Hi group, Just bought one for my Technics SL1200GR. Ortofon says not to use solvents when you clean the stylus. I have been using the Mofi stylus cleaner, which has a solvent you spread on the brush and then clean the stylus. What non-solvent options have you used with success? I've never done that before and am interested in your feedback. Much appreciated.
I use the round Mofi brush dry for most cleaning on my Concorde. If the stylus seems to need extra attention I have a Moongel pad that I use the same way you would use the Onzow Zerodust. I’ve never needed anything else. If your records are decently clean you shouldn’t either.
How do you like the Elite so far? I got a Concorde Club Mk2 last month and it has exceeded my expectations! I don't want to put the AT carts back on at all! It is smooth and powerful after some break in time. Just great with rock and modern jazz fusion. I could fit the Elite stylus on it if desired too. I'm becoming a Concorde convert!!
Ortofon supplies a perfectly good, small, well-made stylus brush with their cartridges. I think that’s the best thing to use. I suggest avoiding the usage mistake I’ve seen some audiophiles making though - brushing blindly. Use it as only directed in the little instruction blurb, and use a chair or stool or what-have-you to comfortably position yourself to get a direct, non-awkward, non-contorted view of the stylus. A couple of gentle sweeps from back to front and you’re done. The problem with solvent/liquid cleaners is that, in some cases, the bond between the stylus and the cantilever (with a glued-up stylus, that is) can be gradually weakened 0ver time due to excessive cleaning with solvent. I know all sorts of people who’ve been using stylus cleaning liquids of various brands and formulations for years without any problems, but mainly because they maintain very clean, essentially dust-free LPs, that are stored in high-quality anti-static inner sleeves. That means they’ve only had to clean a stylus not much more than once a month, and quite often only once every couple of months. Not excessive, in other words. Unless you’ve got a high-power magnifier that can give you a good look at whether a stylus is actually in need of cleaning, it’s inadvisable to just repeatedly use a cleaning liquid (or a stylus dry brush) every two or three LPs. In the few instances I’ve come across where the audiophile was doing exactly that - habitually cleaning an expensive stylus every two or three plays - de-bonding or snagging eventually occurred. In one instance, excessive cleaning resulted in physical damage caused by a slip of the applicator brush used with the liquid. Expensive bad news. In another instance, a purported music lover was substituting frequent stylus cleaning (every second LP) for good LP surface maintenance. Of course his stylus collected a ton of grime with almost every play, but rather than begin a better LP maintenance regime he just doubled-down on stylus cleaning. The result was an Accuphase cartridge that had to be sent away for a rather pricey rebuild. In another instance, an otherwise very bright guy I know managed to Swiffer-snag his stylus while being assiduously anal about keeping his turntable plinth and top rack shelf dust-free. You could have heard the screamed “NOOOOoooooooo!” on Mars. A nice Rega Apheta 2 bit the dust that time, but the suspension wasn’t damaged and the cart ended up being sent to SoundSmith for retipping.
