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Newb - damaged cartridge?

OK - I feel like a complete newb. I was loading my new MC cartrdige (Ortofon X5-MC), and not 5 minutes afterwards, I had taken off the stylus cover and was about to align it, and the tonearm somehow slips from my hand, and the stylus bumps right into my left hand.

How frustrating! The stylus was bent just a little to the right, and feeling very upset/embarrassed/hoping to just rewrite history, I out of desperation pushed the stylus to the left...didn't see anybody around me so, who knows? hehe

Anyhow, realizing the cartridge was likely toast, I again out of desperation figured I would see if it played at all on an old LP. It does play, and reasonbly well. But it does appear to not be completely perpendicular, slanting a little the the left.

Last night I did notice a little distortion in the left channel I had never heard before. So, have I ruined the cartridge? Anything I can do; re-tip or have to replace it?

Thanks for the advice.
rgkd
twl
3,251 posts
 
It's toast. Continued use may damage your records.
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
This is the kind of thing that makes a user-replaceable stylus attractive. My kids did it to me.
mwilson
430 posts
 
The analog experience is just not important enough to me to use an MC that has to be re-tipped at the factory when this happens - I stick to the best MM my budget allows, and keep a spare stylus assembly handy. To each his own.
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
And furthermore...if the stylus is user-replaceable it can be removed while you are doing dangerous things like mounting the pickup in an arm.

I did enjoy my Ortofon, but now I have a Shure, and I don't look back.
rgkd OP
3 posts
 
Thanks for the responses. I figured it was history...

I was thinking how nice it would be to simply replace the tip! I am thinking of saving MC until my system is more mature.
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