Onzow Stylus Cleaner-Possible Damage to Stylus

Just a heads up that I recently bought the Onzow cleaner because I was seeing lint on stylus that I couldn't get off. After using it once or twice I noticed that my midrange sounded distorted and grainy. I did not put 1+1 together but soon thought of the Onzow product since it coincided with using it. My cartridge/stylus typically lasts about a year and this one is only 4 months old. I was worried that the whole cartridge might be bad. I had a replacement stylus (Goldring 1042) and after I put the new stylus on, it was back to normal. I feel pretty certain that the Onzow was somehow responsible for the problem although I don't know what caused it. I looked at stylus under magnifying glass and couldn't see any obvious problem. Maybe it is residue. The surface of the dome is soft so I just dropped the stylus onto it once or twice. It made a loud sound each time I pulled it off. So anyway, just a warning to people about what I experienced.

There is no need to come to the rescue of the product if you haven't had any problems with it. I just know that I would want to know about this if I was thinking about buying the product myself..and if anyone else out there had a similar issue...I wish that I had!

 

Put your amp on Mute or switch inputs when you drop it in so that noise isn't fed to your speakers.

Personally, I doubt it was responsible for the issue but I guess you never know. This is the first I hear of any such issues.

 

Agreed.

 

I use a similar product and I have often wondered about this. I usually turn the volume down but keep it loud enough so I can tell it made good contact. Is this too a bad idea? I just bought new speakers and I don't want to damage them. What about turning the speaker switch off and monitoring with a cheap pair of headphones?

 

I have been using Onzow zerodust for many years with very expensive cartridges such as my Dynavector XV1t, a 10K flagship cart, and never had any problems with it.

I don't doubt your experience, but I do not think that zerodust is responsible for what happened to your cartridge.

 

Don't believe any volume is necessary to verify good contact is made. I just look at the tip of the stylus going in. If it's inside the bulb, it's fine.

As for whether it'll do damage, I can't say. It sure doesn't sound like something I'd want to put my speakers through so I just switch inputs, do it, and switch it back once I'm done. Just how I do it.

 

The Onzow isn't the problem. Switch input from phono, clean, switch back. Easy peasy folks.

 

I don’t know if the Onzow caused the OP’s issue, but I had been concerned that the product was causing the cantilever to move in a way in which it was not designed. It causes a pull downward on the cantilever, thus potentially hyper-extending it. I don’t know if that is a legitimate concern, but I stopped using mine and now just use the little stiff-bristled brush, sometimes with some cleaning fluid (I know, liquids have their own issues ).

 

That suggests that something beyond the stylus or cartridge got damaged but my explanation shows that the problem was def with the stylus.

 

Yes, I think that the pulling upon removal is the most likely culprit. I actually was looking for damage to stylus itself when I looked at it but wasn't specifically looking to see if it got bent.

The only other thing I can think of is that residue was added to the stylus tip. I applied stylus cleaner after using the Onzow and I wondered if the adhesive from Onzow may have glued the stylus cleaner onto the stylus. I would assume that playing a few records would clean that off though, and it did not.

 

Not sure how the onzow could do damage to the stylus unless it was already damaged. If you are talking about the cantilever... then I'd say user error.

 

To be clear about my post above, I do not think the stylus itself could be damaged. I was also not referring to bending the cantilever, but rather hyper-extending the suspension system when pulling the stylus from the Onzow. It's pretty sticky (at least when new) and causes a bit of a downward pull on the suspension, and I'm not sure if that couldn't potentially cause an issue.

 

If the OP had damaged his suspension then switching styli would not have helped would it?

 

No way to truly know what happened but there is a good chance something else might have caused the damage. Since we weren't around at the time, we can't say.

Nevertheless, I appreciate the warning.

 

What did you use to clean you stylus before you got the Onzow? What were you trying to do to get that stubborn piece of lint off ? Did you try going back to your old cleaning system after using the Onzow to see if it made any difference?

