![]() ![]() ![]() The cartridge will be secured very tightly to the headshell to prevent any movement. Therefore, we believe that an elliptical stylus tracking at 2 grams represents the most common scenario among today's vinyl enthusiasts. The 2 gram tracking force of the VMN95E is also highly representative: the six cartridges listed above have tracking forces ranging from 1.75 grams (Rega Elys 2) to 2.3 grams (Ortofon Quintet Red), with an average of 2.0 grams. Examples are the Ortofon 2M Red (MM, $100), Clearaudio Concept V2 (MM, $250), Rega Elys 2 (MM, $350), Ortofon Quintet Red (MC, $400), Hana EL (MC, $475), and Sumiko Songbird (MC, $900). This cartridge has a bonded 0.3 x 0.7 mil elliptical diamond with recommended VTF of 2 grams, which is representative of those used in a wide variety of today's most popular moving magnet (MM) and moving coil (MC) cartridges at many different price points. shtml.The TT will be fitted with a new Audio Technica VM95E cartridge. He will use a very good quality Sanyo Q50 turntable (TT) as seen here. VE member has volunteered to run the experiment as outlined above. Typical household environmental conditions Stylus cleaned and alignment checked periodically Records cleaned with widely accepted methods ![]() Play multiple LPs in VG+ or better used condition Alignment and anti-skating per manufacturer Standard but good quality turntable with dust cover This procedure was deemed too different from normal use by a majority of observers.Ī proposed more mainstream set of conditions would be as follows: That experiment used a linear-tracking turntable, a low VTF cartridge, and repeated play of a single side of a vinyl record for the duration of the test, 1,000 hours. Unfortunately, his results were not widely accepted due to the nature of test conditions. Determining how long a diamond stylus lasts regardless of its shape is like asking how long is a piece of string with multiple answers offered for the same stylus shape.Ī first attempt to address this question was made by SHF member Parkhurst (Note, aka Vinyl Engine member in his Stylus Wear Study recorded on the Vinyl Engine website (. Unfortunately this work is not available to consumers and that fact has created significant confusion. Ideally this work would come from the industry, updated to include a full range of stylus shapes, including newer advanced stylus shapes that simulate the cutting head used in making record stampers. What is needed to support any claim on stylus life is an experimental framework used to gather data across a range of stylus shapes and VTF conditions. This recognition of more believable stylus wear lifetimes is welcomed, but without support these claims are assumed to be marketing numbers, even if well intended. In one pertinent recent example, Ortofon moved from stating “up to 2,000 hours” in stylus wear to “Ortofon recommends replacing your stylus after no more than 1,000 hours to preserve the life of your records” in the June 2023 issue of Stereophile. That period coincided with compact discs (CD) displacing vinyl records, a trend that has only recently reversed, with vinyl now eclipsing CD sales. To add to consumer confusion, a review of select manufacturer’s owners’ manuals from the early 1980s onward reveal a dramatic change in much longer stated wear hours along with less specificity and greater ambiguity in their statements. The problem, however, is that manufacturers don’t provide contemporary research or data to support these longer life claims. We have even read claims for certain stylus shapes lasting up to 20,000 hours. Manufacturer’s claims for example range from a few hundred hours for conical styli, up to 500 hours for elliptical styli, and into the thousands of hours for more advanced shapes. Based on discussions in various threads on multiple audio forums, the lifetime in wear hours of a phonograph stylus remains an open and frequently debated question. ![]()
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