[Niteshade]

Usually the last two songs suffer from IGD. It happens with my linear tracking turntable as well as the S-Shaped tonearm model. Not all records do it, but around 88-90% of them do and it makes vocals sound raspy. Otherwise, everything is great!

[BobRex]

Check your alignment, some alignment methods (Stevenson) put the inner null point further from the label.  When that happens distortion increases in the inner bands.  You can't toally eliminate IGD when using a pivoted arm, but you can reduce the level substantially. Linear tracking arms (and I have extensive experience with the ET, the old Yamaha PX2 and 3, the Revox, and a few others) should not suffer from IGD if the record is good. The fact that you are getting IGD with a linear tracker tell me that that arm isn't working properly or the record is shot.

[TheChairGuy]

Blair,

Usually, a cartridge with an exaggerated elliptical stylus point (be that hyperelliptical, microridge, stereohedron, Shibata, Ellipsiod, van den Hul or the like) and a little heavier vertical tracking force (VTF) will eradicate any inner groove distortion.

Elliptical tips, especially cheaper bonded ones, with too-light VTF, will too often expose this irritating condition.

That is, assuming all the other settings are correct for your tonearm.

Another way of largely ridding yourself of it is to go to a longer arm.  Each additional inch past a 9" arm provides something like 7% better tracking.  So a 10% arm, theoretically, tracks 7% better across the entire record surface...thus subduing tracking distortion (which includes the most obvious many of us hear - that of the end of record). 

Of course, the last recommendation isn't as feasible for many as changing out the stylus shape and applying a bit more VTF.

Regards, John

[Wayner]

Remember that an LP is a continuously shrinking horizontal screw thread. More information in less space, means data compression (in this case, analog), and with some over-modulated recordings, record wear, and incorrect alignment, will amplify all of this. Linear tracking arms are not perfect, either.

You also didn't mention if the records are new or used.

Wayner

[Niteshade]

Thanks for the help everybody! 

Most of the records are well used (not by me) and most likely have several plays on them. I listened to a Whitney Houston LP today (Arista LP) and it sounded very good all the way though. The LP was very well recorded and not over-modulated. The LP's that have the most issues are the ones which are over-modulated. I was reading something where quieter, less energetic songs should be placed on inner tracks. Why didn't they do this more often?

[blakep]

Check your alignment, some alignment methods (Stevenson) put the inner null point further from the label.  When that happens distortion increases in the inner bands.  You can't toally eliminate IGD when using a pivoted arm, but you can reduce the level substantially. Linear tracking arms (and I have extensive experience with the ET, the old Yamaha PX2 and 3, the Revox, and a few others) should not suffer from IGD if the record is good. The fact that you are getting IGD with a linear tracker tell me that that arm isn't working properly or the record is shot.

Stevenson actually offers up an inner null point much closer to the label or leadout grooves in an attempt to lower inner groove distortion; as a result it does offer lower distortion at the inner grooves than either Lofgren or Baerwald, but at the expense of much higher distortion numbers across the rest of the record than either of the other alignments.

I agree with you that something is wrong if you're getting inner groove distortion with a linear tracking arm. Either the arm is screwed up/crappy or there's groove damage on the record.

[Niteshade]

I played a few 45's yesterday and they do not seem to have IGD issues. In fact, they sound very good!

[Wayner]

Another source of inner groove distortion may be all the dirt, lint and gunk the stylus picked up along the way. Another reason to clean the record and clean the stylus.

Wayner