when is a stylus damaged?

[HOTaljaard]

The arm was at the end of the record, and I wanted to return it when I kind of sweep at it and it ended up dropping on the record. Turntable is a ClearAudio concept.

On inspection the needle doesn’t seem bent. The stylus tip still traces the arc protractor the same as before. Viewing from the side the tracking angle looks the same as before.

So, there shouldn’t be a problem, right?

Just to be sure I played Kerkorrel's Hillbrow (last track Side 1 of the Eet Kreef album). This song shows sibilance on my Thorens and Marantz but plays largely clean on the ClearAudio. Hence the reason why the AT-VM95ML cart/ClearAudio has been such a winning combination for me.

So now I’m hearing more sibilance on the Hillbrow track I think... All in the mind? Or did something change after my mishap..?

 

[HOTaljaard]

The way i feel now I just want to replace the stylus and eliminate any possibility that there might be damage...
Because how would i know that the stylus is still the same as before?

 

[Trompie67]

The way i feel now I just want to replace the stylus and eliminate any possibility that there might be damage...
Because how would i know that the stylus is still 100% the way it was before?

That's what I would do. I have no way of checking, nor the knowledge of how or what to check, to see if it was still in order. So, replace.

 

[knl]

See if you can get access to a Stereo Microscope. It should be quick and easy to verify damage to the stylus under a microscope. To verify the suspension, one could do a frequency sweep (provided you have a test lp) and compare to another one in its family (AT95's are plentyful). I would gladly assist with both, but I am in Gauteng.

This is not a super expensive Moving Coil, but still not a piece of kit to discard without making sure first. I do not think a drop on an LP will damage an AT95 series cartridge. it is much more likely that the LP was damaged..

 

[chrisc]

i had the elliptical shaped diamond stylus come loose from a Shure V15 cartridge. It fortunately ended up on the side of the plinth.

A friend who runs a manufacturing jeweller re-glued it using an electronic microscope. You could see the parts on the screen. He packed the gap around the tubular stylus shank with tiny plastic balls. Then the residual glue was dissolved off with a tetrachloride solution. Using small callipers, the stylus was positioned in the slot and glued in place

Without those tools, it would be impossible. The diamond is about 1mm long

 

[HOTaljaard]

I’ve just listened to Hillbrow on 3 different streaming platforms and the sibilance is even more pronounced than on vinyl... Seems I’ve been trying to cure something that is inherent in the recording...

 

[knl]

I’ve just listened to Hillbrow on 3 different streaming platforms and the sibilance is even more pronounced than on vinyl... Seems I’ve been trying to cure something that is inherent in the recording...

I have the exact same problem with Sweet Jane on the Trinity Sessions / Cowboy Junkies Album.

 

[fredeb]

i had the elliptical shaped diamond stylus come loose from a Shure V15 cartridge. It fortunately ended up on the side of the plinth.

A friend who runs a manufacturing jeweller re-glued it using an electronic microscope. You could see the parts on the screen. He packed the gap around the tubular stylus shank with tiny plastic balls. Then the residual glue was dissolved off with a tetrachloride solution. Using small callipers, the stylus was positioned in the slot and glued in place

Without those tools, it would be impossible. The diamond is about 1mm long

Wow ! That is impressive Chris . Good job !

I’ve just listened to Hillbrow on 3 different streaming platforms and the sibilance is even more pronounced than on vinyl... Seems I’ve been trying to cure something that is inherent in the recording...

Good to hear that everything is fine , I'm sure the replacement ML stylus costs a pretty penny .

 

[HOTaljaard]

Wow ! That is impressive Chris . Good job !


Good to hear that everything is fine , I'm sure the replacement ML stylus costs a pretty penny .

the replacement stylus is on backorder at ProAudio so who knows how long it will take to arrive. Ive ordered one anyway because it makes sense to have a spare.
But I'm 99% sure the stylus is still good. Everything checks out: not bent, centred, and importantly the alignment is good. It is strange how, after I knocked it, my ear only picked up on faults, which before I perhaps wouldnt have noticed. Like I wanted to find a fault.

So now that I've convinced myself not to think about it any longer I will be attempting to re-align the cartridge on the Rega Planar 3 this weekend....

 

[fredeb]

the replacement stylus is on backorder at ProAudio so who knows how long it will take to arrive. Ive ordered one anyway because it makes sense to have a spare.
But I'm 99% sure the stylus is still good. Everything checks out: not bent, centred, and importantly the alignment is good. It is strange how, after I knocked it, my ear only picked up on faults, which before I perhaps wouldnt have noticed. Like I wanted to find a fault.

So now that I've convinced myself not to think about it any longer I will be attempting to re-align the cartridge on the Rega Planar 3 this weekend....

Ja .... funny how the mind works . On the upside , you'll probably get it set up better than ever before .