Hi, hope you all have been well. I have been a member for a while but have just been reading, I am somewhat in awe of your knowledge and your rigs but here I go. Since upgrading my system over the last few years I now stand at VPI Prime Sig, with Fatboy gimbal arm and Soundsmith The Voice cart, Pass XP-25 phono, Esoteric X 01-D2 sacd player, Luxman L509X amp going to ML ESL 11As and REL s812 subs via Cardas cabling with S/R and Cardas powercords and PS Audio conditioner.( think that about covers it!) Anyway, I have been finding that on some records the sq , and here I struggle to define this but if you could hear this you would concur, gets worse on the last maybe one third of the vinyl. Etched, bleached maybe? Again, words fail me except to say I stop playback because I can"t stand it. Now this SEEMS to be MOSTLY on pop/rock and older, thinner pressings. I don't hear it on " audiophile" pressings as a rule or even old EMI, DECCA, LYRITA, RCA, MERCURY etc. Most of my vinyl listening is to classical followed by acoustic jazz then pop/rock which is where it is most evident. I know my table, arm, and cart setup is spot on, the only variable for me is vta which I don't think would affect what I am hearing. Even after playing with that while listening I hear no change. I am doubting my sanity here and have been in our hobby for 30 years with 4,000 records and lots of cds. But it is only recently that my system has gotten to a point where it is very revealing. Anyway, as I say I am somewhat intimidated by the quality of the discussions that you all post and was reluctant to speak to my issue. I"M NOT WORTHY, right? But I have also noticed how kind and graceful you are so I have gotten over my shyness I guess. Or maybe I'm just looking for a diversion from current events. I sure would appreciate any feedback though, Also, I am thinking of a new cart soon and am intrigued by what I have heard about the Dyna XV-1s. But it would be nice if I could begin to listen to a full album for a change! BE WELL, thanks. Joe.