Phono Cartridges - Your favorites and least favorites?

duke86fan said:
Thanks for killing by vibe


So I have to spend 200 bucks every few hundred records
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Respectfully, it's not about killing vibe, it's simply fact. And what we spend is our choice. An AT Vm95C stylus is $25, sounds perfectly good, is kind to records and will last 200 - 300 hours, the same as any other non-line contact tip.

Yes there is a "per hour" running cost but look on the bright side, even with expensive styli they're still cheaper than a boat. That's been my excuse for years...
Pat
 
psemeraro said:
Respectfully, it's not about killing vibe, it's simply fact. And what we spend is our choice. An AT Vm95C stylus is $25, sounds perfectly good, is kind to records and will last 200 - 300 hours, the same as any other non-line contact tip.

Yes there is a "per hour" running cost but look on the bright side, even with expensive styli they're still cheaper than a boat. That's been my excuse for years...
Pat
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I still say let your ears be the barometer and go from there, that being said, with proper care, both of the stylus and the records your stylus lifespan will improve. In my opinion, the 300 hour lifespan has its fair share of fantasy attached to it.........my Denon is at 250-ish and shows no signs of slowing down.
 
AnthonyI said:
I still say let your ears be the barometer and go from there, that being said, with proper care, both of the stylus and the records your stylus lifespan will improve. In my opinion, the 300 hour lifespan has its fair share of fantasy attached to it.........my Denon is at 250-ish and shows no signs of slowing down.
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Your Denon doesn’t have the standard conical stylus though. It’s highly polished, and it will last longer than your standard conical. Also I believe that keeping your records clean extends stylus life as well. Abrasives in the form of dust and dirt surely reduce stylus life.

I’m adding info here from both A/T and Ortofon. I believe both are wrong. A/T is, I believe, erring on the side of caution. Ortofon isn’t taking the diamond profile into account. The trick is to replace the stylus before you hear any degradation. That degradation is often mistracking which can cause irreversible damage to the record.

From A/T:


Replacing the Stylus​

Stylus life expectancy varies according to stylus profile type and the frequency of record and stylus care. Following is the approximate life expectancy by stylus profile type.

Conical – 300 to 500 hours

Elliptical – 300 hours

Micro linear – 1000 hours

Shibata and Special Line Contact – 800 hours

If you have additional questions about VM Series cartridge installation, please feel free to contact the Audio Solutions Department for further assistance.

From Ortofon:


With proper care we find that up to 1000 hours is possible without degradation of performance.

Proper care comprises the following:

  • Cleaning of record by means of fibre brush before and after every use. Cleaning of record by using record cleaning machine once in a while.
  • Cleaning of stylus by means of a fine antistatic brush. Please remember to remove dust from the diamond tip before and after playback of each record. Use the brush in the forward direction from the rear of the cartridge towards the stylus tip and never from stylus tip to the rear of the cartridge and never from side to side.
  • Proper adjustment of antiskating, azimuth and tracking force.
Concerning DJ systems used for "scratching" and "back cuing", we have experienced stylus lifetime to be substantially less because of their unique application. As a consequence DJ`s will have to consider about 500 hours at the most.
 
HiFi Guy said:
From A/T:

Elliptical – 300 hours

Micro linear – 1000 hours
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Even if these estimates are conservative, it looks like one AT-VM95ML cartridge ($169) will last as long as one $69 95E cartridge plus two $49 stylus replacements (total $167), or one $119 95EN cartridge plus two $99 stylus replacements (total $317), making the 95ML a freaking bargain.
 
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AnthonyI said:
I still say let your ears be the barometer and go from there, that being said, with proper care, both of the stylus and the records your stylus lifespan will improve. In my opinion, the 300 hour lifespan has its fair share of fantasy attached to it.........my Denon is at 250-ish and shows no signs of slowing down.
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Ray Parkerhurst on another forum has done extensive stacked-image photography of stylus tips including accurate um measurements of the facets and degree of alignment accuracy. He'll image yours for free if you send it to him.

For me, it's particularly interesting to see new tips and their facet measurements. What we might think of as a .3 x .7 elliptical or a .2 x 3 line contact are often something quite different in reality. And if you think most styli are aligned with perfect accuracy on the cantilever, stacked-image photography will be quite an eye-opener. 2 degrees to 3 degrees of diamond misalignment is not uncommon. Line contact tips with one line half the length of the other, left/right sides not quite 180 degrees apart, and so, so much more. Some manufacturers are extremely precise and consistent. Many of the "NOS" or "barely used" styli he buys are badly worn and he documents that well. It's interesting to see how different tips wear over time.

Let's say you painstakingly align your cartridge properly, aligning to the cantilever under magnification and using a fancy protractor. If the diamond is 2.5 degrees off, how accurate in reality is your alignment? Being practical, if your alignment is a few degrees off because the tip is mounted a few degrees off, and anti-skating is what it is... how does that affect tip wear over time? If one side of the diamond bears more pressure than the other? Is a tip that is nearly new on one side but with an obvious flat spot on the other still "good" or is it worn out?

Ray's posts will change how you see all of this. It's right there, for free... for everyone to see. No speculating, just clear photo evidence. Send him your stylus if you really want to know what yours looks like.
 
psemeraro said:
Ray Parkerhurst on another forum has done extensive stacked-image photography of stylus tips including accurate um measurements of the facets and degree of alignment accuracy. He'll image yours for free if you send it to him.

