Help - I fell asleep with the record playing - does the runout groove damage a stylus?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by RubenH, Apr 23, 2020.

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  1. RubenH

    RubenH Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    S.E. United States
    Couldn't find a thread on this, although I'm sure this happens a lot.

    Was listening on the couch to the latest Pearl Jam last night at about 11 pm, and next thing I know, it's 4 am.

    The runout is completely silent, so I wonder if any wear on the AT440lmb stylus would be even less than 5

    hours of regular "play."

    And yes, I will likely have to spring for one of those devices that automatically lifts the tonearm at a side's end.

    Thank you.
     
    DK Pete likes this.
  2. Phil Tate

    Phil Tate Miss you Indy x

    Location:
    South Shields
    It'll be absolutely fine.
     
    RubenH likes this.
  3. AlmostHeavenWV

    AlmostHeavenWV The poster formerly known as AlmostHeavenWV

    Location:
    Lancaster UK
    The latest Pearl Jam is that boring?
     
  4. Wildest cat from montana

    Wildest cat from montana Humble Reader

    Location:
    ontario canada
    May I direct you to Robert Johnson's ' Phonograph Blues ' for more about this subject?
     
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  5. eflatminor

    eflatminor Forum Resident

    Location:
    Nevada
    Damage? No. Wear, sure, but minor. There's not a lot going on in the horizontal or vertical in the run out. Still it does wear on the stylus, but not so much I would worry about it.

    If you want that lifter, here's a link: LITTLE FWEND
     
  6. jimtek

    jimtek Forum Resident

    Where I went to college in the late 70's, they had a jazz and classical radio station on campus. One of the DJ's left the studio and the door locked behind him and he couldn't get back in and the record ran all night in the inner grove.
     
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  7. dsdu

    dsdu less serious minor pest

    Location:
    Santa Cruz, CA
    Thank goodness it wasn't Sgt. Pepper.
     
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  8. vinylontubes

    vinylontubes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Katy, TX
    Look, what's done is done. Any use of the stylus will add wear. But the stylus is running through a silent groove, so the least amount of wear is going to happen. This isn't something to worry about. You're worried about what? That you'll have to buy a new stylus 5 hours earlier?
     
  9. Chemguy

    Chemguy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Western Canada
    Nah. Enjoy your nap today.
     
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  10. Depends on the color of the vinyl;)
     
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  11. DK Pete

    DK Pete Forum Resident

    Location:
    Levittown. NY
    No, unless there's it's a weird pressing with a noisy runout groove. I've found this with a number of new pressings over the years; the overall album will play fine...once the stylus reaches the runout groove-even though it *looks* okay-it sounds like sandpaper.
     
    RubenH and Celebrated Summer like this.
  12. 99thfloor

    99thfloor Senior Member

    Location:
    Sweden
    I'd only be worried if it was a Jamaican pressing, since they invaribly will have an off-center label partly covering the run out grooves - but then you wouldn't have been able to sleep through it. :D

    On a relaled note, I have on more than one occation been away on a trip, sometimes as long as a week, and come home to find the turntable running! (Not with the needle on a record though). You see I used to have this idea to not turn it off between records during a listening session to save on the motor (as I figured much of the wear is from the start up). But sometimes those sessions got interrupted, with the platter still running then, so much for saving on wear... :oops:
     
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  13. RubenH

    RubenH Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    S.E. United States
    That final 3rd side is, let's just say, somewhat subdued. I had side one on, but was really beat.
     
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  14. RubenH

    RubenH Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    S.E. United States
    Interesting device. A bit pricey, so I may just have to put a timer on my phone every time I listen to LPs at night!
     
  15. RubenH

    RubenH Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    S.E. United States
    And ... ??
     
  16. RubenH

    RubenH Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    S.E. United States
    If it had been, I wouldn't have created this thread :laugh:
     
  17. RubenH

    RubenH Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    S.E. United States
    Good point; I figure the actual rotational (not angular) speed is least at the center, so even less wear than in the normal area of the LP.

    One way of looking at this is that just "listened" to John Cage's 4'33" about 70 times.
     
    Archtop likes this.
  18. Synthfreek

    Synthfreek I’m a ray of sunshine & bastion of positivity

    It's because all the threads on this are in the hardware section.
     
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  19. RubenH

    RubenH Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    S.E. United States
    It actually was a very enjoyable nap, but for a moment I thought it might have been a very expen$ive nap !
     
    Chemguy likes this.
  20. RubenH

    RubenH Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    S.E. United States
    Ah, good point.
    If a Gort sees this, pls feel free to recategorize.
     
  21. RubenH

    RubenH Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    S.E. United States
    I've done that type of "Too smart by a half" thing more than once...
     
  22. PinkIsTheSky

    PinkIsTheSky Old Blues Man

    Location:
    Michigan
    I had this issue, then I finely wised up and got a TT with auto lift/return.

    At this point in my music career, I can sacrifice whatever negligible sound difference there may be from a completely manual one.
     
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