Stylus wear, a must read....

[cafe latte]

http://www.pspatialaudio.com/stylus...EiJGEfODHg7F_oG8XP7Tc6R1qDi7ddu3l4Q&fs=e&s=cl
This blows apart a lot of crazy long stylus life claims and the Shibata bit is very interesting..
Chris

 

[P.G.Mayfair]

TY for this link! I would just like to add how important regular thorough cleaning is in the service of slowing the rate of wear. I recently put my ATN71 stylus under a basic microscope. There was so much hard-packed gunk on there I thought the stylus had become severely deformed and needed throwing out, but after repeated cleanings with both moongel and Q-tips the actual tip finally appeared, still with a pretty decent hemisphere profile. I would stress that debris & fibres etc can be extremely tenacious so if you have not cleaned the stylus for a while (guilty here) you need to put it under the microscope, check, and if necessary go back and reclean. Also dipping in moongel / magic eraser and brushing back to front is NOT always sufficient, I had to brush in all directions including front to back in order to finally get this thing clean. I now have clean undistorted high frequencies again!

 

[raycarr00]

had a micro hair and gunk on the stylus tip...used a loop to see it. a little alcohol and electric razor brush got it off after many tries brushing gently from back towards tip. seems like the only way to prevent/ reduce build up is cleaning records every time before play. dust just gets into every nook and crevice, regardless.
thanks for the methodical analysis article. 2 grams.

 

[doctor fuse]

Any thoughts on the effect of wet play on stylus and groove wear?

 

[Redd House]

Great article, Chris. It cannot be be stressed highly enough that a clean record and stylus tip are are not only necessities but ESSENTIALS in vinyl playback. I dip my stylus in Rodico watch cleaning putty before every side and won't play a record unless it has been wet-cleaned and vacuumed twice, first pass with record cleaning solution allowed to sit in the grooves for a minute or two before vacuuming, and a second pass with distilled water and vacuuming only.

 

[raycarr00]

"...effect of wet play on stylus and groove wear..." some people swear by the enhanced sound using a variety of liquids. supposedly, there are tt's out there that allow for "wet play." doubt there would be any wear from wet play to record or tip, though. might have read that radio studios once employed wet play. I wouldn't do it though...sounds like a grounding issue. might affect coils and lead to burn out.

 

[lini]

Any thoughts on the effect of wet play on stylus and groove wear?

Well, the reduced friction should also be good for reduced wear, one should think. Might not be a 1:1 ratio, though.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

 

[jameslauffer]

http://www.pspatialaudio.com/stylus...EiJGEfODHg7F_oG8XP7Tc6R1qDi7ddu3l4Q&fs=e&s=cl
This blows apart a lot of crazy long stylus life claims and the Shibata bit is very interesting..
Chris

Thanks for posting the link.
Jim

 

[Taketheflame]

I think this article should be stickied!

I found the drawings of the wear flats for conical vs elliptical rather interesting - it shows what a difference in groove wall contact there is between the two types.

I also found it interesting that the chart shows 500 hours @ 2g as the maximum recommended lifespan of an elliptical, though I've read about them being finished as soon as 300 hours at the same VTF. Is 500 hours considered a best-case scenario? (as in NM records only and meticulous stylus care?).

 

[dcmfan]

Useful link. Bookmarked it.

 

[cafe latte]

My friend Mark from Nivarna Sounds sent it to me, it is the best compilation of stylus wear put together I have ever read. I found the Shibata bit really interesting.
Also intersting I was recently told Namiki stylus are grain oriented and their life is normal so it puts to bed that such stylus have a much longer life.
There are I know lots of factors on stylus wear like dirty vinyl and of course tracking force and stylus cut, but it is nice to see lots of data on the topic together.
Chris

 

[PastorTube]

As I read the article and saw the pictures of the edge of the flat scraping the record groove I could not help but see this in light of wood turning on a lathe. How the scraping or cutting tools cut the wood. It’s a frightening vision indeed.

 

[raycarr00]

second thoughts on buying used records...considering how I tend to loop music. wonder how the "new grooving/carving" affects the actual sound- alteration. opinions from actual record listeners that know what a "worn" record sounds like? discwasher fluid?

 

[Taketheflame]

second thoughts on buying used records...considering how I tend to loop music. wonder how the "new grooving/carving" affects the actual sound- alteration. opinions from actual record listeners that know what a "worn" record sounds like?

In my experience, record wear is a case by case example. The most common example of wear is worn inner grooves, usually from a previous owner playing a record too many times with a worn out stylus, and/or a badly misaligned setup. It's usually more noticeable during louder sections of music than quiet sections.

Used records are always a gamble, but more often than not VG+/NM (visually) records will play just fine after a good cleaning. If you do come across groove wear however, you can sometimes get much improved playback with an advanced stylus profile, assuming the wear is from a basic stylus type (conical or elliptical). If not, and the record is something cheap, it's often just recommended to find another copy.