stylus was very worn ,i cleaned it up and tested it it souned distorted i knew that would be the case so this cartridge i never saw in my life if i rember it is a pickering u-38 now i looked it up on ebay and seen used ones selling over 50 .00 or more but i found the replacement stylus i could only find a conical type stylus thars fine i planned to use this TT for playing dynagroove records anyway cause thats what these records were made for ,i put in new stylus was still getting distortion on both channels so i started from scratch checked alignment of cart stylus and antiskating and tracking force when set to highest track force it was still distorted and i have a test record that will skip if the settings everything is not set right it was skipping horribily wow i lightened tracking force to the lightest and antiskate tooknawhile antiskating settings on this TT are wierd but this tone arm stays very true when placed on a cd and on a record with a blank side it does not go anywhere then i tried record and it played the two songs that skipped and it did not skip and tracking force is set to the lightest so i tried some of the albums that i do not here distortion on both channels and i still here a slight distortion but after seeing vid ,i did not know that styli has a breaking in period never ever heard of that till now so i have everything set properly ,the only thing that is causing slight distortion on both channels is styli break in period ,then i will have to see if this is problem i will wait after 20 hrs of play if this stops ,like i said i necer ever heard of a stylus breakin period and i have been using TT's since the early 70's all i can say you are never too old to learn new things JRo

[@judgeswann5663]

I have an issue that when my turn tables pre amp is off I’m not getting a loud enough signal to my receiver, but when it is on it sounds overly distorted. What’s the fix?

[@FluanceSpeakers]

Hi there! It sounds like you may have it connected to a Phono input on your receiver and overamplifying the signal when the preamp is on. If this is a Fluance table, please reach out to our Customer Experience Team, we'll get you back to enjoying your vinyl in no time!

[@turtel666]

Dude, thanks

[@FluanceSpeakers]

Happy to help

[@michael-k.]

I have inner grove distortion but you can only hear it when the person is singing a high note, it doesn’t effect the instruments or a person with a deep voice

[@vadiquemyself]

3:06 how about getting a player with the pitch adjustment, huh ? (instead of "sending record back for an [unexistant] replacement")

[@FluanceSpeakers]

Thanks for your suggestion! Unfortunately with an off-center pressing, the pitch will be variable, not something that can be compensated by a set adjustment.

[@captain_-memethesire6888]

When I listen to my record, I can hear what sounds like the high hat playing offbeat from the song and I don’t know whats causing it

[@onlythemarkk]

everything worls fine its just i get very distorted sound when its plugged into my amp wich is also a guitar amp and a speaker

[@FluanceSpeakers]

It's possible the input already has a preamp and may have additional gain settings. Please feel free to reach out to our Customer Experience Team and we will be more than happy to help!

[@MarlonUrias]

I also get pitch problems when the needle is approaching the center of the record. I thought this was a problem with my motor but it’s not happening on all the records. So it makes sense the problem is with the record

[@leon9021]

Pitch problems? The speed shouldnt change.

[@MarlonUrias]

@@leon9021 the pitch problems are not caused by speed but by a badly pressed record

[@leon9021]

@@MarlonUrias I dont get it, are you saying that the record is causing your player to slow down?

[@MarlonUrias]

@@leon9021 No, nothing is slowing down. When the record was printed the grooves near the center were printed with groove errors that make it SOUND like the motor is slowing

[@leon9021]

@@MarlonUrias Im sorry but thats just not possible. When a record is pressed such a defect can not occur. It could during cutting but I doubt that as well, you are likely hearing something else.

[@mapletea4941]

I literally have not put a record in this thing yet, only played off of the bluetooth on my phone, and it is distorted to hell. I’ve never owned a record player before and have no idea how to fix it

[@FluanceSpeakers]

If you play a record and it's extremely distorted, it's likely overamplification. Make sure you don't have the internal preamp turned on (LINE setting on the switch) while having the turntable plugged into a external preamp, or a PHONO input on a receiver.

[@someonespecial1525]

OMG, there is some good and some bad info here... love seeing the use of the Anti-stat with the lightbulb still in it, smh

[@FluanceSpeakers]

Thanks for your feedback, could you let know what you are referring to so we can continue to improve these videos?

[@paulroberts2800]

The air is drier on winter he said????

[@ManlyPelican]

It is you ever get dry lips in the winter?

[@johngranato2673]

Yes, he meant circumference

[@leon9021]

Mostly good advice, but stylus break in is BS, it shouldnt cause distortion and no sensible manufacturer would ever recommend you waste 20 hours damaging your records before its fine.

[@FluanceSpeakers]

Hi Leon, thank you for your comment. We appreciate your feedback! We can confirm that the 20 hour break-in period is directly from the FAQ & Installation page on Ortofon's website.

[@leon9021]

@@FluanceSpeakers Yes Im aware but the quote states nothing about styli in particular, just carts. It doesnt mention which cart either which also matters since MC designs can take longer to "break in" as the internal dampening needs to physically settle over use. In MMs there is barely any break in however and none for the stylus, it just degrades over time. This is besides the point however since there is no mention of distortion. A new stylus should not distort, if it does I would never recommend anyone damage their records for 20 hours in hope of a change. Furthermore these random estimates of 20 - 50 hours are just made by manufacturers to cover themselves from people returning carts immediately. Most of what breaks in is ones listening taste which is mostly why people observe change in sound, not because of any change in the cart. The only thing that may settle over time is the vertical cantilever suspension which may change the VTA setting by about 0.5 degrees, hardly worth caring about.

[@mono_log_]

@@FluanceSpeakers my AT-LP60X would never have to deal with this bs issue lol. 20 hours before stylus break? Wtf