Which stylus is the best to use?

[emeis]

1.Stanton 681 EEE
2.Stanton 5100? Black body with red dot
3.Stanton?...black body with yellow dot
4.Stanton 5100? Black body with red dot also.
5.Pickering DE
6.Stanton D5100EL
7.Audio Technica AT25
8.Empire 66 PE/X
What do you think? which one is best to use? Are they in good state?
All opinions are most welcome!
Thank you!

 

[axle2152]

Certainly no expert here, #3 the diamond looks ok to me, #5 looks ok, #6 is either dirty or possibly worn and the last one appears to be worn... Again not an expert, not even sure what type of styli they all are not sure if they're sphereical, elliptical, nude or tipped...and the magnification probably needs to be a bit stronger...

The other factor, at least in quality is the cantilever and according to others whether it is a tipped or nude mounted diamond and the cantilever itself.

So basically I didn't answer your questions but hope you found a teeny bit of insight. I am assuming these are all used styli?

 

[emeis]

#3 is new.also #5 and 6.All others are used.possibly the last one is new also.

 

[marcmorin]

looks like somebody pinched the 681EEE stylus. the AT 25 should be very nice providing the stone is OK. I can look at a couple of those stones for you

 

[emeis]

Thanks marc.Indeed the AT25 has elegant sound.681EEE does not sound nice anymore,correctly you noticed,.

 

[cgutz]

I'm not an expert, but the magnification level on those images is far too low to see wear spots. At best, you can only see major damage and check if they are clean. You need higher magnification and proper light reflection to spot wear marks indicative of a worn stylus.

Something like this: http://www.micrographia.com/projec/projapps/viny/viny0300.htm

Or this: http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/sparkys-fabulous-diy-stylus-microscope.225960/page-3

 

[emeis]

Thanks for the links and suggestions cgutz!

 

[malden]

1.Stanton 681 EEE
2.Stanton 5100? Black body with red dot
3.Stanton?...black body with yellow dot
4.Stanton 5100? Black body with red dot also.
5.Pickering DE
6.Stanton D5100EL
7.Audio Technica AT25
8.Empire 66 PE/X
What do you think? which one is best to use? Are they in good state?
All opinions are most welcome!
Thank you!

The only way to know for sure if a stylus is worn is to look at it under 200x magnification with proper illumination.

Which is the best to use? I don't know the specifics of any of the styli you listed, but just about any oem stylus can sound good if installed in a tone-arm of an appropriate mass and is properly set-up.

 

[ear4audio]

Let your ears be your guide. Whichever sounds the best to you. If the stylus is worn or damaged, you should be able to hear the distortion or a lack of clarity. Of course, if all are damaged in some way, you won't have a benchmark for comparison.

 

[marcmorin]

Let your ears be your guide. Whichever sounds the best to you. If the stylus is worn or damaged, you should be able to hear the distortion or a lack of clarity. Of course, if all are damaged in some way, you won't have a benchmark for comparison.

not to mention the possibility of a damaged album. Stones should be looked at before they hit vinyl

 

[FinalVinyl]

I've had great luck with AT carts. they tend to be brighter than others and its perfect for me because because I'm older and have hearing loss above 15Khz