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So much for my "Audiophile" pretensions

LazySounds

LazySounds

Active Member
Over the last 6 months I have felt like I was becoming a bit of an audiophile.
Number one reason for this new found audiophilia, was that I have pretty much stopped using big fat arsed DJ needles for listening, I have been using an Ort 20 stylus instead.

About ten minutes ago I went to change the stylus on my Ortofon Concorde cartridge from the OM20 stylus (that I have been using to listen to all my LP's), to the Pro S stylus so that I could listen to some old Elvis 45's.

Turns out that about a week ago, when I last used the Pro S stylus, I never changed it back.

I've been listening to the Pro S 26µm Spherical stylus for the last week.
I have been happily listening to this ball point pen like stylus for the last week, confident that it was an Ort 20 stylus.

So I have just reclassified myself as an "Audio Peasant" existing in a world of mid fi mediocrity.
 
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My girlfriend uses a "DJ" Shure cart on her SL-1200s because she used to DJ and never changed them out. I think they sound really good, actually. And I fully admit to being an 'audiophile'. My Benz Glider is a pain in the ass to get to track properly.
 
The 20 is better from a clarity and detail point of view, now that I've got it back on.

However I must admit, I kind of like being able to just chuck something like the Concorde Pro S on, and set it at some kind of weight over 2g, and just have the bloody thing work. Fat full sound, surface noise well suppressed, well behaved on the inner grooves, and NO sibilance. But they certainly aren't the last word in detail retrieval.
 
LazySounds said:
The 20 is better from a clarity and detail point of view, now that I've got it back on.

However I must admit, I kind of like being able to just chuck something like the Concorde Pro S on, and set it at some kind of weight over 2g, and just have the bloody thing work. Fat full sound, surface noise well suppressed, well behaved on the inner grooves, and NO sibilance. But they certainly aren't the last word in detail retrieval.
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That is how I would describe the Shure DJ carts. What's the ultimate point of detail, anyway, if you're just after the song? (don't nobody quote me on that later when I'm arguing about cables or something :)).
 
Well, so far I figured "Audiophile" grade styluses demand immensely clean records and zero disruption (vibration) for a better tracking and for a better sound. The fat DJ ones will barely improve the sound even if you give them clean records and zero vibration environment. And that's just the simplest simplest thing one can say about tables and vinyl.

You got all the knowledge and experts (me not one of them) you need here at AK. It's a learning curve so enjoy the ride. :)
 
G'day all, ah 'audiophile'. I don't know what that word really means, even now. I guess that I like my vinyl playback to be high quality.

Why then would I spend several hours today chasing down a low level hum from my audio gear (done successfully). My DIY gear is designed to be as high quality as possible, yet my phono cartridge of choice continues to be the humble Shure M97xE with its 'standard' Shure elliptical stylus.

However all the tweaking (cartridge overhang/ alignment, electrical loading/ DIY etc), has all made it worthwhile, to me anyway. Call me a 'hands on' commonsense audiophile who tries to get the best out of simple and basic gear. Yep, that's me! :yes: Regards, Felix aka catman.
 
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catman said:
G'day all, ah 'audiophile'. I don't know what that word really means, even now. I guess that I like my vinyl playback to be high quality.

Why then would I spend several hours today chasing down a low level hum from my audio gear (done successfully). My DIY gear is designed to be as high quality as possible, yet my phono cartridge of choice continues to be the humble Shure M97xE with its 'standard' Shure elliptical stylus.

However all the tweaking (cartridge overhang/ alignment, electrical loading/ DIY etc), has all made it worthwhile, to me anyway. Call me a 'hands on' commonsense audiophile who tries to get the best out of simple and basic gear. Yep, that's me! :yes: Regards, Felix aka catman.
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I have the Shure M97XE with its standard stylus as well, mounted on my newly acquired Micro-Seiki DD-20. It is by far one of my favorite cartridges...
 
What prompted me to post was that I was amused by my own slight smugness about having a stylus that is a bit "Audiophile", it became amusing to me when I realised I hadn't even been listening to it for a week. I'd been quite happy listening to a spherical DJ cartridge, but feeling a bit smug because I believed I was listening to the Ort 20 stylus.

What's even funnier, I have mate who listens to nothing else, other than his Concorde Pro S, absolutely swears by it as a DJ cart, and for home use.
Secretly in my head, I have been having a chuckle at his choice of cartridge and stylus.

I guess I'm just having a little laugh at myself.:D
 
Interesting. The last few days I have been using a Shure M75 with a generic replacement stylus, it sounds really good, to my ears anyway, yet I really can't remember what type of stylus it is...would be funny if it turned out to be a conical.
 
well, we have all at one time or another accidentally left the mode switch on mono or had the speakers out of phase, or even one channel out and not noticed for a while. but not me.

;^)
 
hifitommy said:
well, we have all at one time or another accidentally left the mode switch on mono or had the speakers out of phase, or even one channel out and not noticed for a while. but not me.

;^)
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These I definitely notice, as well as when absolute polarity in both channels is reversed from that of the source material.
 
LazySounds said:
I'd been quite happy listening to a spherical DJ cartridge, but feeling a bit smug because I believed I was listening to the Ort 20 stylus. . . I guess I'm just having a little laugh at myself.
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There's nothing wrong with a spherical/conical stylus; over the past several years, I find I prefer them. It's interesting that Shure continued making a conical version of their top V15 series cartridges at least up to the Type IV (designated V15 IV-G). And here's a quote about stylus shape that I tend to agree with:

"All the early types were conical which present the same width from any angle. However, as the cutting stylus is chisel shaped (it is wider head on), the lateral cut will be slightly less wide when it cuts a high modulation groove. For this reason, it was thought that an elliptical shape would improve tracking by maintaining better overall contact with the groove. In practice the benefits are very small and offset by increased record wear and a tendency to collect dust from the record surface."
http://www.wavecor.co.uk/oldtopics.htm#Topic 4
 
LazySounds said:
...I was amused by my own slight smugness about having a stylus that is a bit "Audiophile", it became amusing to me when I realised I hadn't even been listening to it for a week.

I guess I'm just having a little laugh at myself.:D
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We can take things to serious and need to pause and assess our position in whatever 'it' might be.

It is always good to be able to laugh at ourselves:yes:...I applaud and thank you for posting about your experience...not that I have done or ever will do anything like that:D. Preston
 
LazySounds said:
So I have just reclassified myself as an "Audio Peasant" existing in a world of mid fi mediocrity.
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Don't be so sure. What may have happened is you just had an "emperor has no clothes" moment.

Over the years I've had quite a few. ;)
 
JohnVF said:
My girlfriend uses a "DJ" Shure cart on her SL-1200s because she used to DJ and never changed them out. I think they sound really good, actually. And I fully admit to being an 'audiophile'. My Benz Glider is a pain in the ass to get to track properly.
Click to expand...
I bought a couple of cartridges with conical styluses for playing a lot of my old stuff and the mono stuff. I can go from my ADC ZLM to my Audio technica AT15-SA, AT20SLA and back to these conicals and get different results, depending on the record. And each of them wears records differently.

There was a very interesting thread here with lots of links to articles regarding record wear, needle shape, and sound quality.
 
JohnVF said:
That is how I would describe the Shure DJ carts. What's the ultimate point of detail, anyway, if you're just after the song? (don't nobody quote me on that later when I'm arguing about cables or something :)).
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That is a great post, including the last bit. ;)
 
Sound quality, durability AND convenience. That's what it's all about (but not necessarily in that order)!
wurlitzercart.jpg
 
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