A cart that minimizes static?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by LitHum05, Dec 5, 2018.

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  1. LitHum05

    LitHum05 El Disco es Cultura Thread Starter

    Location:
    Virginia
    I can't find anyone online who has addressed this question directly. Is there a particular cart, say the Ortofon Blue as opposed to the Denon DL-110, that dissipates static rather than creating a loud pap every 12 seconds? Is there maybe a difference between an MC and MM cart when dealing with static. Or am I just screwed unless I: a) wash every stinking record before playing it; or b) get one of those ray gun thingies to zap the static away.

    Thanks for the input. As much as I love my DL-110, I'm really getting tired of the music being ruined by pops.
     
  2. Sane Man

    Sane Man Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bethlehem, PA
    Just get a little humidifier. I have one powered by my computers USB. It's that time of year.

    [​IMG]
     
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  3. allied333

    allied333 Audiophile

    Location:
    nowhere
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  4. patient_ot

    patient_ot Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    Is it actually static electricity or is it pops and clicks from dirt on the vinyl or pressing defects?
     
  5. mdelrossi

    mdelrossi Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn nyc
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  6. LitHum05

    LitHum05 El Disco es Cultura Thread Starter

    Location:
    Virginia
    Yeah, I've got one of these. I'm even experimenting with leaving the turntable dust cover off to absorb more of the moisture (vs. keeping it closed as I usually do).
     
  7. 56GoldTop

    56GoldTop Forum Resident

    Location:
    Nowhere, Ok
    Wasn't that part of the purpose of the brush on some of those Shure carts: V15's, M97xE, M111HE, etc. ? Stanton's and Pickering's also had a brush. I don't know of any MC's with a brush, though LO Stanton's obviously had a brush. ................Zerostat?? I agree with @Sane Man , it is that time of year. There are lots of ways to reduce build up of static electricity.
     
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  8. LitHum05

    LitHum05 El Disco es Cultura Thread Starter

    Location:
    Virginia
    Not sure. I need to give it a day and start over on testing.

    I guess the answer to my question is: NO. There are no cartridges that actually
    Maybe I can start a new trend: CDs in the winter; vinyl every other time.
     
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  9. 56GoldTop

    56GoldTop Forum Resident

    Location:
    Nowhere, Ok
    :laugh: Gosh, hopefully, it's not that bad!

    I have noticed that once my LPs are properly wet cleaned, there is far less, if any static to speak of, regardless of the season.
     
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  10. Leonthepro

    Leonthepro Skeptically Optimistic

    Location:
    Sweden
    The carts with brushes behind them seem to work well.

     
  11. Leonthepro

    Leonthepro Skeptically Optimistic

    Location:
    Sweden
    I was thinking the same. But I find it hard to reach good levels where I live, even at max setting. And it begins to settle with dust on the vinyl if I do too much.
     
  12. LitHum05

    LitHum05 El Disco es Cultura Thread Starter

    Location:
    Virginia
    I don’t know. This thing seems mighty corny.
     
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  13. Leonthepro

    Leonthepro Skeptically Optimistic

    Location:
    Sweden
    Should rename the title then.

    "Non Corny Cart that Minimizes Static" ;^)

    The results are compelling at least. So it seems that grounding your LPs is a good thing to do.
    Buy one of thos jiggs with the extra brush arm or make your own with some carbon fiber brush strands on a piece of metal thats grounded to the amp. Have the carbon strands just barely touching the record edge. Done!
     
  14. It’s not the Denon DL-110. I live in your area. Although I’ve been searching for new cart sounds,the 110 is a great performer. It probably has something to do with your room’s power supply. Just a thought.

    Rock on,

    Bill
     
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  15. Wes_in_va

    Wes_in_va Trying to live up to my dog’s expectations

    Location:
    Southwest VA
    One of the most popular cartridges out there and a mighty fine sounding one, too, IMHO
     
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  16. LitHum05

    LitHum05 El Disco es Cultura Thread Starter

    Location:
    Virginia
    But would you say the DL-110 is more susceptible to static noise? This may be in part because it’s such a sensitive cart.
     
  17. LitHum05

    LitHum05 El Disco es Cultura Thread Starter

    Location:
    Virginia
    So, this is not just a little cleaning broom, but a type of additional grounding device? Is this correct? What makes it so effective?
     
  18. Just Walking

    Just Walking Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    US patent number 4,275,888, June 30th 1981 "Stabilizing and static removing attachment for phonographic pickup cartridge" Assigned to Shure Brothers Inc.

    Thing is that it doesn't just dissipate static charge right near the cantilever, the hinge is viscously damped so it deals with vertical resonance too. And if you click it one stop lower it doubles up as a stylus protector. And it acts as a dust brush too. So it fulfills four independent functions. Darned neat - it is a real wonder that other cartridge manufacturers don't use it (the patent has long ago expired).
     
  19. patient_ot

    patient_ot Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    I dunno about Shure brushes, but there are downsides to the Stanton/Pickering ones that do the same thing. You can hear them glide across the record and they alter your anti-skate. Some people prefer not to use them for that reason. And you can still get them on new replacement styli from Jico, but the quality of the brush itself may not be the same as the OEM (not as soft) but the damping still works, which is the main advantage to the brush.
     
  20. LitHum05

    LitHum05 El Disco es Cultura Thread Starter

    Location:
    Virginia
    Yeah, I’m thinking I have to like the Shure cart signature too. Too bad it’s not available with other carts.
     
  21. Mike from NYC

    Mike from NYC Senior Member

    Location:
    Surprise, AZ
    I never get pops or other noises from static, but I do get static.

    I put a fabric softener cloth under my mat which seems to help a bit.

    Get record pressing plants to stop putting carbon in the vinyl mixture.

    I used a 'anti-static wand' when I was in the photography business doing pre-press production. It used a very small amount of radioactive isotope to discharge the static electricity. For many years in my home darkroom I used a much less powerful device that worked exceedingly well - the Static Master. Unfortunately both products were banned even though they really did no harm and I used the Static Master for 30+ years in my home darkroom with absolutely no side effects. They were extremely effective and you could actually hear the pops of the static electricity being eliminated.
     
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  22. 911s55

    911s55 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wa state
    I can have an album play completely free of ticks and pops and lift it up at the end of play and feel the static pull from the mat and hear the khich noise static makes. So static is present but not on the album playing surface, different issue I know. And believe it or not the amount of static differs with the type of platter mat I use. I'm guessing it is generated from the motor underneath and passes through or not.

    The Sumiko EVO III plays very noise free.
     
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  23. McLover

    McLover Senior Member

    Dry air is a major contributor to static charges on records. The suggestion for a humidifier for your listening room is recommended. Especially on modern vinyl and European LP discs which don't have anti-static compounds in the vinyl formulation, which are especially prone to this issue.
     
  24. Just Walking

    Just Walking Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    I think the Pickering brush was just a dust removal feature. Anyway, the Shure literature says to set the tracking force differently when using the brush (I recall 0.5g), so antiskating setting to the amended tracking force will be correctly set.

    Another point is that if you are going to apply damping to reduce the resonant peak at 10Hz or so from the cartridge vertical compliance and the total effective mass there are two ways to do it - a viscous pot with a paddle in it near the arm pivot - like SME arms, or between the record and the cartridge. If you go through the theory, by far the most effective way is damping between the record and cartridge. Which is why Shure did it that way.

    And I have a Jico replacement for a V15IV to replace an original with a snapped cantilever. And the carbon fiber brush is identical in all regards to the Shure original.
     
    OldMusicOnVinyl1 likes this.
  25. My Sumiko plays noise free too. I like Sumikos
     
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