Please help me to find a new stylus

Hello,

I own a Project Debut Carbon with an Ortofon 2M-Red. Quite happy with the turntable and the sound of the stylus but the last three years, I had to change it two times and today, the stylus needs to be changed again (I did it in March).

Is there something wrong with my usage, is it just because I play a lot of music or is just this model which is not enough reliable?

I don't know which brands would be compatible with the Project but I'm ok to buy a new brand, even change the turntable if needed

Here's a pic of the actual stylus:


Your help would be very welcome!

Many thanks

 

Is it sounding distorted after only 6 months ?

 

Yes absolutely!

I'm not sure if the tip of the stylus is just very dirty and covered in some kind of dust or if it's just broken... I just added a pic in my initial post.

 

How often do you play your records, how many hours per day would you estimate?
The time for replacement is about 800 hours, plus or minus.

Most common causes for accelerated stylus wear:
1) tracking force too heavy
2) anti-skate not working or defective.
3) dirty records, indicated excessive background noise. Background noise can be from a worn groove, however a clean record with wear does not cause stylus wear, but a dirty groove does)
4) bent or off-centered cantilever

 

It could have crusty deposits from "old-school" record cleaning kits, such as Dicwasher. It's a good idea to check the stylus carefully, and with a magnifier.

 

The tip looks very dirty.

 

Good photo, looks like lots of fluff on there. Dry cleaning with a stylus brush (back to front) will remove this. When removed, there may also be hard crusty deposits. If this be the case, the crusty deposit must be wet cleaned with isopropyl... not recommended by Ortofon, but once or twice in the life of the stylus will not react with the epoxy.

Do you have a stylus brush?

edit: (Headed off to sleep.. good luck, and I will check back for your reply)

 

Thank you for all your replies

I do have a stylus brush, I clean the stylus after each play...

I play around 3 or 4 records per day and more on week ends of course, maybe around 10 or 12... It's hard to estimate but it's something like this.

I think as well the tip of the stylus is maybe just dirty but I don't success to clean it with the brush unfortunately. How can I do with isopropyl ?

I clean all my records (even new ones) before playing them...

 

You need one of these

Just be careful when cleaning. Dab the stylus into it a few times vertically, no force necessary. You might also want to buy/use a stylus brush as @The FRiNgE said previously. I've had great success with using the magic eraser.

 

From what I can make out, that stylus just looks like is is caked with gunk. It needs a good cleaning. It would help if you took the photo with the actual stylus pointing towards the camera.

 

Maybe your cleaning method is possibly causing problems.
When i used disco.antistat I had a similiar problem.
Nowadays I rarely have cause to clean stylus.
That gunge could be abrasive.

 

You can use the stylus brush to clean with isopropyl. Saturate the stylus brush, and clean back to front. It's better to clean with 45/45 degree strokes, back to front.. as this helps remove crud on the front of the stylus. A little side to side movement of the cantilever does not harm it, nor the suspension... just be careful. Allow the stylus to air dry for a few minutes. Never play with the stylus still wet, as dust will adhere to it and dry like concrete, and will be tough to remove.

You do a lot of listening, and that's wonderful. If you play four records per day, that is about 2 hours/ day, x 365 days/ year = about 730 hrs/ year. That's close to the recommended 800 hours by most manufacturers. Stylus life will be extended by playing clean records. As I mentioned, a worn groove does not accelerate wear rate at all... but a dirty groove does. A tracking force greater than recommended will also shorten stylus life.

So, I would say after about a year, to a year and a half, it's time to replace your stylus based upon your daily listening time.

Cleaning your records before play may seem like the right thing. I must add this caveat, cleaning by the "usual" method with a cleaning brush can make your records progressively dirtier. With every clean on the spinning turntable (which is really too fast for the fibers to "track" a crooked groove) much of the dust gets "pushed around", and down deeper in. This method is not 100% effective in grabbing all of the dust. The stylus tells the truth. A clean appearing record that crackles, or produces low level crackle between tracks and in very quiet passages, is a very dirty record. Dust in the groove is abrasive, and accelerates groove wear, as well as stylus wear.

Old habits are hard to break. The eyes can not be trusted. The stylus and your ears can be trusted.

My recommendation, invest in a record cleaning machine or a spin clean. Store the clean record in a new audiophile sleeve. A clean record is ready to play, just play it. Return the record to its sleeve, and it's that simple. There is such a thing as over-caring for a record. The pre-play clean before each play is over-caring, IMO... and eventually does more harm than good. If any loose dust should fall on the record surface, simply blow it off with compressed air.

Happy listening
Steve VK

 

I've had the stylus come unglued from the cantilever using isopropyl to clean a Shure N55E. I've also had isopropyl loosen the cantilever on a Audio-Technica 3472se. Although..... I've never owned an Orto so it may be different.

 

Use Windex or distilled vinegar with a small stylus brush (Clearaudio makes a good one). Just a drop on the brush. Brush back to front (gently), and that "gunk" should come off the stylus.
Clean your records (and rinse them well,) and this should mitigate the "buildup" that you are getting from your records.

 

Yeah, be careful with isopropyl. Depending on how the diamond was bonded to the cantilever, it may dissolve the bonding agent. Windex (with ammonia,) works well though.

 

Thanks, you're right, it needed a good cleaning and I managed to do it yesterday, I removed most of the gunk and it sounds better than before now !

What do you use instead of the disco antistat?

Thank you so much for your help, it is great !! I'd love to invest in a cleaning machine actually, it would be quite logical as I spend already quite some money in cleaning fluids.

So you don't clean your record with a brush before playing it even though there is dust on it (there's always some dust even it has been cleaned before)?

 

This is my method.
It works for me.
I purchased a label protector
From Ebay.
Fit protector. Purchase cotton wool.
Using Dove soap lather and wash record
The cotton wool will reach down into the groove. Rinse. Dry .
I use a thin rectangular sponge.
Allow to dry.
Using s very soft cloth polish surface by
Rubbing in a fashion to follow the grooves
We are left with s very shiney record.
Water , alas leaves a record noisey.
So..... we wash using a mixture of distilled water/Isopropyl alcohol
50/50.
I use a " Disco Antistat and the previously
Mentioned label protector which has a
Shaft each side of it too rest on top
Of disco Antistat tank.
I was for 10 minutes buy thats just me
5 should be fine
Leave to dry.
When dry polish as you did after the
First wash.
Now, i apply "Winyl".
Again, this is available fron Ebay.
It's similiar to the wood glue but specificatly for records.
( I make my own).
When dry I attach masking tape
To the first inch of the record from perifery to centre.
It then peels off leaving a very clean
Record that is silent and sounds supercharged .
No residue comes off the record.
I usually blow the stylus clean.

 

Nope, no brush! If a cleaned record is stored in a new anti-static sleeve, it's ready to play right out of the sleeve. I return the record after play, still clean, and good for many more playings. Loose dust can be blown off after play, if a few dust flecks settle on the record. I am careful to not wear any high shed materials when playing my records, for instance avoid flannel shirts, or wool, poor quality cotton. Little things like that are overlooked, but a major source of contamination. Some may feel this is excessive, however we dress to go out, dress for work, gardening, and many occasions. Should it be so difficult to be more selective of what we wear in the music room?

 

I had one Shure stylus fall off after many, many, many cleanings. (always wet cleaned back in the 70's but mostly dry now) Sometimes a stylus gets a cement-like buildup of crud and must be wet cleaned. In such case there's no other option. The chances are, the epoxy will tolerate one cleaning to a few wet cleanings without a bad reaction.