MC demagnetizer, how many use one, any concerns?

To all who have answered thanks very much. I appreciate both points of view. I plan on trying it but recognize that this is not something that is likely to lend itself to any sort of a/b comparison. Since it will take several days for the cartridge to settle in again it will be impossible to remember what it sounded like prior but I will give it a go, and for what its worth leave my impressions. If possible I will do so with a few friends. One final question is do you hook it up through your phono cable or directly to the arm output. Again thanks a lot this has been a lot of help

Gary

Rives: thanks for the further elaboration. I appreciate it very much. I'm a victim, in some sense, of (like you) being in the sciences. I want data! As you state, however, some phenomena are inexplicable. The other aspect of science is curiosity. Were I not interested in, or curious about, these demag claims, I wouldn't have bothered posting. Thus, the explanations, experiences, and above all, patience, of everyone is greatly appreciated and is what makes audiogon so special.
Christopher

Gary: I have to go through the cable, as it is a din connector. That's probably best anyway. The other thing I recommend is that you rest the needle on a record (not spinning) when you demag. This puts the coil (assuming MC) in the center and theoretically should do a better job. This is something that phsycially makes sense to me, but I have to confess--I can't tell any difference sonically from when I used to demag with the cartridge up and not touching anything.

The Benz MC demagnetiser made by Aesthetix. seems to
do a decent enough job but I am slightly nervous about using it since reading Van de Hul's comments. He advises against.It does appear to make the cartridge sound a little worse for a
while so perhaps the answer is not to use it too often,
ignoring the manufacturer's suggestion of weekly treatment.

I'm a "newbie" to analog/turntables, but in my research so far, I have come across many who state that "burn-in" products, of which de-magnetizers are included, is just a marketing scam to make a small industry rich. Check out the "BURNING IN COMPONENTS" section of this web page (just over halfway down the page - might be easier to do a search [CTRL+F] for "magnet"): http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Hills/4133/know.html

I have also read somewhere (but I am unable to find my source) that using these de-magnetizers continues to weaken the magnetic field that the cartidges are capable of producing, causing even more damage (and loss of sound quality) over time. Here is a link to Van den Hul's Phono FAQ where it says something similar: Can I improve the sound by so-called “demagnetization” of my phono cartridge?

Just my $0.02

Wes
wlusk@wt.net