My Ortofon MC20 Mk.II Super is a few years old now, maybe more, and even though it still sounds fine I've begun to wonder and worry about the condition of its stylus. I don't play records as often as I used to, since most of my newer recordings are digital, and I really have no idea how many hours of playing time it's seen. To add to my quandary I use Last and Stylast religiously. This is said to increase stylus life by up to ten times. Also, the Fritz Geiger 80 stylus itself has a large "footprint" which will reduce pressure and therefore wear.
In the past I've taken my cartridges to a local dealer for examination under a microscope. Sadly, this establishment has closed its doors, and I don't know of another in the area with a stylus microscope. Even if I did, I wouldn't want to take their time if I had no intention of making a purchase there. When the time comes I will either trade mine in on another Ortofon for the 25% discount, or have it retipped by Soundsmith.
Now, being that I'm much more concerned about damaging my records than with the actual performance of the cartridge, I devised this little test. I chose a record from my collection that I didn't care for all that much, but which still had qualities that I felt would allow me to easily assess any groove damage: "Mary O'Hara at the Royal Festival Hall." I played two tracks from the middle of side one for ten days in a row, allowing the vinyl to rest for 24 hours between playings. On the eleventh day I listened to the entire side. This way I could hear an undamaged cut before and after the "test" tracks. What I expected to hear, if ten plays had indeed caused damage, was a loss of clarity or some added harshness in Mary's bell-like soprano, or a softening or distorting of the sharp, percussive attack of the Celtic Harp. I heard neither of these changes. The only thing I thought I heard was a slight loss of "air" in the concert hall ambiance. I'm not sure it was there. I don't know if I could identify it in a blind A/B test. At first I was pleased. If all my records were to suffer such a minute degradation I might not notice let alone mind.
One might think I'd be satisfied, but now I'm beginning to wonder and worry again, so I thought I'd ask for comments from the forum. What do you think of my test? Would a worn stylus cause more audible damage than this? Would even an unworn stylus cause a slight loss of air or ambiance over ten plays? I appreciate the time and thoughtfulness given to any replies. Thank you.
Bert
Edit: I forgot to mention that this record had not been treated with Last, nor did I apply Stylast before play during the experiment.
My Ortofon MC20 Mk.II Super is a few years old now, maybe more, and even though it still sounds fine I've begun to wonder and worry about the condition of its stylus. I don't play records as often as I used to, since most of my newer recordings are digital, and I really have no idea how many hours of playing time it's seen. To add to my quandary I use Last and Stylast religiously. This is said to increase stylus life by up to ten times. Also, the Fritz Geiger 80 stylus itself has a large "footprint" which will reduce pressure and therefore wear.
In the past I've taken my cartridges to a local dealer for examination under a microscope. Sadly, this establishment has closed its doors, and I don't know of another in the area with a stylus microscope. Even if I did, I wouldn't want to take their time if I had no intention of making a purchase there. When the time comes I will either trade mine in on another Ortofon for the 25% discount, or have it retipped by Soundsmith.
Now, being that I'm much more concerned about damaging my records than with the actual performance of the cartridge, I devised this little test. I chose a record from my collection that I didn't care for all that much, but which still had qualities that I felt would allow me to easily assess any groove damage: "Mary O'Hara at the Royal Festival Hall." I played two tracks from the middle of side one for ten days in a row, allowing the vinyl to rest for 24 hours between playings. On the eleventh day I listened to the entire side. This way I could hear an undamaged cut before and after the "test" tracks. What I expected to hear, if ten plays had indeed caused damage, was a loss of clarity or some added harshness in Mary's bell-like soprano, or a softening or distorting of the sharp, percussive attack of the Celtic Harp. I heard neither of these changes. The only thing I thought I heard was a slight loss of "air" in the concert hall ambiance. I'm not sure it was there. I don't know if I could identify it in a blind A/B test. At first I was pleased. If all my records were to suffer such a minute degradation I might not notice let alone mind.
One might think I'd be satisfied, but now I'm beginning to wonder and worry again, so I thought I'd ask for comments from the forum. What do you think of my test? Would a worn stylus cause more audible damage than this? Would even an unworn stylus cause a slight loss of air or ambiance over ten plays? I appreciate the time and thoughtfulness given to any replies. Thank you.
Bert
Edit: I forgot to mention that this record had not been treated with Last, nor did I apply Stylast before play during the experiment.