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Ever Damage A Stylus Using Cleaning Brush?

I’m having a moment of audiophile anxiety. Help me Obi Wans of this forum!

I’d been using the DS Audio ST50 gel cleaner for my Benz Micro Ebony L cartridge. Due to recent uncertainties about the possible liabilities of those type of cleaners I bought a carbon fiber stylus brush, from boundlessaudio.

I use the Audio Intelligent cleaning fluid.

Everything has been fine, and I’ve never been sure how much pressure to apply to brushing the needle, so I’ve always tried the lightest touch possible. Sometimes, though, the middle aged hands aren’t as steady and I can give it a bit more pressure than I was planning.

So last night I lifted up the needle mid track to clean the needle. Couple of very light brushes just skimming the bottom of the needle, always back to front of the needle as recommended. With the system still on I can also hear how light or not I’m brushing, hearing the sound coming through the speakers. But the last brush stroke went up a bit higher, slightly submerging more of the stylus giving it a bit of a bump up and a louder sound through the speakers. Didn’t think too much of it. But when I sat back to listen I could swear the sound had altered slightly, like the sound had gotten a tiny bit lightened, brightened, forward vs the "inky black background" I’d just been listening to.

Just how plausible is it that I may have damaged or shifted something in the stylus?

In thinking it through it seems to me if any real force had been applied, since the stylus was not at all locked in to the holder, it would have bounced the arm up somewhat. But didn’t. Second, it seems to me there is at least as much force simply dropping the needle on to the record.

But I could be wrong. And I don’t know if the tonal change was all in my head. (I’m hoping it is...but even listening today I still seem to perceive a slightly different tone).

Any thoughts on this truly First World problem?

 

 

prof
mulveling's avatar
mulveling
1,947 posts
 

Most would cringe at my Magic Eraser usage. I use a drop of water, and do a dip and then a gentle back & forth "rotational scrub" before lifting again 😂 Then repeat on a dry section. Plus a few simple dip & lifts for good measure. Use a dry brush afterword. The key is being aware "is this within NORMAL playback forces"?

I’ve done this over 3 years on my primary Koetsu Blue Lace DC cartridge. Plus other high end MC’s, too. No problems. I don’t do this quite every session - once every few sessions.

Brush the stylus well after each and every side. NO EXCEPTIONS. Brush up & down the cantilever and front yoke after every session.

I also use LAST liquid stylus cleaner after sessions when I don’t feel like doing the Magic Eraser thing.

I’ve used the Onzow and DS Audio gels in the past, when I felt like being lazy. NO PROBLEM with these. Well, the problem is that they don’t clean very well. They remove easily visible dust bunnies, sure. But if you’re collecting such large blobs on your stylus then your cleaning regimen SUCKS! The Magic Eraser and liquid cleaners help keep you diamond free of plaques & blackening (visible under magnification) and shining like new. Clean your records too, obviously. I haven’t seen a dust bunny collect on a stylus for years.

prof OP
3,479 posts
 

 

Well, even though I could swear the tone changed a bit, things still sound fantastic so I'll have to go with "it was my imagination."

 

 

mulveling's avatar
mulveling
1,947 posts
 

@prof

Well, even though I could swear the tone changed a bit, things still sound fantastic so I’ll have to go with "it was my imagination."

I can admit that I had a similar experience many years ago, with an Ortofon Windfeld MC. A good friend brought over a "Bad Company" LP, and unaware to both us it had a single very large granule of hard baked-on grit (even after cleaning) near the end of a side. It made a ridiculously loud BANG through my speakers and I was worried of stylus damage. Of course now I realize how audible any damage would be. But for a while I was quite paranoid "does it really sound 100% as good as it did before??". Psychology is a hell of a drug. And we also have day-to-day changes which shift our perceptions. It took me a while to settle down the paranoia. The cartridge was fine.

Since then, I carefully inspect any new-to-me records under light before playback. 

prof OP
3,479 posts
 

Well, there's also the fact that the reason I lifted the needle in the first place is that I've had this occasional distortion problem.  I'll be listening to an album and then the sound will start getting very fuzzy, finally shrinking in to totally distorted.

If I lift up the cartridge and place it down again in another spot the distortion is gone.   Doesn't happen very often, but it's very mysterious and mirrors a similar distortion problem that drove me insane trying to trace it, a couple years ago.

As I remember it turned out to be the cartridge, which I replaced.   But this one (same model) isn't very old at all, so don't know what's going on.

cd318
2,636 posts
 

@prof 

I'll be listening to an album and then the sound will start getting very fuzzy, finally shrinking in to totally distorted.

If I lift up the cartridge and place it down again in another spot the distortion is gone.

 

The mystery deepens, and it's not looking good for the health of the cartridge.

I'd check the cartridge wires and possibly replace them first before trying anyhing else.

These are precisely the scenarios where a detachable headshell is a blessing.

 

@mulveling 

Yet another in a long line of informative posts.

Thanks for sharing your experiences.

 

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