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Cartridge life.

Dark Energy said:
Stylast!
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I am Not so sure about using Stylast any more. I did use it in the past for each record change and it probably reduces friction and therefore record wear, but I think it migrates up the cantilever and probably contributed to the deterioration of my Koetsu Rosewood's suspension.

I still have some in the bottle as even with continued use it seems to last forever, but I no longer risk using it.
 
poco a poco said:
I am Not so sure about using Stylast any more. I did use it in the past for each record change and it probably reduces friction and therefore record wear, but I think it migrates up the cantilever and probably contributed to the deterioration of my Koetsu Rosewood's suspension.

I still have some in the bottle as even with continued use it seems to last forever, but I no longer risk using it.
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I never actually used it, I was too worried about what it might do to vinyl, the only cartridge I wish I had used it with, despite owning several Koetsu, and lots of other exotica was a Win Labs FET10 now that was truly exotic!
 
Dark Energy said:
I never actually used it, I was too worried about what it might do to vinyl, the only cartridge I wish I had used it with, despite owning several Koetsu, and lots of other exotica was a Win Labs FET10 now that was truly exotic!
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But surely Stylast is only applied to the stylus/cantilever and allowed to dry/evaporate before playing. This would obviate any chance of fluid migration as the cart. would be facing down anyway. I don't know this stuff, but have been tempted on occasion.
 
Capillary action defies gravity, and is especially problematic with hollow cantilevers.
 
Have used Stylast for years without an issue. Last three carts were EMT JSD6, EMT TSD-15 and DV XX-2.
 
Two comments I'd make. Firstly, I think there are differences in cartridge life, regardless of the stylus profile, though that may be the biggest determinant and I believe Koetsu is the longest. I am not sure why, but they seem to go on forever, without record damage.

Secondly, I'm surprised no one has mentioned re-tipping. Yes I know it is costly and the cartridge can not be the same with a different stylus or cantilever. Expert Stylus has done a number of mine, including two Koetsu. I just got back my Ortofon SPU Synergy, it cost a shade under £300. They have all been excellent, when I got them back. I haven't tried it yet, my other cartridge is a Benz LP, coming to the point it needs a check over.

I can hear the replies already, "What, £300!!" Yes it is a lot and it means arbitrarily that for sub £1000 cartridges, it isn't economic. For more expensive ones, I think it makes great sense. I tend to buy more expensive cartridges, second hand. The plan now is to keep the Benz LP and SPU indefinitely, till they can not be re-tipped any more, if that day ever comes. They'll probably outlive me.
 
James said:
Capillary action defies gravity, and is especially problematic with hollow cantilevers.
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I agree, but capillary action is negligible in a stationary boron cantilever, and even in an ally (hollow) one, you'd need to be excessive or clumsy provided the cart. is not playing. Shouldn't think Stylast is alcohol based, so some time needs to be given for evaporation, I guess, unlike IPA based cleaner or similar.
 
david12 said:
..... and I believe Koetsu is the longest.

Secondly, I'm surprised no one has mentioned re-tipping. Yes I know it is costly and the cartridge can not be the same with a different stylus or cantilever. Expert Stylus has done a number of mine, including two Koetsus. I just got back my Ortofon SPU Synergy, it cost a shade under £300. They have all been excellent, when I got them back.

I can hear the replies already, "What, £300!!" Yes it is a lot and it means arbitrarily that for sub £1000 cartridges, it isn't economic. For more expensive ones, I think it makes great sense.
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£300 IS peanuts when it comes to £1.5 K cart's or dearer, but whereas ESCo are au fait with Benz (they sell them), their track record with Ks is more inconsistent. The Benz styli are glued (twice) and others are slotted/crimped; possibly, as well as being glued. However, the prospect of sending a K back to Japan for complete refurbishment (which is all they do) at a phenomenal price , does make re-tipping etc. tempting.

Ks take longer than other cart's to burn in (up to 100 hours) and this may be connected to their widely attested longevity of 2000hours plus. Don't know how, though !:) Boron has become expensive, further complicating cantilever replacement prices from the number of British and European cartridge refurbishment companies.
 
Just sent my Lyra Helikon to ESCo today for checking/retipping. I have looked at new cartridges, AT's, Hana, Rega in the £500 region but are these really going to have the same refinement as my Lyra?
 
I was told I could expect 4,000 hours from what I was using.

That works out to be 240,000 minutes.

