Any experience with LP Gear's P-mount NSS Nude Schwarz styli?

faustus

faustus

New Member
I have a Technics SL-QD35, with a P23 cart and an AT-92e cart, and I'm exploring nude conical and nude elliptical styli options for both carts.

The LP Gear website lists several NSS options for my carts:
  • EPS24NE, NSS/c LP Gear EPS-24 Upgrade stylus for Panasonic P24 cartridge.
  • ATN3472SEN, NSS/E LP GearV3.0 stylus for Audio-Technica ATN3472SE stylus.
  • ATN3472NSSC, NSS/c LP Gear upgrade replacement for Audio-Technica ATN3472C ATN81 stylus.
Do any members have experience with any of these NSS styli?

My vinyl collection is a mix of poor to good albums, all picked up second hand, nothing special. They have been cleaned a couple of times (Spin-n-Clean) but lots of surface abuse remains, far from pristine. I have a fairly discerning ear with a preference for tight bass and clean highs.

I welcome your impressions about the NSS performance and your advice about which ones might be a good fit for my situation. Cheers!
 
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I'm surprised they're calling them "nude schwarz" styli, these seem to just be the black diamond styli with the questionable suspensions. I think Gary at TVoM says they need > 2g of VTF.

Any chance you can splurge on a ATN3472ML? The MicroLine really does improve fidelity while lowering noise, lasts longer, and treats records better.

Full disclosure: I haven't tried this exact MicroLine stylus, but I have tried others and liked them quite a bit.
 
Thanks, cgallery, for the NSS inside scoop; very much appreciated. I did look at the ML with strong interest. I might just splurge so I can check the ML's performance on semi-abused albums -- improved fidelity and lower noise would be most welcome for those.
 
You may get an improvement with the micro-line stylus. It will ride lower in the groove and may get to undamaged areas. Your records do need to be clean and cleaner with this cut however.
 
Thanks, revox-b77, for the advice about cleaning. My albums came from various sources and many were extra dirty and visibly thrashed. I've run them through a Spin-n-Clean several times, but not sure if that device will dislodge all of the ground-in dirt -- many still sound like they are carrying extra baggage in the grooves, whether played with conical or elliptical. It will be interesting to compare the ML stylus versus the others in that hostile environment.

Great picture, cgallery, thanks for posting it. Clearly demonstrates what I've heard about the various tip profiles -- but, wow, the spherical literally digs a trench on each side of the groove - ouch! Good to know that the ML cleans as it plays (it will be working overtime, lol).
 
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faustus said:
Great picture, cgallery, thanks for posting it. Clearly demonstrates what I've heard about the various tip profiles -- but, wow, the spherical literally digs a trench on each side of the groove - ouch! Good to know that the ML cleans as it plays (it will be working overtime, lol).
Click to expand...

That spherical was likely tracking at around 5g.
 
cafe latte said:
a fine 0.2x0.7 elliptical tracking at 1.5g marks the groove in one play which is kind of shocking.
Chris
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what the parameters (tip size or tracking force) may have been, but the photo about seems to indicate the elliptical is only perhaps a little worse than the Shibata.

It seems the Shibata wear height is maybe 50% greater only than the elliptical.

Obviously that one photo is hardly conclusive.

And it would be nice to see how the ML compares.
 
Slept on it and decided the ML stylus (ATN3472ML) will be my choice for the AT92e cart. Planning to pull the trigger today but first want to settle on a stylus for my other P-mount cart, the P23.

There are a number of P23 stylus options online but not finding many nude tips. There are nude conicals and nude ellipticals on the Jico site, but pricey, IMHO, for non-exotic tip profiles. There are also super-premium nude options there, SAS tips with boron or sapphire cants, but the cost is outside my comfort zone. Could go for an upmarket bonded tip, something like the Vivid Line from LP Gear, but I read a number of threads where members were not enjoying that stylus on the P23, so leaning away from that one too. An .0003 X .0007 bonded elliptical might be the choice... Any recommendations for an elliptical or for other options?
 
cgallery said:
I'm surprised they're calling them "nude schwarz" styli, these seem to just be the black diamond styli with the questionable suspensions.
Click to expand...
LPG are late to the nudie game and have to reach extremes to differentiate their brand from the others. I mean, what the heck is an "unencumbered polycrystallin diamond tip"? Bondeds are encumbered? Never heard that one before...:crazy:


Nude schwarz.... I bet Mel Brooks would have something to say about the name, like, "may the schwarz be with you"...:rflmao:
 
I should have chosen my words more carefully, lol, didn't intend to state any scientific conclusions. Allow me to rephrase: "It appears to support what I've heard..."
 
I have records in my collection that I've owned since a teenager in the 70's. They were all played with a conical stylus, Shure M3D, mounted in a record changer and tracking at probably more than 4 grams, dozens of times. I still play them regularly and hear absolutely no distortion.
 
Those micrographs depict damage to the high frequency carrier, I think they can be deceiving when it comes to audible frequencies.

I think damage is occurring at 4.5g, I just don't know how audible it might be.

And those records were played as many as 100 times, not dozens.
 
Figure 6, image "b" was after 25 plays. The damage shown would be audible.

There's a lot more to this than whoever did the tests is revealing.
 
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