Influence of stylus shapes on distortion

I agree with this and this is why after many catridges I am now convinced that line contact styli are the optimal playback shape; Lyra being my choice of cartridge brand for the foreseeable future.

Hi Stevecham
interesting, I see where you are coming from.

I had a 'special' Dorian (re-tipped with a Gyger Special, boron) and it was very highly resolved.
Now some experts would say --- too much. Giving you some 'information overload' not considered to make it so musical...
Me, I'm not sure, since I have not really heard e.g. some SPU 'Meister', 'Classic' etc. considered to be more musically involving, though NOT due to higher resolution. Now, these would sport round or elliptical styli at best. You also NEVER hear anyone using these asking about distortion!
I had issues with my Dorian. Using an SME V, I feel pretty certain it was not misaligned.

Any comment from some specific listening experiences, you mentioned having gone through quite a few carts, right?

Axel

Dear Axel: You point out one of the distortion sources: alignment set-up, and we have to add VTF-matching tonearm/cartridge resonance frequency range-AS-load impedance-and the like.

A stylus shape between its shape design has no self distortion other than the one generate for the tracking it self. What generate distortions are poor alignment, poor recordings, poor matching, poor cartridge design/suspension, poor, poor, poor, etc, etc.

A well cartridge design ( either stylus shape ) with the whole correct set-up makes no other distortion that the " natural " one of its work.
Of course that different stylus shape ( everything the same ) give us different information range level.
Of course too that the distortions generate for different stylus shape are different but the important subject is what we can hear about those distortion differences.

I have some same cartridges with in the same model different stylus shape: spherical-elipthical and eliptical-fine line.
In the last case the cartridge sound with the elipthical stylus seems to me a little more relaxed than with the fine-line and I almost can't heard/hear more information through the fine-line.

The distortion subject on stylus different shape that we can hear is very dificult to be precise and absolute on it from the point of view ( like I say ) of what we hear and depends on the whole cartridge design and excecution of that design.

A ML-Fine Line stylus design can give us more information but its whole set-up it is more " delicate " and if it not right on target we can have higher distortions than in a elipthical one. So it is not easy to be " absolute " on the subject.
There are differents ML-Fine Line shapes as different Elipthical ones ( on dimensions shape. ) .

Then we have to be very experienced to say " that is a stylus shape distortion " and " that is part of the recording " even to know when a " sound " is higher or lower in distortion, this is very dificult to discern and only if you are at a very high position on that learning curve you can discern it and obviously with the right audio system: a very low overall distortion system.

Of course that everything the same it can be measure that " natural " each one stylus shapé distortions.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.