I’ve had the volume up a few times when using my Onzow (although not really loudly), I’ve heard the sound you’re describing, but I’ve had no ill effects to my system.

 

Before the Onzow, I cleaned with stylus brush and applied stylus cleaner. Upon getting the Onzow, I used the Onzow first. The lint came off immediately with the Onzow btw. After dipping stylus twice onto Onzow, I cleaned stylus with stylus brush and applied cleaner as usual. I have done the last 2 steps (brush and stylus cleaner) a 1000 times and nothing different occurred. The problem started after using the Onzow. I'm pretty sure that there wasn't a problem with sound the first time I used it. I only used it about 5 times and it was sometime before the 5th time though that I noticed a problem with playback audio. It could have gotten progressively worse but no idea. Let's just say I'm not using it again. If I bent the cantilever to the side then I will cause it user error. If the cantilever got bent up or down or pulled the inards out of whack then I blame it on the product. Actually, I would put the fault on the product in combination with an apparent fragility of my stylus since it's not happening to most people.

 

I found another person discussing same issue on another forum regarding the Onzow. Still seems like my bad luck because not common though.

 

Well I think we can all agree cleaning the stylus is a delicate procedure and should be done with the outmost care. If not done appropriately with careful consideration to the instructions, any cleaning process can and most likely will cause damage. I've never noticed any residue from the Onzow after looking at it with magnification for what it's worth.

Perhaps try holding the Onzow in one hand, getting a good view of the stylus/cantilever and gently lowering the tonearm so the stylus makes just enough contact to clean it. I would shy away from placing the Onzow down and just lowering the tonearm down into it. Stinks you've had a bad experience.

 

I lowered the stylus onto the Onzow just using weight of the tonearm but did not make sure that only the stylus touched it. If going more can damage it (and it did) then this product is risky since there is very little distance in height between the stylus tip and the bottom of rest of cantilever, cartridge, etc. on mine.

 

I still have doubts about the Onzow causing the damage if used correctly. However, I hope you find out what the issue is since it was clearly stated you have no idea how the Onzow caused the issue you've experienced. I'd just be cautious letting the complete weight of the tonearm drop into the Onzow but I still don't think you'd have a problem. good luck.

 

Yes, it would have helped. The suspension is integral to the cantilever assembly. If you swap the stylus portion of a user-replaceable moving magnet cartridge you change the entire assembly, including suspension, cantilever and stylus.

 

The problem with the cleaning solution that comes with the stylus brush is that it can actually start dissolving the glue on the cantilever. Yours might not have come completely off, but might have been loosened enough that a dip in the Onzow really messed it up.

Can Record Cleaning Fluid Dissolve Stylus/Cantilever Glue


Alternate between a dry, stiff bristle brush and a liquid cleaner every side played, subject to the approval of a liquid by your cartridge manufacturer. Some styli are glued in place and some liquids contain a solvent that might dissolve the adhesive so be sure of the liquid's ingredients (I wish more companies would put that on the bottle) and how your stylus/cantilever is assembled.

The Onzow Zerodust is also recommended but only if you can prevent your platter from moving when you lower the stylus into the mound of gel, and only occasionally, unless you exercise extreme caution each and every time. It does a really great job, but if you're in a rush to get to side two, or are otherwise easily distracted, less often is fine, as long as you use something each side.

Michael Fremer

Stylus Wear And What to Do About It

 

I used to be too lazu to mute it before, now Im more careful though. Good thing too since I basically use sandpaper to clean my stylus ;^)

 

From reading other posts about similar topics I find that people often use liquid based styli cleaners and once switching something up or after cleaning one day things just change drastically. To my experience there seems to be a correlation here.

 

Thanks Michael. I chose a stylus cleaner that says it does not dissolve glues. Btw, your article on the higher end version of the Onzow inspired me to buy this so I blame you. Just kidding of course. I prob would have had a different experience with the higher end one.