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Shibata vs Microline Styli

Threads like this make the glad that is sold my TT’s. Still hanging onto the vinyl, for now.
I think you secretly miss trying to make sure the SRA of a Cadenza is 92 degrees and measuring the tonearm cable angle of dangle :) You can always borrow one of my decks if you fancy a vinyl weekend.
 
The RB250 is a great arm, but lack of azimuth and VTA adjustment lets it down.

A but unfair to single it out for not having azimuth adjustment when very few arms do. I'm struggling to think of any popular, mainstream arms that do and even esoteric arms rarely have it.

I agree with the notion that there are far more important things to worry about that stylus shape. Yes, there are limits. Even on a very good arm a cheap conical stylus can only do so much but you can put whatever fancy stylus you like on your mid performance deck, you are not hearing what it can do.

Talking about how well a stylus tracks in isolation makes no sense. This microscopic interface is controlled by the turntable and it decides how well the stylus is going to be able to do its job. You put a fairly basic elliptical into a really quiet and stable environment and you'll be surprised by how well it can do its job.
 
And if you read my posts, you would see that same 0.2 mils or 5 um is what I posted for the fine elliptical stylus.

Technics didn't just use boron cantilevers - they used boron pipes - technology that is no longer available today at any price. Top Sonys and last Graces had them as well.

ATs and Shures of that time sported tapered beryllium foil cantilevers - again gone today. Toxic, apparently :(

What is available today are cheap machine-made stylii of any shape. And a customer base insisting on exotic shapes in a quest for "detail."
Er, this is the 'Differential Geometry' class, 'Pipefitting 101' is up on the next floor.

Mind as you go, the hall has no floor, no ceiling, and the walls have a seemingly infinite number of Cartesian curves to them which may, or may not, accommodate your girth. Should you get stuck, suggest you arrange the vertices of your major axis such that the smallest radius of curvature of any points align with the length of the hall, rather than across it. Regardless, be prepared to climb up and over any sections that are too tight to fit through.
 
Er, this is the 'Differential Geometry' class, 'Pipefitting 101' is up on the next floor.

Mind as you go, the hall has no floor, no ceiling, and the walls have a seemingly infinite number of Cartesian curves to them which may, or may not, accommodate your girth. Should you get stuck, suggest you arrange the vertices of your major axis such that the smallest radius of curvature of any points align with the length of the hall, rather than across it. Regardless, be prepared to climb up and over any sections that are too tight to fit through.
Clever, I guess...but 90 degrees of.
 
A but unfair to single it out for not having azimuth adjustment when very few arms do. I'm struggling to think of any popular, mainstream arms that do and even esoteric arms rarely have it.

I agree with the notion that there are far more important things to worry about that stylus shape. Yes, there are limits. Even on a very good arm a cheap conical stylus can only do so much but you can put whatever fancy stylus you like on your mid performance deck, you are not hearing what it can do.

Talking about how well a stylus tracks in isolation makes no sense. This microscopic interface is controlled by the turntable and it decides how well the stylus is going to be able to do its job. You put a fairly basic elliptical into a really quiet and stable environment and you'll be surprised by how well it can do its job.
My only point on this rather pointless thread was to remind folks that a fine elliptical stylus is a very good thing and can produce exceptional results.
 
well why didnt just say that then?
i for one know that already,my time with a technics epc-305 was lovely. it was only let down by the rotting ttdd damper.
 
Clever, I guess...but 90 degrees of.
Assuming you meant 'off', then, nope, I am correct.

Naturally, this assumes that you are a stylus tip that has been securely bonded to a pipe end (i.e. you can't rotate laterally about your own vertical centre of axis).

Remember, the vertices on the major axis of an ellipse have the smallest radius of curvature of any points. Any curves you encounter that you can't fit into will require you to increase your elevation.

Of course, you could always turn your toes and elbows outward and become a MicroRidge.;)
 
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Assuming you meant 'off', then, nope, I am correct.

Naturally, this assumes that you are a stylus tip that has been securely bonded to a pipe end (i.e. you can't rotate laterally about your own vertical centre of axis).

Remember, the vertices on the major axis of an ellipse have the smallest radius of curvature of any points. Any curves you encounter that you can't fit into will require you to increase your elevation.

