In this case I selected the P6 option with the factory fitted Ania. So it was installed by Rega.
OK thats greatā¦sorry didnāt realiseā¦ OK you need a new test recordā¦as the members on the forum here for the best one to tryā¦ I think its important you have a new test LPā¦ incase you have some historic damageā¦
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Are we, am I losing the plot here?
I thought that 2 problems were reported. One is the sibilance. The other is a left right mismatch which has been tested to be before the phono stage.
That makes either the turntable wiring or the cart at fault. Surely the dealer can help by trying a different cart on this turntable.
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Donāt lose the plot itās only sibilance.
The Aria phono stage is a separate issue. I have little doubt that it will not fix the sibilance but it may reduce it due to capacitance load (unless I totally misunderstood what capacitance does) and offer a general upgrade of SQ.
As for the sibilance, I get it left heavy on some records. Ons some other records I have the sibilance on both channels. And one two thirds of the records I have little to none that I can detect. It is always heavier towards the inner grooves.
If there was something grossly wrong with construction I cannot imagine that the dealerās deck would also exhibit exactly the same sibilance. If the wiring was messed I would expect left heavy sibilance every time an S was sung.
With my beginners knowledge of vinyl, the facts above makes me conclude that it is play between the cart and the vinyl. I have so far concluded out of comments here and elsewhere that the Ania is sensitive to sibilance and IGD. And that some of my records are not playing nice with that.
I could be wrong but I have to start somewhere and I think the next steps are:
- Try Rega phono stage
- Try another cart
If at any stage my setup is doing something different to what the dealer has I have grounds to look into construction issues again. Only thing is that COVID is going to lengthen this response cycle considerably.
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Ok I agree with that for the sibilance issue. The dealer could help with both of those I would have thought?
Was the left/right channel balance not an issue in the end?
To be honest I did not check that balance well when the dealer was here. He was also repairing my Star front panel alignment but the sibilance on left speaker was exactly the same on both. So worst case the right channel could have had MORE sibilance on his deck if balance was an issue but that seems unlikely that the better deck would sound worse.
Already in contact with the dealer to check out the Aria 
So an update.
Meanwhile the dealer has been investigating further with his equipment.
Now that he knows what to listen for he has been trying various combinations of cart and phono and such. He is unable to cut down on sibilance with the Ania but reports that using the Apheta 3 the sibilance disappears.
So it really does look related to the chosen stylus of the Ania.
He will be getting an Ania Pro at some point to test. I have some hope in that as I have read that the stylus of the Pro leans towards that of the Apheta.
If that is not it it will be interesting as I donāt think mounting an Apheta 3 on a Planar 6 is the best of ideas.
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Does this change at all with bias settings? I know you mentioned you tried the entire gamut of that, but was wondering if it made any difference.
I would disagree with this as there are plenty of cartridges that track better than the Ania.
After doing about 5 minutes of research seems the Ania has issues. One fellow swapped it out for a Ortofon Black 2m. Another chap replaced with a Hanaā¦ Both thought their respective replacements where better than the Ania. @Kryptos BTW what are you using to clean your recordās? When I was still spinning vinyl I used a VPI HW-16.5 worked a treat. As much on new vinyl as used.
Nope, but VTF actually made a little difference. At a higher tracking force the sibilance is less annoying.
Yeah I have seen many of these comments over the year I had the Ania.
As for cleaning that is not related. I think the dealerās investigation has shown it to be related to the element.
If by Element you mean the Cartridge then yes thatās what Iād do. If itās new then get Rega to give you credit towards a better one. No point in wasting time on another Ania
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So more news on this.
The dealer has tested an Ania Pro and compared it with a normal Ania mounted on an RP8 and his experience is that the Ania Pro on the RP6 sounds a lot better, with the sibilance issues gone, vs the Ania on the RP8.
So tomorrow he is bringing their deck with the Pro to my house and leaving it here so I can test it at leisure.
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Thatās very good news Kryptos. Your dealer seems to do everything in their power to make you happy, thatās a big plus
Claude
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And the results are in.
Have been playing my most sibilant records with the Ania Pro and the difference is astounding. While I still catch a glimpse of the sibilance in the absolute worst moments in the inner grooves the Pro brings the worst moments to the most bearable moments on sibilant records with the vanilla Ania. But this I am now putting down to vinyl effects.
Sibilant sounds are suddenly well formed and tight and not all over the place.
The issue is therefore without any further doubt caused by the elliptical stylus of the normal Ania.
As for sound I already prefer it over the normal Ania and this is a brand new cartridge I am testing so it has not been run in. Crisper detail, less fuzz and a definitely improved base floor.
Next step will be negotiating a price considering the first one has a year of wear on it.
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Well done great news and well done to your dealer too!
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So glad you have a resolution great thanks for keeping us in the loopā¦
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Hehe itās a pleasure. Thanks for saying that.
Been quite a journey.
On the bright side doing some hifi investigations is a perfect pastime in these crazy times, isnāt it?
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You can peacefully enjoy self isolation now 
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Haha yeah. Upgraded my Starās cabling, now solved my sibilance. What bliss. Hell I may ask them to extend the lockdown now LOL.
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