Hi!
I am looking to upgrade my playback stylus, currently just using a Ortofon Blue 2m on a Rega 250 arm, but looking for something a little more neutral if possible. My budget is around €400 (could potentially go higher), does anyone have any recommendations?
Playback Reference Stylus
Moderators: piaptk, tragwag, Steve E., Aussie0zborn
Re: Playback Reference Stylus
My initial question would be 'reference in what sense?'
If this is for checking that a cut will play back successfully on a wide range of reproducers, then you probably want an old school conical stylus as this is worst case for osculating circle size, but that is a very different sort of thing from a really good modern super elliptical or line contact design that generally sound better and can track more extreme HF (But also wears faster).
I keep a conical on the lathe arm as that is generally used for technical assessments and a mid line super elliptical on the record player because that sounds nicer... Different tools for different jobs.
If this is for checking that a cut will play back successfully on a wide range of reproducers, then you probably want an old school conical stylus as this is worst case for osculating circle size, but that is a very different sort of thing from a really good modern super elliptical or line contact design that generally sound better and can track more extreme HF (But also wears faster).
I keep a conical on the lathe arm as that is generally used for technical assessments and a mid line super elliptical on the record player because that sounds nicer... Different tools for different jobs.
Re: Playback Reference Stylus
Sorry i meant more of a modern elliptical type, purely for comparison in the house alongside other records, not for the technical side of things with my cuts.
Re: Playback Reference Stylus
I use a Denon DL103 for that reason. Besides an Ortofon SPU, which is my too expensive favorite, the 103 is the rare high quality cartridge with a conical stylus. I actually prefer a conical stylus to an elliptical. It has a pretty flat frequency response but will easily show tracing distortion.
I like conical styli because although they show the onset of distortion earlier than an elliptical I find the resulting distortion less objectionable. If you physically adjust a fine line to an individual record you can get better playback. That’s only practical for paid transfers.
If I wanted something everyone else has it would be an Ortofon Red because it comes with a lot of turntables. Same with the Blue I guess.
Re: Playback Reference Stylus
Thanks dmills and gold for the input, it's massively appreciated. I'll be going down the route of a conical and a elliptical, as you say, different tools fo different jobs.
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Re: Playback Reference Stylus
Forgive me if this is common knowledge, but I have a warning about Ortofon Red (and possible blue etc.): its easy to pull the pins out of the back of the cart when you remove the headshell wires. I learnt that lesson the hard way, and it doesn't seem possible to reinsert them in a way that makes them connect back up to coils since they are buried inside a metal casing, which is then buried inside a lump of moulded plastic.
Had I know this might happen, I probably would have loosened the crimp a little on the wires, or if it were too late for that, I would have possibly tried to hold the cartridge in a vice somehow, then push a small rod against the end of the pin, to counter the force of pulling the wires off. But since all the cartridges I have ever used would happily rip a headshell wire to pieces, I didn't see the need until it was too late.
I don't know why Ortofon would go to the trouble of making it impossible to remove the metal casing, while at the same time making it trivial to slide the pins out of the same lump of plastic, destroying the whole cartridge in the process. I couldn't believe it when it came out - they are just brass pins, with no contouring, no knurling, no flange... I mean why not just add some lube in there and be done with it? Looking at some prices online, I see the stylus (@ £64) costs £30 less than the cart+stylus combo (@ £94).. which is the opposite of what you would expect. I see there are 13 or so other models which all seem to share the same basic design, some costing almost a grand, so I really hope this basic design flaw has been addressed (which in fairness, it might, but shame on them if it hasn't because they have been aware of it since at least 2011 according to one forum post I saw: https://www.vinylengine.com/turntable_forum/viewtopic.php?t=34508).
In terms of recommendations, it really depends on the criteria. I tend to use what my clients mostly use and they tend to fall into two camps.. Ortofon Concorde or the late great Shure M44-7. Whatever you choose, if you are playing back acetate I would strongly recommend not using elliptical (unless its a test cut and you only want to listen to it once) because it will strip the top end off in one pass. I would also recommend wearing your stylus in before playing anything critical with it. I leave my new ones playing a locked groove of white noise (vinyl) before letting them anywhere near a piece of work. Once that's done I check it on a bit of virgin acetate and give it a few passes to see if the surface noise builds up with undue speed. If not, it's good to go, but I repeat these checks every time I cut a lacquer just to keep on top of any dirt build up or damage.
Had I know this might happen, I probably would have loosened the crimp a little on the wires, or if it were too late for that, I would have possibly tried to hold the cartridge in a vice somehow, then push a small rod against the end of the pin, to counter the force of pulling the wires off. But since all the cartridges I have ever used would happily rip a headshell wire to pieces, I didn't see the need until it was too late.
I don't know why Ortofon would go to the trouble of making it impossible to remove the metal casing, while at the same time making it trivial to slide the pins out of the same lump of plastic, destroying the whole cartridge in the process. I couldn't believe it when it came out - they are just brass pins, with no contouring, no knurling, no flange... I mean why not just add some lube in there and be done with it? Looking at some prices online, I see the stylus (@ £64) costs £30 less than the cart+stylus combo (@ £94).. which is the opposite of what you would expect. I see there are 13 or so other models which all seem to share the same basic design, some costing almost a grand, so I really hope this basic design flaw has been addressed (which in fairness, it might, but shame on them if it hasn't because they have been aware of it since at least 2011 according to one forum post I saw: https://www.vinylengine.com/turntable_forum/viewtopic.php?t=34508).
In terms of recommendations, it really depends on the criteria. I tend to use what my clients mostly use and they tend to fall into two camps.. Ortofon Concorde or the late great Shure M44-7. Whatever you choose, if you are playing back acetate I would strongly recommend not using elliptical (unless its a test cut and you only want to listen to it once) because it will strip the top end off in one pass. I would also recommend wearing your stylus in before playing anything critical with it. I leave my new ones playing a locked groove of white noise (vinyl) before letting them anywhere near a piece of work. Once that's done I check it on a bit of virgin acetate and give it a few passes to see if the surface noise builds up with undue speed. If not, it's good to go, but I repeat these checks every time I cut a lacquer just to keep on top of any dirt build up or damage.