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Is a not perfecly aligned stylus capable of destryoing records?

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Posted on July 19, 2014 at 05:42:50
Ymer
Audiophile

Posts: 8
Joined: July 19, 2014
 Hello guys,

Been having a hard time with an AT95 in an ULM arm. Maybe it's just not a good match.

Fact is, I still get some(little) IGD, some sharp Ss and, overall, to my ears, the sound is just a little busy. It does sound good at points and I've checked everything a million times.

To be completely honest, I've only managed to perfectly align and live with fine lines to this date. Tried a gazillion elliptical, never ever got any of them right.

Anyway, my concern is: could this be eating away at my records? Or is an elliptical in an ULM arm tracking at 2g not a source of concern, ever?

Thank you all in advance!

 

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Yes, but not in any dramatic fashion. , posted on July 19, 2014 at 06:06:47
StephenJK
 As long as we're not talking about the Dual record changer with the quarter taped to the headshell so that it won't skip.

With tracking weight set too high or with antiskate set way off, the stylus and record will both experience accelerated wear. If the stylus was good for 1,000 hours, then an extremely poor setup could cut that in half. A poor setup, maybe 75% of possible life, subjectively speaking.

A record played on a good turntable setup can be played as many times as desired without damaging the record. A stylus will wear over time.

Have you ever bought a used record that looked absolutely perfect? One with a nice clean, clear and iridescent vinyl surface. And then when you played it at home it was nothing but surface noise with a lot of crackle. That's the record that was played with a poor turntable setup.

I'll leave it up to others to comment on how many plays are needed to cause significant damage with a poor setup.

John Elison, what do you think?

 

Depends..., posted on July 19, 2014 at 08:24:17
Bry
Manufacturer

Posts: 5610
Location: S. Florida
Joined: July 21, 2005
 You could argue that a perfectly aligned stylus is slowly destroying your records. :)

You can't ever really achieve perfect alignment, and there's still some debate as to what perfect would be anyway. With USB microscopes you can probably get pretty darn close in most respects. The important thing is to be close enough to be in the zone, as it were.

Some misalignment will simply result in increased distortion. If the problem is bad enough, tracking is affected which can wear out a record pretty quickly. And of course any setting which applies too much force will accelerate wear aside from tracking.

 

RE: Yes, but not in any dramatic fashion. , posted on July 19, 2014 at 13:10:32
John Elison
Audiophile

Posts: 23900
Location: Central Kentucky
Joined: December 20, 2000
Contributor
  Since: January 29, 2004
 > John Elison, what do you think?

I think you've pretty much nailed it.

LPs normally wear out very slowly when played on a properly adjusted turntable. Other than putting a quarter on the headshell, a worn stylus is probably the most dangerous and will definitely cause premature vinyl damage very quickly. I don't think cartridge alignment is much of a factor, though. Too little vertical tracking force and stylus wear are the biggies. Of course, you don't want to too much vertical tracking force either, but too little VTF will cause mistracking and premature groove damage.

With regard to sibilance problems, it is possible the grooves have already been damaged. I have an elliptical stylus on my Technics SL-1200 and I don't notice any more sibilance distortion than with the line-contact stylus in my Sota Millennia turntable. There could also be problems elsewhere in the tonearm that are causing sibilance distortion. This type of distortion is sometimes difficult to troubleshoot and eliminate. I feel fortunate that I haven't had sibilance problems in my system for many years.

Good luck,
John Elison

 

For me this is part of what makes records endearing and enduring, posted on July 19, 2014 at 14:12:06
M3 lover
Audiophile

Posts: 6599
Location: SW Mich
Joined: May 29, 2005
Contributor
  Since: July 4, 2007
 I have 45s dating back to junior high and LPs I bought while in high school. Those were played on an inexpensive Steelman portable with a BSR changer. The stylus was a flip-over type with 33/45 on one side and 78 on the other. Now maybe I just took better care of those records than the average teenager but they still sound pretty good today.

Also I have a few old favorite albums I've been playing with some regularity for 50 years. So do any of the above sound like new? Of course not. But if records played on that type of system, and everything utilized over the years in between, can still sound surprisingly good then I think vinyl is a pretty forgiving medium.

None of this is to suggest that a badly aligned or mis-tracking stylus cannot damage a record. I've bought enough used records that looked very clean but played with obvious distortion to know better.

"The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing, if you can fake that you've got it made." Groucho

 

DO NOT Think Negative Thoughts Near the Turntable, posted on July 19, 2014 at 17:38:07
HotStamper
 That will make your inner groove distort even more!
; )

 

"Perfectly"?, posted on July 19, 2014 at 20:47:54
hesson11
Audiophile

Posts: 2280
Location: Florida
Joined: December 8, 2005
 After reading Keith Howard's Stereophile article "Arc Angles" a couple of years ago, I'd be surprised if any cartridge has ever been "perfectly" aligned, unless it occurred by chance. I believe all we can do is get decently close. And unless a cart is badly misaligned, I doubt it could do much damage.
-Bob

 

Interesting article..., posted on July 20, 2014 at 15:12:29
John Elison
Audiophile

Posts: 23900
Location: Central Kentucky
Joined: December 20, 2000
Contributor
  Since: January 29, 2004
 Although, I believe that when using an accurate arc protractor, both overhang and offset can be set more precisely than ±0.5-mm and ±0.5° respectively. I don't know that I can prove it, but I feel pretty strongly about it. One thing is for certain, I have always been satisfied with my ability to align my own phono cartridges and I rarely experience audible problems in my vinyl playback system.

Best regards,
John Elison

 

I doubt it. I listen to 50 year old records that still sound quieter than something fresh off the production , posted on July 20, 2014 at 15:39:05
jdaniel@jps.net
 lines today.

Try a Shure cart.

 

RE: DO NOT Think Negative Thoughts Near the Turntable, posted on July 20, 2014 at 16:46:42
Duaney
Audiophile

Posts: 275
Location: Coconut Grove, Fl
Joined: August 5, 2007
 Sound advice!! Very cool in a metaphysical/ocean way!!!

Regards,

Duane in Coconut Grove

 

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