2. analog
  3. 1330125772

How and when to check stylus condition.

Looking for a litte practical advise about checking the condition of my stylus. My cartridge is a Sound Smith VPI Zephyr. The TT is a VPI classic w/ Classic 3 wand. I'm pretty sure I have well over a thousand hours on the stylus, maybe close to 2000 hours. My analogue section sounds great, but I wonder if the stylus is worn. As an aside, it was a bitch to set the carty up on my Classic, but once tuned in, it sings. Anyway can check the sylus without having to take everything apart? Who can check it and how is it done?
bifwynne

Showing 3 responses by bifwynne

bifwynne OP
2,206 posts
 
Sent the carty back to Sound Smith. Spoke to Peter Ledermann. He cautioned that it is likely the carty may need a "re-tread" with that many hours. As mentioned above, playing the carty with a worn out stylus can damage my LPs. Will report back on what Peter finds.
bifwynne OP
2,206 posts
 
Peter Ledermann just finished the retip of my Zephyr cartridge. He said the stylus was approximately 80% worn, but for some reason that I do not understand, not in such a way that it damaged my vinyl. In any case, I should get my cartridge back in a few days. I'll report back on performance later.
bifwynne OP
2,206 posts
 
Hi folks, reporting back on the retip. Short answer: dramatic improvement accross the board. You name the attribute, it sounds better.

Take away: DON'T trust your ears. The degradation in sound which occurs as a result of normal stylus wear is very subtle. In light of what I learned, I recommend checking the stylus every 1000 hours, unless something breaks. At least that was Peter's advice.

An aside: I drive all tube gear. Power tubes "supposedly" have a 2000 hour usefull life. Audio tubes have a 4 to 5000 hour life. It's almost impossible to keep track of tube and stylus life when I'm running so much gear. And this is even where my Ref 5 and PH-7 have hour meters. Any practical suggestions?
More to discover