Checking My Stylus

I have a 2-year-old Ortofon Super OM10 with ~700 hrs of use on it (I need to update my profile!).

It's supposed to last 1,000-2,000 hrs, as far as I know, but recently I thought I was hearing a little more distortion (IGD or otherwise) than usual on a few different records. Since my "local" stereo shop is 30-45 minutes from my house, I decided to examine it myself. I bought a cheap jeweler's loupe from Amazon (30x / 60x) but I don't really know what to look for.

I don't see any "chunks" missing. The tip of the stylus is slightly rounded, but I think it's supposed to be that way.

Basically, I have no idea what I should be looking for. Like, if I just kept using the stylus, and didn't damage it from some external factor, I assume that the tip would just continue to wear down slowly. I don't know how to tell if it's "too worn" and needs to be replaced or not.

Any suggestions?

 

Some say as little as 500 hours is all you may get. The Finish Line for your Phono Cartridge- Stylus Wear by Mike Bodell

 

Actually is quite difficult to check any stylus for wear using microscopes, impossible with a loupe. If you already have 700 hours on it and, most important, you hear something slightly wrong, be it distortion or hissing sibilants, then it's positively time to replace the stylus. It accomplished its mission, time for a new one to take the job.

 

It's all those times I didn't wait 30 minutes between records...

 

Yes it is no big deal for you to buy a new stylus. And compare the old and the new one.
If you still stay with the same cartridge..

Then you will know for sure and you have learned how a worn stylus sounds like in the process..

 

I don’t think you’ll be able to inspect it yourself, that’s a job for someone who has a proper microscope and knows what to look for. At two years/700 hours, though, maybe just try a new one and see if it’s better? You’re going to need a replacement eventually, anyway. If the new one sounds better, the old one is done.

Maybe step up to OM20 or higher, while you’re at it? Take the opportunity to upgrade?

 

Replace it asap.

 

700 hours on an OM is very early for stylus wear that sounds like distortion. I’ve put 2,000 ours on a few Ortofon stylus and that’s about when the high end distortion is present on most recordings. I’ll not argue the point a stylus sounds different or even worse after 700 hours but “broken” due to use isn’t typical.

And anytime you want to buy a stylus, you should. Thinking about it is a distraction from listening to music, just do it and ease your mind. But...check your VTF and alignment. I’ve had VTF drift out of speck by quite a bit with out having moved the table or making any changes. Basically, a scale and a protractor are much better tools for this project than a loop or a usb microscope.

 

Thanks. That sounds like practical advice.

 

BTW, excellent cartridge. I always keep a new spare Ortofon 10 stylus on hand to compare to under my microscope. Like others mentioned, just put on a new stylus, especially if you enjoy the Ortofon .

 

So this is interesting... when I first looked into it, I wound up on this page:

FAQ & Installation

This led me to expect 1000-2000 hrs from my stylus (I'm pretty sure the dealer told me 2,000), but now that I look at it again, I realize that it appears to be a generic Ortofon FAQ and not for any specific model.

The actual "manual" that came with the cartridge says "If you play, say, one LP record per day we recommend you replace the stylus unit after approximately 2 years."

Well, what do you know? One LP per day (on average) sounds a lot like me, and doing the math, that's 365 x 2 years x 2 sides per LP = 1,460 LP sides. At ~25 minutes per side (estimating on the long side), that's about 36,500 minutes or 608 hours. So I probably could let this one ride for a little longer, but by the recommendation that came in the box, it's time to replace it.

(I also checked the tracking force and it was a little high.)

The OM20 is a bit more expensive, and I have a very average stereo system overall (70s vintage consumer setup). Can you describe what you think the difference would be between the OM10 and one of the higher models? It's not very expensive vs. how much I spend on records in two years, but if the difference is going to be extremely subtle, I might just rather save the money to spend on records.

 

It may give you more resolution because of better tracking, but whether you fully benefit from that may depend on the rest of your system, as you suggest.

I don’t think there is anything wrong with sticking to what you know and enjoy, but if you’ve been curious about more advanced stylus options, the OM series is an example of a line that makes it simple to do (but, of course, you do pay for the pleasure, and you can’t know if you like it until you try it, so always a gamble).

 

It’s not a subtle difference, the extra money is going to make your collection sound new. Like hearing it for the first time. If you can tolerate the price point, it’s money well spent. I would also predict your average of records played per week will go way up.

I’ve put a $700 cart or a $100 turntable before, it’s easy to hear the improvement.

 

Interesting. Thanks again. My concern is more whether my receiver and speakers will reveal much difference, but I guess it's not really that expensive to give it a shot and see what I think. I can always go back to the OM10 in another two years if I don't think the difference is worth the extra $$.

 

I think it’s about the same as going from a 2m red to blue. That is a nearly universally loved upgrade, there are many threads on the topic.