Two Vinyl Questions

Started by Archaic Torso of Apollo, January 06, 2018, 08:12:15 AM

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aligreto

Quote from: Archaic Torso of Apollo on January 10, 2018, 09:08:05 AM
Oh, and as long as we're nitpicking, what do you guys think of the Magic Eraser (cost: a couple of bucks) as stylus cleaner?

http://high-endaudio.com/Magic.html

I use it and it seems to get the job done.

I do not use it but a friend of mine does and he says that it is great.

Daverz

I use a Discwasher stylus brush dry in between plays, and then occasionally an Onzow Zerodust.

Elk

#22
When I was in the audio business, we used a microscope with dual lights to shine on the tip of the stylus. It was easy to see wear, dust, or damage. 1000 hours of play was considered the average life of a tip before wear would allow it to glide over the top of very high frequencies.

My housekeeping is not fastidious. Therefore, there is dust around, and it is most annoying when it ends up as clicks and pops on playback. A lot depends on the quality of your stereo system. The finer it is, the more you will want to keep your discs free of dust and dirt. Cleaning a record before each play becomes a must, as is cleaning the stylus. Dust loves fingerprints on a record, so only hold a record by the edges and centre.

While I have a carbon fibre brush and others, I still use a Discwasher brush, which is rather like those magic brushes used for removing lint on clothes, with a nap in one direction. The carbon fibre brush is useful because, if it is removed by sliding it over the spindle, static will be grounded.

I also still use a Discwasher stylus brush, while also having a Watts and various other stylus brushes such as the one that came with my Denon DL103. Remember to brush only from the bottom of the shank, where it enters the cartridge body, to the tip so as not to damage the cantilever.

One day, when I am born richer and not so good looking, I will buy a record cleaning machine to clean those records that have come to me noisy already.

BTW, Stanton, a very old name in cartridge manufacturing, once did a laboratory test on record wear. In a dust free room, a record was played 100 times on an automatic turntable. No wear was found on the record afterwards, no wait period between plays either.

Hope this helps,

Elk

Archaic Torso of Apollo

Quote from: Elk on January 17, 2018, 03:57:45 AM
When I was in the audio business, we used a microscope with dual lights to shine on the tip of the stylus. It was easy to see wear, dust, or damage. 1000 hours of play was considered the average life of a tip before wear would allow it to glide over the top of very high frequencies.

The audio dealer told me my stylus life was 500-1000 hours. Assuming average play of 5 hours/week, I plan to replace the stylus every 3 years.

I only discovered the Magic Eraser cure when I put a record on and it sounded strangulated. I thought there was something wrong with my speakers. I then looked closely and saw gunk and dust on the stylus. The Magic Eraser cleaned it up.

QuoteBTW, Stanton, a very old name in cartridge manufacturing, once did a laboratory test on record wear. In a dust free room, a record was played 100 times on an automatic turntable. No wear was found on the record afterwards, no wait period between plays either.

Hope this helps,

Elk

Yes, nice to know.
formerly VELIMIR (before that, Spitvalve)

"Who knows not strict counterpoint, lives and dies an ignoramus" - CPE Bach

Archaic Torso of Apollo

Speaking of minor upgrades - does anyone here use a record puck?

See here:

https://www.projectaudio.com.au/products/record-puck

Recommended or not?
formerly VELIMIR (before that, Spitvalve)

"Who knows not strict counterpoint, lives and dies an ignoramus" - CPE Bach

aligreto

Quote from: Archaic Torso of Apollo on March 06, 2018, 07:01:12 AM
Speaking of minor upgrades - does anyone here use a record puck?

See here:

https://www.projectaudio.com.au/products/record-puck

Recommended or not?

QuoteOnly to be used on turntables with high quality bearing

I think that the above quote in the advertisement that you have posted above is relevant and important. Some of these pucks are heavy enough and can grip quite tightly so this must be a consideration.

Archaic Torso of Apollo

Quote from: aligreto on March 06, 2018, 07:49:41 AM
I think that the above quote in the advertisement that you have posted above is relevant and important. Some of these pucks are heavy enough and can grip quite tightly so this must be a consideration.

Yeah, good point. I'm wondering if it really makes a difference anyway. I've found a number of lighter, cheaper versions that look decent, maybe I'll experiment with one of them.

formerly VELIMIR (before that, Spitvalve)

"Who knows not strict counterpoint, lives and dies an ignoramus" - CPE Bach

Baron Scarpia

Quote from: Archaic Torso of Apollo on March 06, 2018, 10:35:05 AM
Yeah, good point. I'm wondering if it really makes a difference anyway. I've found a number of lighter, cheaper versions that look decent, maybe I'll experiment with one of them.

It makes sense that a bit of weight could help damp vibration of the LP and hold it flat, but something heavy enough to ruin your turntable bearings sounds absurdly over the top. Something that heavy could warp the record.

aligreto

Quote from: Archaic Torso of Apollo on March 06, 2018, 10:35:05 AM
Yeah, good point. I'm wondering if it really makes a difference anyway. I've found a number of lighter, cheaper versions that look decent, maybe I'll experiment with one of them.

I agree with the point that Baron Scarpia makes. I do use one on one of my turntables but it is a light plastic one such as you describe but does grip the spindle tightly but was designed to go with that particular turntable.