wylton
Naim and Mana member
I agree with that in principle, but I do wet clean/vac my records. Hardly ever bother with the stylus. I have a Nagaoka brush for fluff and some of the green putty stuff that ESC supply & that's about it tbh.
Stylus cleaning... reccomendations
- Thread starter Greyandy
- Start date
I agree with that in principle, but I do wet clean/vac my records. Hardly ever bother with the stylus. I have a Nagaoka brush for fluff and some of the green putty stuff that ESC supply & that's about it tbh.
Mike Reed
pfm Member
Thanks for bringing that to light, Tony. Unfortunately it took 15 minutes of my life to read everything due to, i.m.o., the importance of this revelation, if that's what it is.
My gel is Vinyl Passion Dust Buster, but I guess it's very similar to/the same as the Onzodust product. In various posts here over the years I've expressed great reservations about the pull against the cartridge design parameters when lifting the stylus from the gel. For this reason I've rarely used it, though it is effective. It never dawned on me that a product so universally used on styli could be so flawed. Furthermore, that it's taken up to now for someone to question its efficacy.
Hope this is followed up. I don't agree with the post about this deposit being spread around the record, though; even if so, surely easily cleaned off by RCM fluid (and esp. alcohol based ones).
Stemcor
I should be listening to music
1. Keep your records clean - it’s obvious !
2. AT637. An excellent device. Use dry or wet but if using wet then let the drop of cleaning fluid sink into the pad before cleaning the stylus.
3. If you’re feeling brave then break the rules and clean the stylus by brushing front to back. Most of the crud will be at the back of the stylus (more obvious) but it takes a steady hand to “work against the cantilever”. I use a Denon 103 so if I did mess up it’s not the end of the world. Those of you who are fortunate enough to own exotic cartridges might think differently.
I use a combination of all 3 but looking after the records and the AT637 means that the nuclear option is rarely used.
2. AT637. An excellent device. Use dry or wet but if using wet then let the drop of cleaning fluid sink into the pad before cleaning the stylus.
3. If you’re feeling brave then break the rules and clean the stylus by brushing front to back. Most of the crud will be at the back of the stylus (more obvious) but it takes a steady hand to “work against the cantilever”. I use a Denon 103 so if I did mess up it’s not the end of the world. Those of you who are fortunate enough to own exotic cartridges might think differently.
I use a combination of all 3 but looking after the records and the AT637 means that the nuclear option is rarely used.
Big Tabs
looking backwards, going forwards
I use a pot of VP dust buster, great for the Goldring 2100, but has no effect on the 2m Black, which I clean with the supplied brush.
Even if the 2m has a visible fluff ball (very rare) the Dust Buster stuff doesn’t pull it off the stylus. Bizarre.
Every now and again, usually aboot 2-3 months I take off the 2m and inspect it with a loupe and sometimes it is gunked up. (I can hear if the stylus is dirty, so usually clean it when my ears complain)
Rarely I wet/damp clean the 2m with distilled water, the soft small brush I use for that I get barely damp. Done using a loupe and lots of extra light. This is very effective, and I can see that the crud has been removed. I work over a clean sheet of plain A4 to get more light.
Mike Reed
pfm Member
Yup !
If you've a MM, it's just so easy to remove the assembly for a loupe check and clean. Likewise, almost, for detachable headshells. Having only expensive m/coils on fixed headshells, an effective yet safe cleaner is of more importance, I feel. Luckily, with an RCM and AT637, a truncated sable brush and RCM mix or simple distilled water, the only problem is eyesight. Luckily, with cleaned records and upmarket cart's, I find very little crud collecting on the stylus. The few hairs or occasional fluff are easily brushed off with the paintbrush, loupe assisted.
InSides
dŵr
I've only ever used the MoFi LP#9, along with the carbon brush that comes with it.
Lately, having added a cartridge with a more advanced stylus profile I seem to notice a bit more gunk / dust on the stylus (the built in loupe on the EMT headshell helps).
So, with the Audio Technica device not available new (and rarely seen for sale) is there any consensus as to how good (mostly how safe) one of the modern replacements for it are?
I was looking at the Flux HiFi, as it's price is not unreasonable.
Lately, having added a cartridge with a more advanced stylus profile I seem to notice a bit more gunk / dust on the stylus (the built in loupe on the EMT headshell helps).
So, with the Audio Technica device not available new (and rarely seen for sale) is there any consensus as to how good (mostly how safe) one of the modern replacements for it are?
I was looking at the Flux HiFi, as it's price is not unreasonable.
Big Tabs
looking backwards, going forwards
Definitely one of the reasons that I don’t go the MC route. Ease of access.
I wouldn’t like to try and wet clean a stylus whilst it was on the tonearm.
