sgraham
03-08-2003, 09:05 PM
Time was when most record collectors realized that their stylus would eventually wear out, but I have the feeling that nowadays not everyone knows this.
In fact not long ago a magazine published a misguided thought experiment (the editor really should have known better!) to show that diamond styli did not wear out. This is just wrong.
I have seen the evidence with my own eyes.
Back in the days when I worked in the repair dept. of one of the first "high end" shops, I had the opportunity to examine numerous stylus assemblies through a special stereomicroscope made by Shure for the purpose. It takes a little while to figure out what you are looking at, but once you get familiar with it it's easy to see the flat spots on worn diamonds. Typically an eliptical stylus would show significant wear after somewhere between six months and two years of use.
The "micro-ridge" type of stylus had not come out yet, but of the types available at the time, I never encountered a stylus that did not wear out. It's true that all of the "fine-line" stylus shapes (from Shibata on) are likely to wear longer, perhaps dramatically so, but I'd still want to have them checked annually.
The question is raised, how can a hard diamond become worn by playing soft vinyl. I don't think the exact mechanism is known, but here is a theory that has been suggested: The points of contact between the stylus and the record groove are very small, so even with tracking forces of only a gram or so the actual pressure at the point of contact is very high. It is suggested that the heat generated by friction, particularly on highly modulated, wide-band records, with the stylus being thrown around violently at up to 20,000 vibrations per second, or even more, is sufficient to carbonize the stylus at the point of contact. Whether that's true or not, it's indisputable: stylus wear happens.
Often the stylus suspension mechanism will also wear (i.e. dry out), resulting is poorer tracking performance and sometimes higher distortion.
Playing your precious records with a worn stylus is a bad idea. The edges of the flat spots developed on the diamond will act like little chisels, etching distortion into the grooves permanently.
Listening isn't a good way to check to see if the stylus is worn, because, as the old saw goes, by the time you can hear it the damage (to your records) has already been done. So I suggest that those who are still into vinyl find a dealer with a good stereomicroscope and experienced staff and take their stylus in for an annual checkup.
And be careful, if you're thinking about buying a second hand cartridge.
In fact not long ago a magazine published a misguided thought experiment (the editor really should have known better!) to show that diamond styli did not wear out. This is just wrong.
I have seen the evidence with my own eyes.
Back in the days when I worked in the repair dept. of one of the first "high end" shops, I had the opportunity to examine numerous stylus assemblies through a special stereomicroscope made by Shure for the purpose. It takes a little while to figure out what you are looking at, but once you get familiar with it it's easy to see the flat spots on worn diamonds. Typically an eliptical stylus would show significant wear after somewhere between six months and two years of use.
The "micro-ridge" type of stylus had not come out yet, but of the types available at the time, I never encountered a stylus that did not wear out. It's true that all of the "fine-line" stylus shapes (from Shibata on) are likely to wear longer, perhaps dramatically so, but I'd still want to have them checked annually.
The question is raised, how can a hard diamond become worn by playing soft vinyl. I don't think the exact mechanism is known, but here is a theory that has been suggested: The points of contact between the stylus and the record groove are very small, so even with tracking forces of only a gram or so the actual pressure at the point of contact is very high. It is suggested that the heat generated by friction, particularly on highly modulated, wide-band records, with the stylus being thrown around violently at up to 20,000 vibrations per second, or even more, is sufficient to carbonize the stylus at the point of contact. Whether that's true or not, it's indisputable: stylus wear happens.
Often the stylus suspension mechanism will also wear (i.e. dry out), resulting is poorer tracking performance and sometimes higher distortion.
Playing your precious records with a worn stylus is a bad idea. The edges of the flat spots developed on the diamond will act like little chisels, etching distortion into the grooves permanently.
Listening isn't a good way to check to see if the stylus is worn, because, as the old saw goes, by the time you can hear it the damage (to your records) has already been done. So I suggest that those who are still into vinyl find a dealer with a good stereomicroscope and experienced staff and take their stylus in for an annual checkup.
And be careful, if you're thinking about buying a second hand cartridge.