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Mm stylus experts..
my listening experience suggests that the modern styli shapes are much better (quieter, more informational and usually more musical ) than elliptical needles. Anyone replaced the
t. Needle on technics epc100, epc205, grace ruby.. if so with what? Soundsmith? Or? Any downsides on needle replacement ..thqnks ahead of time.. feel free to chime in wit educated opi th opinion. By the way.. my experiments with mc retip with 3 vendors has been very positive. Now I want to try mm retips..at heart... i am an mm guy but am forced to use mc because there seems to be choice in mc world. Would like to see technics and grace cartridges back in play. Would Be Interesting to see if these cartridges can edge he music maker offerings.
Kind regard
Follow Ups:
In general, yes, the more advanced types do potentially sound quieter etc. However, the caveat is that you get the HTA and SRA "optimally" aligned. If anything is "off" including azimuth and antiskate, then you may find them disappointing. The longer the contact line (e.g Paratrace or Replicant 100), the more critical the alignment. If you don't have VTA optimally set, then during mistracking, you are likely to do more damage to the groove than with an elliptical even taking into account the increase in pressure with an elliptical cut. Shibata tips have a curving contact line and can be very tricky to optimally align for SRA since the cut is made such that the shank/tip axis is NOT the same as the actual effective rake angle. You have to take it on faith somewhat that the tip was correctly mounted. Personally I wouldn't choose a Shibata tip. However, others on the forum seem to like it.
If you do have the tools to accurately set up your alignment and ensure your records are clean before play, then a line contact stylus is the way to go - a SoundSmith OLC will sound wonderful (I had a DL160 retipped with this). However, it is EXTREMELY fussy of alignment!
Personally I like Microline or Paratrace (which is similar if not the same cut as a VdH).
Regards Anthony
"Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty.." Keats
Hi Anthony
thanks for feesback.
will line contact stylii work on mm.. i hqve not yet done a mm retip.. thanks.
Hi Anthony
thanks for feesback.
will line contact stylii work on mm.. i hqve not yet done a mm retip.. thanks.
Absolutely they will! I have a lot of experience with Stanton/Pickering MM and MI cartridges. At their peak, they produced two versions of most of their styli (for both MI and MM) - one elliptical and one line contact. Irrespective of the body, the line contact was noticeably better than the corresponding elliptical in tracing ability - providing both a more extended frequency response as well as lower harmonic distortion.
The only reason NOT to choose a line contact for your MM is if the suspension is damaged (such that a stable VTA and SRA cannot be maintained) or if you don't have the necessary tools to align the tip accurately; in which case you may actually get a better overall sound with an elliptical.
Expert Stylus in the UK offer a Paratrace as their top stylus (similar to VdH which will give you possibly the best tip life) or Soundsmith. I recommend NOT going for the "Optimised Line Contact" unless you are absolutely sure you can align the cartridge "perfectly". Go for the second level "Line Contact" as it is a little less fussy - other inmates have used this option and are delighted with the results.
Regards Anthony
"Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty.." Keats
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