That's not a wobbly platter ... is the impressed dots with tiny imperfections. Nothing you can see from your seat position
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Is a line contact stylus (Shibata, Microline, Special line contact) a bad choice for worn or damaged records?
- Thread starter Drakon
- Start date
That's not a wobbly platter ... is the impressed dots with tiny imperfections. Nothing you can see from your seat position
- Thread Starter
- #22
You've all given good information to chew on. Looks like removable headshell and potential shibata. I'd do fixed if there was substantial expected life.
For those using line contact what's a best guess for hours of life?
Given the time I did listen years ago and subtracting streaming time today I'm feel a few hours a week TT time would be about right.
Of course I can't say I won't swap cartridges but knowing myself I'll much more likely use whatever I choose until it's worn.
For those using line contact what's a best guess for hours of life?
Given the time I did listen years ago and subtracting streaming time today I'm feel a few hours a week TT time would be about right.
Of course I can't say I won't swap cartridges but knowing myself I'll much more likely use whatever I choose until it's worn.
If you believe JICO a line contact will last 500 hours:
Diamond tips differ in the shape and timbre changes according to that. How about changing your stylus by the music genres?
1. Conical
The Conical stylus is the most standard stylus type.DJs prefer this. Product lifetime is about 200 playing hours.2. Elliptical
The Elliptical tip is good at reproducing high frequency area. Product lifetime is about 150 playing hours.3. Shibata
The Shibata stylus can play 4-channel sound on quadraphonic records.Product lifetime is about 400 playing hours.4. Hyper Elliptical
The Hyper Elliptical stylus is thinner than the Elliptical stylus. This gives additional frequency response. Product lifetime is about 400 playing hours.5. Super Analog Stylus (SAS)
The SAS is the JICO’s original model. That tip resembles the cutting stylus and can trace record grooves precisely. The SAS is excellent at reproducing both high and low frequencies. Product lifetime is about 500 playing hours.
Haskil
Addicted to Fun and Learning
Worse than tubes... these lifespans of diamonds depending on their size...
The LP is definitely not made for a music lover addicted to music... if you have to change the diamond every 200 or 600 records listened to... 150 or 500 hours...
In the days of my youth, which was the heyday of the stereophonic 33 rpm record which shortly and conveniently preceded its replacement by the CD, the manufacturers gave 1000 hours... of life for a diamond.
So the diamond of 2024 is much less hard than that of 1980?
More likely JICO wants to sell more
WDeranged
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This is something i've noticed. It's almost always the dots that are wobbly, not the platter. Even the models without dots have silver metal trim around the edge of the platter that can look wobbly.
To be fair it shouldn't happen on a premium product like the Technics but I'm fairly certain most platters are actually level.
somebodyelse
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https://www.hifi-advice.com/blog/audiophile-insights/analog-insights/phono-cartridge-stylus-shapes/
Among other things it points to wildly varying estimates of stylus life.
Among other things it points to wildly varying estimates of stylus life.
AT specifies an average of 1000 hours.
FWIW, stylus life is a frequent topic of discussion/argument on forums. Manufacturers have been all over the map for decades regarding stylus life. I'm not convinced at all that some of the extremely conservative numbers thrown around are correct. As another poster noted, asking the hobbyist to replace a stylus that costs almost as much as a new cartridge every 200-300 hours would incur substantial additional costs, bordering on the ludicrous, for heavy listeners. A source of frustration on another forum I frequent is that one of the biggest voices pushing short stylus life just happens to be a hobbyist who now sells retipping services.
Also, think about all of the decades-old used records many of us have picked up. I own hundreds of old records from the 1970s and 1980s picked up randomly along the way. We can certainly say that many of them were played on old consoles with old styli, quarters taped to headshells and the like. Yet, I very rarely listen to a bargain bin record that sounds damaged, and most hobbyists I know can say the same. How could that possibly be the case if styli turn into cutting chisels after a couple hundred hours of use? It simply cannot be the case.
What I find more compelling is the idea that depending on vinyl formulation and VTF, the stylus glides over the vinyl surfaces and only 'cuts' away at the material itself in extreme circumstances. I read a white paper once asserting that the stylus can be understood better in terms of surfing/gliding over the vinyl, such that even as the stylus facets wear the stylus continues to glide, not cut. These vinyl records have turned out to be wildly durable over decades of use and abuse.
Last, every week I see posts in other forums noting that the poster wants/needs to replace a cartridge that has been in use with same stylus for years. They often cannot remember how long it's been in use or how many hours of play, but these posts never include complaints about ruined vinyl, reduced fidelity, etc.
Haskil
Addicted to Fun and Learning
I completely agree with you, hence my ironic message...
There're some objective tests, comparing digital recordings with the stylus brand new and then at 100, 200, ... hours.
Elliptical at 500 hours doesn't have any audible difference ... I believe more in AT ... they say 500 for elliptical and 1000 for microline/shibata.
I think Jico only wants more clients
(One detail, we're talking always with CLEAN stylus and records)
Elliptical at 500 hours doesn't have any audible difference ... I believe more in AT ... they say 500 for elliptical and 1000 for microline/shibata.
I think Jico only wants more clients
(One detail, we're talking always with CLEAN stylus and records)
somebodyelse
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- Thread Starter
- #33
I think many serious LP owners maintain(ed) good housekeeping habits - cleaning records, cleaning stylus and keeping dust covers down. Then there were the groups that used surface treatments like Soundguard. Remember that one? Zero stat guns and carbon brushes. My old table has a carbon brush that rides on the album. Whether it was drawing more dust than removing i never knew but the tips were regularly dust covered.There're some objective tests, comparing digital recordings with the stylus brand new and then at 100, 200, ... hours.
Elliptical at 500 hours doesn't have any audible difference ... I believe more in AT ... they say 500 for elliptical and 1000 for microline/shibata.
I think Jico only wants more clients
(One detail, we're talking always with CLEAN stylus and records)
So much of this would contribute to less groove wear and damage from grinding debris into the walls.
The argument for understating stylus life expectancy also improves, however slightly the aversion to fixed heads for the casual listener.
