1. Home
  2. analog
  3. 130968-5961

How do tell when my stylus is too much worn?

I have had my MC cartridge for about 5 years. I haven't kept a proper log but I would guess about 7-800 hrs. How can I tell BY LISTENING that it is worn enough to replace or retip? Does it get edgy or shrill or....?
I suspect that the change would be so gradual that it might be hard to tell, as the ear slowly accomodates.
Of course I should remove the cartridge and view under a microscope but un mounting and remounting is a perilous business that I would like to avoid.


rrm
don_c55
823 posts
 
Raul

The MM cartridges that I referred to from the 70's were Shure M97 and were elliptical not conical!

It is more about the size of the diamond tip than shape.
rauliruegas
9,123 posts
 
Dear @don_c55 : Yes,but M97 came with different stylus shape and inside the shape different dimension. They came: conical, two different ellipthical and hiperellipthical too.

Anyway, microridge or replicant or VDH2 goes deeper in the grooves and this helps in the quelity of listen levels. Of course that with today stylus shape the cartridge parameters for the set up has no " margin " to error if we want top quality performance levels.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.
2channel8
634 posts
 
I just got the CBS STR-100 test record which has some tests purported to reveal wear and excessive VTF. I haven't pulled out a worn stylus to see if it works yet, though.
More to discover