How to identify a worn stylus?

[metalbob]

I recently have had reason to believe my needle on my Denon TT may be worn out. I played a used LP the other day that looked in good shape and it seem to have a strange amount of distortion on some of the inner grooves. I thought it might have been dirty, so I cleaned and it seemed to go away a little bit. Then, I unfortunately played a brand spankin' new copy of Iggy and The Stooges Raw Power 180g reissue and that is probably not the best mix to test it on. Then, I tried another LP and it sounded a tad bit distorted in my headphones. Does this sound like a sure case of a worn needle?

I am afraid to keep testing records with this needle. I have backup (the same Denon DL103-D ) just in case, but I have never had to "find out" when you change one before. I hope I haven't ruined any of my LPs with this.

I read people discussing other cartridges on here. Any others I should possibly check out that are not too expensive? Also, has anyone ever used that print-out of the free protractor on Enjoy The Music???

Thanks,

BOB

[Todd Fredericks]

Bob, how many hours do you think you have on the cart? Also, maybe the alignment is off which is causing the inner-groove distortion. Try setting up the cart again as if it's a new one. A dying cart usually will have distortion on the entire record. I suspect it fell out of alignment somehow. Also, check the VTF. Check again to make sure the TT is level. Sometimes when the seasons change, alignment can change.

Todd

[metalbob]

Originally posted by Todd Fredericks
Bob, how many hours do you think you have on the cart? Also, maybe the alignment is off which is causing the inner-groove distortion. Try setting up the cart again as if it's a new one. A dying cart usually will have distortion on the entire record. I suspect it fell out of alignment somehow. Also, check the VTF. Check again to make sure the TT is level. Sometimes when the seasons change, alignment can change.

Todd

I do have some humidity problems in my apartement, so that may have caused it. A friend of mine (the previous owner) had set it up and it is pretty meticulous, so I figured it was good until I replaced the needle. My fear is that I will continue testing this and ruin records with it.

Do you think the free protractor at Enjoy the Music will be sufficient? It is essentially a paper layout.

[Todd Fredericks]

It should work. I don't remember is you should lay it on a record (for thickness) or just on the platter. Also, make sure you pierce the hole for the spindle correctly, if it's slightly off then the protracter will be useless. If the cart is out of alignment (or the needle is in deed damaged) then there is a big danger of damaging the grooves. I suggest going to a hardware store and getting a small magnifying glass with a light. That will help with the alignment. Also, do you have a stylus gauge to measure the VTF? If not, you can order the Shure gauge from many of our great online sources. I know this all sounds like a drag but maybe a good thing out of all this is you'll pick up the skill of doing a proper alignment (which should be considered essential for all vinyl lovers/users). Let us know if you need advice as you go along with this....

[metalbob]

Originally posted by Todd Fredericks
It should work. I don't remember is you should lay it on a record (for thickness) or just on the platter. Also, make sure you pierce the hole for the spindle correctly, if it's slightly off then the protracter will be useless. If the cart is out of alignment (or the needle is in deed damaged) then there is a big danger of damaging the grooves. I suggest going to a hardware store and getting a small magnifying glass with a light. That will help with the alignment. Also, do you have a stylus gauge to measure the VTF? If not, you can order the Shure gauge from many of our great online sources. I know this all sounds like a drag but maybe a good thing out of all this is you'll pick up the skill of doing a proper alignment (which should be considered essential for all vinyl lovers/users). Let us know if you need advice as you go along with this....

Educate me: What is a VTF?

[Todd Fredericks]

Vertical tracking force. The weight adj. at the end of the tonearm. Look in the instructions for your cart and see what the recommend settings are. It's most likely close to 2gms.

[Damián]

Originally posted by metalbob

Do you think the free protractor at Enjoy the Music will be sufficient? It is essentially a paper layout.
http://www.linn.co.uk/docs/disassemble_remount_instructions.pdf

You might want to try the link above (it's a PDF, right click and do the 'Save Target As' thing). It's a manual of some sort from Linn, but on the last page is a protractor which I found a lot easier to use than the one on Enjoy the Music.

I used it when I installed my current cartridge and it was a snap. Make sure Acrobat prints it out the right size (there's a line for you to measure on it or some such thing).

[Tony Plachy]

Metalbob, Quit screwing around, you work in NYC. Call some of the major audio stores that sell TT's and cartridges and see if they have a set up (microscope) for stylus inspection. Take it in and have it inspected.