For me, it's particularly interesting to see new tips and their facet measurements. What we might think of as a .3 x .7 elliptical or a .2 x 3 line contact are often something quite different in reality. And if you think most styli are aligned with perfect accuracy on the cantilever, stacked-image photography will be quite an eye-opener. 2 degrees to 3 degrees of diamond misalignment is not uncommon. Line contact tips with one line half the length of the other, left/right sides not quite 180 degrees apart, and so, so much more. Some manufacturers are extremely precise and consistent. Many of the "NOS" or "barely used" styli he buys are badly worn and he documents that well. It's interesting to see how different tips wear over time.

Let's say you painstakingly align your cartridge properly, aligning to the cantilever under magnification and using a fancy protractor. If the diamond is 2.5 degrees off, how accurate in reality is your alignment? Being practical, if your alignment is a few degrees off because the tip is mounted a few degrees off, and anti-skating is what it is... how does that affect tip wear over time? If one side of the diamond bears more pressure than the other? Is a tip that is nearly new on one side but with an obvious flat spot on the other still "good" or is it worn out?

Ray's posts will change how you see all of this. It's right there, for free... for everyone to see. No speculating, just clear photo evidence. Send him your stylus if you really want to know what yours looks like.
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Got a link?
 
AnthonyI said:
I still feel I’m not expressing how impressed I am with this “budget” cartridge, it is an amazing value for its price point and easily one of the best among other cartridges not only in its price pool, but even some higher ones.

Highly, highly recommended bang for your buck. Big sound with a small price.
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You've been published!
 
psemeraro said:
Ray Parkerhurst on another forum has done extensive stacked-image photography of stylus tips including accurate um measurements of the facets and degree of alignment accuracy. He'll image yours for free if you send it to him.

For me, it's particularly interesting to see new tips and their facet measurements. What we might think of as a .3 x .7 elliptical or a .2 x 3 line contact are often something quite different in reality. And if you think most styli are aligned with perfect accuracy on the cantilever, stacked-image photography will be quite an eye-opener. 2 degrees to 3 degrees of diamond misalignment is not uncommon. Line contact tips with one line half the length of the other, left/right sides not quite 180 degrees apart, and so, so much more. Some manufacturers are extremely precise and consistent. Many of the "NOS" or "barely used" styli he buys are badly worn and he documents that well. It's interesting to see how different tips wear over time.

Let's say you painstakingly align your cartridge properly, aligning to the cantilever under magnification and using a fancy protractor. If the diamond is 2.5 degrees off, how accurate in reality is your alignment? Being practical, if your alignment is a few degrees off because the tip is mounted a few degrees off, and anti-skating is what it is... how does that affect tip wear over time? If one side of the diamond bears more pressure than the other? Is a tip that is nearly new on one side but with an obvious flat spot on the other still "good" or is it worn out?

Ray's posts will change how you see all of this. It's right there, for free... for everyone to see. No speculating, just clear photo evidence. Send him your stylus if you really want to know what yours looks like.
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I'm in no way implying that a stylus tip doesn't wear out over time, but the question becomes how a certain amount of wear and tear translates to time, and how that translates to what you hear, no? Yes, a tip will wear out, yes, proper care can help extend lifespan, yes, mounting a cart slightly off will cause uneven wear, but, how much wear equals how much degradation in sound quality? I have no idea, which goes back to my initial statement of letting your ears tell you, whether it be 100 hours or 1000.

All that being said, I can't help but feel that a manufacturer stating it's "recommended" hours of use before replacement as a bit of a sales pitch, after all, nobody wants to build anything that lasts forever, there's no money in that. Like most things I'm sure the actual number is higher than the one specified, again, taking alignment and care of your gear and albums into consideration, how much higher, again, I'll let you know once I hear the sound quality start to slip.

All of this of course is just my opinion :)
 
Crabbers said:
That thing looks like a damn storage container...how’s it sound ?;)

btw, what do you have on your mofi ?
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Just put a Hana SL on there not too long ago and it's sounding wonderful.........but I've had a lot of nice carts on there ;)
Hana_SL.jpg

Here's the "Review" on the Quintet.

Phono Cartridges - Your favorites and least favorites?

I've been using the cartridge that came with my AT-LP120 for the past two years and it's definitely starting to show its age. Before getting the LP120, I used to use a Shure M97x that was great, but it got discontinued a few years ago. I remember paying about $70 for it at the time and...
www.needlesandgrooves.com www.needlesandgrooves.com
 
AnthonyI said:
Just put a Hana SL on there not too long ago and it's sounding wonderful.........but I've had a lot of nice carts on there ;)
View attachment 102024

Here's the "Review" on the Quintet.

Phono Cartridges - Your favorites and least favorites?

I've been using the cartridge that came with my AT-LP120 for the past two years and it's definitely starting to show its age. Before getting the LP120, I used to use a Shure M97x that was great, but it got discontinued a few years ago. I remember paying about $70 for it at the time and...
www.needlesandgrooves.com www.needlesandgrooves.com
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Well let me know when you are selling any more of those “nice carts” ;) I have that grado gold I grabbed from you just waiting incase this ortofon goes out too
 
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