Of course, you could always turn your toes and elbows outward and become a MicroRidge.;)
For what it's worth, you are incorrect. Major axis of a ellipse is the numerically larger one. That's what should be positioned at a right angle to the stylus travel. The minor axis is the scanning radius and is the "small number" in the stylus specification.

https://www.expii.com/t/major-and-minor-axes-of-an-ellipse-5110
 
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I think a many audiophiles obsess over gaining ultimate performance without giving much though to whether that actually suits their needs. You wouldn't buy a single seater racing car for daily use as, while it might be much better in the context of a circuit, it would be terrible around town.

The same can be true of styluses. Audiophiles wet themselves over the extra detail and clarity they hear on perfect records but the vast majority of our records are far from perfect. Like a racecar on a potholed road, an advanced stylus profile can just make those records sound so bad you don't want to play them.

In any discussion of stylus profiles you need to talk about the context. What do you really want from your record player?
 
What do you really want from your record player?
'Tubular Bells' that sounds like tubular bells right to the end of record side?

Fleetwood Mac 'Rumours' without Christine McVie spitting in my face after I've been caught fantasizing about Stevie Nicks?

To get through Shure's 'Audio Obstacle Course' without running out of the room screaming?

(Ok, that last one was a bit OTT.)
 
I think a many audiophiles obsess over gaining ultimate performance without giving much though to whether that actually suits their needs. You wouldn't buy a single seater racing car for daily use as, while it might be much better in the context of a circuit, it would be terrible around town.

The same can be true of styluses. Audiophiles wet themselves over the extra detail and clarity they hear on perfect records but the vast majority of our records are far from perfect. Like a racecar on a potholed road, an advanced stylus profile can just make those records sound so bad you don't want to play them.

In any discussion of stylus profiles you need to talk about the context. What do you really want from your record player?

The answer to your post or couple others written in the same manner - High Fidelity or HiFi if you prefer :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_fidelity#:~:text=High fidelity (often shortened to,high-quality reproduction of sound.&text=Ideally, high-fidelity equipment has,within the human hearing range.
otherwise buy a cheap radio receiver and enjoy ;) ,
vinyl reproduction is compromised for sure but is this a reason to cut even more corners ? I'm not saying elliptical stylus (in it's standard form) is bad but it's performance is compromised at high frequencies , see: "pinch" effect described earlier and frequency response graphs of ML and MR styluses
 
In any discussion of stylus profiles you need to talk about the context. What do you really want from your record player?

Agree with this. I've asked once or twice on hi-fi forums for advice on which cartridges cope best with less-than-perfect condition vinyl only to be shouted down and told to throw my records away and replace them with pristine copies. Fair enough I guess if you only listen to half a dozen Dire Straits LPs. Trickier if your tastes run to obscure jazz/punk/electronica/etc.

We're not all looking for the same thing.

P.S. I imagine someone will be along in a minute to tell me I'm not an audiophile. Quite possibly true.
 
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I think a many audiophiles obsess over gaining ultimate performance without giving much though to whether that actually suits their needs. You wouldn't buy a single seater racing car for daily use as, while it might be much better in the context of a circuit, it would be terrible around town.

The same can be true of styluses. Audiophiles wet themselves over the extra detail and clarity they hear on perfect records but the vast majority of our records are far from perfect. Like a racecar on a potholed road, an advanced stylus profile can just make those records sound so bad you don't want to play them.

In any discussion of stylus profiles you need to talk about the context. What do you really want from your record player?
And that's the reason I run 8 tables with over 30 carts....No, really.
 
Agree with this. I've asked once or twice on hi-fi forums for advice on which cartridges cope best with less-than-perfect condition vinyl only to be shouted down and told to throw my records away and replace them with pristine copies. Fair enough I guess if you only listen to half a dozen Dire Straits LPs. Trickier if your tastes run to obscure jazz/punk/electronica/etc.

We're not all looking for the same thing.

P.S. I imagine someone will be along in a minute to tell me I'm not an audiophile. Quite possibly true.

The best cartridge I have had for suppressing noise is my current Benz. My collection is certainly not pristine many albums were bought new in the 70's, plenty second hand. Added to those are other people's record collections which have been used and abused. I use one of those discostats and that is that.

Records are for playing not collecting. Maybe you are not an audiophile just someone who loves music. Welcome to the club.
 


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