[ARSCLIST] "Echo" in 1916 vertical recording

[Eric Hollis <eric.hollis@xxxxxxxxx>]

Dear ARCLIST,

I'm an amateur audio archivist, and I'd like to run a question past you 
folks regarding a project that I'm working on.  I'm trying to transfer and 
restore some Angelophone recordings (7" vertical recordings from 1916).  On 
the B side of these recordings, there is a talk by an elderly gentleman who 
was very softspoken. The recording seems to have a faint "echo", meaning 
that I'm hearing a faint recording of the gentleman as he speaks.  The 
faint recording is ahead of the main recording.  Am I hearing modulation 
from an adjacent groove wall? I've tried four different styli (2.0E, 2.5E, 
3.0E, 2.75TC)with the same "echo" results. (Stanton 500 cartridge with only 
a few hours of play time (~25))

Also, I'm hearing distortion in the louder passages of the recording, as if 
the stylus is being overdriven. I've adjusted the levels, and it doesn't 
appear that I'm clipping, but I'm still hearing the distortion.

Suggestions?  Thanks for any help or ideas you can provide.

Sincerely,
Eric Hollis