Retipping Miyajima mono cartridge

"Dnath, not to sound snitty but have you considered at the time those "vintage mono LPs" were produced that only conical styli were common?"

Understandable, which is why I try to only buy very close to NM, seldom played. Groove wear and damage is all too common on those early Savoy, Blue Note and Prestige albums.

Kentaja, how many hours do you think the conical is good for? This is another thing I've read- conicals have significantly less life span than the others. All the records are wet cleaned with an RCM using AIVS fluid.

Viridian, I didn't mean to come off as inflammatory. I've done lots of searching and there isn't much information on high end conicals in the higher end cartridges; in fact the Miyajima mono stylus profile is almost never discussed. Most information is relayed about vintage or cheaper conical carts.

"Bob is the implication here that those who use conical styli in their mono cartridges presumably don't want to make their cartridges sound as good as possible, such as Miyajima?"

Hi Veridian, No. Not at all. I just wanted to offer the OP a particular point of view (not necessarily my own). I didn't mean to imply that any approach was inherently superior to any other. Since the OP asked about line-contacts, I just thought the viewpoint of a respected manufacturer might be helpful as a consideration in the decision-making process. I agree that there are no right or wrong approaches.
-Bob

Bob, thanks for the clarification. Much appreciated.

Dnath, Art Dudley, in Stereophile did a photographic comparison of the EMT and Ortofon conicals in concert with a column on the two cartridges.

I don't think that you seemed inflammatory at all. There is always room here for differing perspectives and aesthetics.

Very often, cartridge makers buy styli already mounted on cantilevers. Soundsmith shortens the existing cantilever and grafts their cantilever on. It may be possible to try the Soundsmith and still send the cartridge back to Miyajima if you are not pleased with the sound, however it would probably be best to have them confirm that before taking the plunge.

Although no one has responded to this thread, there are tons of folks that have had Soundsmith retip the conicals of their Denon 103s and I have never heard anything but praise.

One last thing to think about, Soundsmith uses the European styli, Geiger, Van Den Hul, etc. Andy Chong at Cartridge Clinic in Seattle retips with the Japanese line contact styli, Ogura, etc. So if you have developed a preference for one type of line contact over the other that may sway you as well. I certainly have a favorite.

Probably of no concern to the OP but a line contact stylus can damage records pressed on styrene. Many mono LPs and 45s from the 50s and 60s are styrene.
I would rather have an "all rounder" conical, personally.

I can't see why a conical profile would have any difference in life span versus other profiles. But they are any number of variables involved. Poor set-up, improper cleaning and care, dirty records, cheap stylus, etc. Any of these things will greatly reduce stylus life from the ideal.

My experience with stylus life, no matter the profile, is they last far longer than is commonly reported. Things do wear and change but the most important factor is has the stylus worn enough to cause permanent damage to the record?

Some people will tell you a stylus is shot at 1,000 hours or less. I routinely run my cartridges well beyond 1,000 hours with no damage to my vinyl. I keep my records and stylus clean but I am not fanatical on this point.

The best person to ask is the importer for Miyajima. A great guy, a wealth of knowledge concerning all things analog and he will give you the straight story. He is far more interested in a satisfied customer than selling a cartridge, or re-tipping, before it is required.