1 album a day for a year = 16,200 minutes or almost 15 years
2 = 7.5 years
3 = 5 years
4 = 3.7 years
5 = 2.9 years

How many albums a day do you average?
 
I have a slightly different take on this. My first turntable was a Ferguson with amplifier and speakers that were attached to the sides and you could unhook. It had a diamond and sapphire stylus on it.

A good number of my albums started out on that and are neither damaged nor sound bad. My first proper album was Fog on the Tyne and sounds superb.

As I have gone up the turntable quality mountain the weakest link has been the crap that is modern records that seem to damage themselves if they look at a stylus.

Records are robust. At least old ones are. If it sounds bad change. Simples.
 
John said:
How many albums a day do you average?
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I'd rather count slabs of vinyl, not albums. I have quite a few multi-slab albums. So a double LP gets double count.

I average four LPs three days a week. A Hana ML with its micro-ridge stylus has a longer life than most profiles. All my records are wet-vacuum cleaned too, so I'm arbitrarily assigning a minimum of 1,500 hours of playing time. On that basis, I should not need to worry about a worn stylus for three years. I'll have a peer under a microscope then.
 
My Dynavector XX-2 has just started to sound off and I couldn’t remember how old it is. After a bit of research I
found I bought it in November 2015.
I have never kept a tally of hours used and it’s hard to guess as sessions are of irregular lengths. I think I play something five or six days a week and up until a month ago it was sounding great.
I don’t want to ruin my records so I’m holding off playing any more until I have heard the Solstice. I just hope that’s soon!
 
tonysmith said:
My Dynavector XX-2 has just started to sound off and I couldn’t remember how old it is. After a bit of research I
found I bought it in November 2015.
I have never kept a tally of hours used and it’s hard to guess as sessions are of irregular lengths. I think I play something five or six days a week and up until a month ago it was sounding great.
I don’t want to ruin my records so I’m holding off playing any more until I have heard the Solstice. I just hope that’s soon!
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I have two (2) Dynavector XX2(II) cartridges. Possibly not the best cart I have ever owned in every respect, but certainly the best all- rounder. The design is brilliant- nearest thing to a cart without a body- but safe from prying fingers (within reason).

I send them via Pear Audio back to Japan for rebuilding after 1000 hours or so, and everything that moves is replaced, tested (response plotted on a graph-graph returned to me) and sounds like new when back on my arm.

My method of recording use is to put a mark on a sheet of paper every time a record is played. 1 mark =40 minutes. At the end of each month I count the number of marks, do the maths to calculate hours and minutes, draw a line under it and total up hours used so far.

I have microscope, loupe, other gismos that I almost never use. My DVXX2(II) never sounds 'off' even after a bit more than 1000 hours.

My system is very revealing re differences between recordings. I am pleased that poor recordings sound somewhere between poor and dreadful.
 
I recall someone from Lyra saying that for their own, and indeed any other properly designed MC cartridge using a modern stylus profile, wear was effectively a myth as with proper alignment etc the stylus would almost invariably outlive the suspension. Based on what they had seen on cartridges returned for repair/exchange, they advised the best thing you could do to prolong the life of your cartridge was to ensure your arm lift was properly serviced and set up to lower the stylus on to the record as gently as possible as this was when they believed the greatest force was being exerted on the suspension...
 
My method of recording use is to put a mark on a sheet of paper every time a record is played. 1 mark =40 minutes. At the end of each month I count the number of marks, do the maths to calculate hours and minutes, draw a line under it and total up hours used so far.
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eguth said:
I have two (2) Dynavector XX2(II) cartridges. Possibly not the best cart I have ever owned in every respect, but certainly the best all- rounder. The design is brilliant- nearest thing to a cart without a body- but safe from prying fingers (within reason).

I send them via Pear Audio back to Japan for rebuilding after 1000 hours or so, and everything that moves is replaced, tested (response plotted on a graph-graph returned to me) and sounds like new when back on my arm.

My method of recording use is to put a mark on a sheet of paper every time a record is played. 1 mark =40 minutes. At the end of each month I count the number of marks, do the maths to calculate hours and minutes, draw a line under it and total up hours used so far.

I have microscope, loupe, other gismos that I almost never use. My DVXX2(II) never sounds 'off' even after a bit more than 1000 hours.

My system is very revealing re differences between recordings. I am pleased that poor recordings sound somewhere between poor and dreadful.
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Thanks very much a very simple and obvious idea that I would never have thought of!
 
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