Stylus cleaners

https://forum.audiogon.com/posts/2877721
 

The blue tack is a drop on - lift off process.

If you have a tonearm lift, safe.

I used bluetack on my Soundsmith cart per their recommendation.

I put it in a small cap to handle it.

I got tires of fiddling with that & bought the DS Audio ST-50 - $60 at the time.

Slim design, aluminum anodized case w/ cover, leather bottom for setting on platter or LP, & washable - I don't have to keep buying consumables.

Simple & safe - drop on & lift off with tonearm lift.

A little spendy but works well for me.

Hasn't this subject been covered several times recently?  And $400.00-$500.00 lights?  I have used this acegoo Dimmable Reading Light Gooseneck LED Task Light since 2018, attached to the wall behind my equipment racks.  It looks smart, bends where I need it behind my equipment, and never fails.  Has a nice blue LED if you need it : https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F3ZKB7S?ref_=ppx_hzod_title_dt_b_fed_asin_title_0_2

    I also use this 30X Nazano magnifying glass.  Paid ten bucks(twenty now), bought two: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B091Y8JSW6?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_3

Good thread!

I am currently using a KAIU “Anti-Static Turntable Stylus Gel Cleaner” that is another variant of the gel devices in a nice wooden box with a mirror.  I received it as a gift.  In the past I had been pretty vigilant about cleaning my styluses with a brush and occasional cleaning solution, but as my cartridges got more expensive and I read that solutions might harm the epoxy holding the stylus on the cantilever I focused on record cleaning and less on touching the stylus.  Until recently, I rarely used the KAIU gel.

But recently I noticed that the sound of my analog front end was lagging behind my digital set up and so upgraded a number of things in an attempt to up the quality.  One of the things I did was start cleaning the stylus more often with the gel device, and experienced a noticeable improvement after using it.  

I have also been running through and taking inventory of a number of my older albums recently, and noticed that I am having to clean the stylus more frequently to maintain sound quality. I still have and play some albums that are well over 60 years old, and though cleaned at least once, some of these may have some residual dirt in them.  I began to wonder if the gel cleaner was leaving residue on the stylus that was attracting and attaching dirt or vinyl particles from the records?  When I use the gel a few times, I note that there is residue/dirt from the stylus on the gel surface, which is both satisfying and distressing.  It washes off completely with warm water as per the maintenance instructions, but it kind of freaks me out that my “cleaned” records generate visible and removable dirt on the stylus.

I think concerns about inadvertently damaging the cantilever assembly with gels is legitimate, so I exercise great care to make sure the platter is fixed so the drop is the only movement the stylus assembly experiences.

Finally, l’m also kind of freaked out by the amount of dust particles that accumulate on my records just while playing, and have placed an in-room hepa filter near my turntable and run it except when listening to music.  I notice less dust on my turntable platter and records as a result.

kn

“l’m also kind of freaked out by the amount of dust particles that accumulate on my records just while playing”

@knownothing 

While you can’t eliminate 100% dust particles, using a high MPR 1900 and MERV 13 rated filters in your AC / Furnace system will help pull and capture most of the air borne microparticles.