Poor eyesight, fingers that don’t obey orders, legs that go random. Recipe for disaster.
jimification
pfm Member
Incoming records (even brand new ones) go onto a pile and don't get played until they have been wet cleaned. After cleaning, every record goes into a mofi anti-static sleeve. That also seems to get rid of many ticks and pops and stops the LP12 mat sticking to records.
Some dust still seems to get onto the stylus, which I clean intermittently with a magic eraser. Examining before and after with a USB microscope shows this works fairly well.
I have abandoned use of Lyra SPT after the Krystal saga. I don't have a Krystal but I'm not taking any chances!
Some dust still seems to get onto the stylus, which I clean intermittently with a magic eraser. Examining before and after with a USB microscope shows this works fairly well.
I have abandoned use of Lyra SPT after the Krystal saga. I don't have a Krystal but I'm not taking any chances!
chris geary
pfm Member
I am shocked and surprised that nobody mentioned Linn's green sandpaper. (or you could just use 800 grit from the store) or better yet, a paper matchbook cover! Beware the staple!
--i personally do not use these things but they are part of the linn orthodoxy. I like the Audio Technica Vibrating brush thing. No liquid ever.
--i personally do not use these things but they are part of the linn orthodoxy. I like the Audio Technica Vibrating brush thing. No liquid ever.
Discwasher SC2 or Project brush.... plus.... stylast. I do one swipe back to front after every side played. Has worked for me for many years with no damage to any stylii. (anyone remember the days when Linn and naim were still buddies and the recommendation then was the striking surface of a match book or alternatively green grit paper?)
Colin123
pfm Member
Do you think the Goldring electronic stylus cleaner...
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265429826529?hash=item3dccd9bbe1:g:7BoAAOSwpQRhpnxc
...will do the same job as the Audio Technica AT637?
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265429826529?hash=item3dccd9bbe1:g:7BoAAOSwpQRhpnxc
...will do the same job as the Audio Technica AT637?
This site contains affiliate links for which pink fish media may be compensated.
I have the Flux cleaner and the sound is quite a bit better after use. I use A smsll stylus brush and VP gel cleaner regularly too.
tpetsch
...The rhythm has Control
I've moved on from the Green Imperial Lapping Film to a strip of Magic Eraser as I feel it encompasses more of the stylus tip with each pass grabbing more debris while still utilizing a micro-fine abrasive cleaning element. ..I still use the Green film from time to time but rarely, following the Magic Eraser pass I sometimes take another swipe or two with my 35 year old Diskwasher horsehair stylus brush just by itself, never with any chemicals.
Oh, and sometimes I'll hold my 35 year old Staticmaster over a spinning LP for a few revolutions before dropping the stylus if I feel the LP is looking a little extra dusty. But at some point I would like to hear the difference between one of my known & loved LP's and then the same LP after being cleaned with Ultrasonic.
Oh, and sometimes I'll hold my 35 year old Staticmaster over a spinning LP for a few revolutions before dropping the stylus if I feel the LP is looking a little extra dusty. But at some point I would like to hear the difference between one of my known & loved LP's and then the same LP after being cleaned with Ultrasonic.
Tony L
Administrator
I can’t recall ever having heard an AKG cart back when they were current. Interesting the overlap with mics, headphones, cartridges etc, I guess transducers have similarities. Neumann, Sennheiser, Audio Technica, AKG, Beyer each had their foot in more than one door. I recall the AKGs being very highly regarded back in the SME Series III and Infinity Black Widow low mass days.
Craig B
Re:trophile
The most interesting thing about the AKG P series cartridges was that they were blatant rip offs of Ortofon's VMS generator with a bit of LM/OM style thrown in. One need only pull the stylus assembly out of an AKG P series and have a look into the body aperture to see the similarities. The only notable difference was that AKG positioned their cylindrical magnet within the cartridge body proper vs. Ortofon having this as part of the removable stylus assembly.
The dates of AKG's patent applications bear this borrowing of generator design out, quite some time after Ortofon's Concord and LM/OM models, not to mention F/FF/VMS.
Orbe Chaser
pfm Member
I am surprised no-one has mentioned one thing that I use every day for fluff, & that is a camera lens air puffer. No physical contact & works beautifully.
Mike Reed
pfm Member
Don't know about this. Lyra SPT is a well-known product. What happened?
Don't see why not as it'll probably work on the same principle and Goldring, like AT, have been in the business for donkey's years. However, that ad. must be the cheapest thing than Emporium Bungay (up the road from me) have ever advertised; things must be tough !
The brushes on both machines, which are densely packed, do wear concavely a bit and get a little matted so that's the thing to watch. Otherwise, cheaper than a used AT637 at £29.
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