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Does size really matter? :-

I've seen stylus size discussed in regards to 78s and mono records, but never as it pertains to our good old stereo LPs. I was recently looking at cartridge specs, and was astonished by the difference in the size of the styli. Let's take, for example, 3 cartridges I'm considering:

Sumiko Blackbird Elliptical 0.3 x 0.7 mm

Dynavector 17D2MKll Karat Square .06 x .06 mm

Zyx Bloom Line Contact 6 x 35 um

Converting the first two to um from mm, we get this:

Sumiko 300 x 700

Dynavector 60 x 60

Zyx 6 x 35

This indicates the Sumiko is 50x wider and 20x longer than the Zyx! The Dynavector is between them. Even allowing for the different stylus profiles, this seems like an enormous difference in stylus size. Am I missing something?

I've read in other threads that the Zyx owners talk about the Zyx getting deeper into the groove, retrieving more info and, more importantly, contacting a section of the groove that, in the case of used records, previous styli haven't touched. Considering the above figures, these statements now make much more sense.

My big question is, why don't more manufacturers use the smaller styli? Are there advantages to larger styli that I'm missing? It doesn't seem like cost should be a factor, as the Zyx above is a US$490 cartridge. Do the smaller styli wear quicker? Easier to break? Harder to align?

Just wanting to get A'goner's thoughts. If there's a previous thread, please point me to it - I did a search, but didn't come up with anything relevant. Thanks.

David
armstrod
dougdeacon
3,338 posts
 
Armstrod,

What I was trying to say is that NO set of technical measurements, however complete, can identify the best cartridge for your system and your tastes. Specs can help you avoid serious mismatches. That's about all. If you expect any more than that you'll be disappointed.

No one has measured all the synergies that happen between components. Hearing them is still the only way to know them. Next best is the experience of others, though of course that's less reliable due to differing systems, differing ears and differing tastes.

Indigorose,
Glad you enjoyed those. I was as amazed as you when I first saw them.

Photo credit, as I mentioned above, goes to my friend (and occasional A'gon poster) Styx. You should see his wildlife photos. Amazing stuff, National Geographic quality at least.

Doug
Ag insider logo xs@2x
rauliruegas
13,092 posts
 
Dear Armstrod: Of course that the stylus profile/size is important but almost all the top cartridges share almost the same size/profile stylus.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.
armstrod OP
613 posts
 
I wanted to resurrect this thread as just tonight I mounted up my new Zyx Bloom. Stylus size notwithstanding, the Zyx is far quieter in the groove than either my Denon 103R or my Shure V15Vxmr. Even without being broken in, it has better inner detail than the Denon, with as much meat as the Shure, and far tighter bass than either. Part of that is a being a better compliance match for my Well Tempered tonearm; I suspect the rest is modern design versus the 40 year old engineering of the Denon and the Shure. If Zyx can do this well at $500, it's no wonder the $5000 Universe is so well regarded.

Mehran, as always, was friendly and helpful and very patient with my questions, even though I was buying a low dollar cartridge. People like Mehran, George Wright, and CC Poon help to make audio an enjoyable hobby.

Thanks to all who contributed to this thread. My knowledge, and my system, continue to improve significantly...

David
rolloff
130 posts
 
Hmm,
It's late at night, and I can't verify that I read every word of every post above, so apologies if I missed someone else pointing this out, but the dimensions of the stylus is nearly irrelevant. Only the tip of the stylus enters the groove. See my systems page for a real close-up of the stylus in the groove. I believe the photo was taken with an electron microscope. Someone may correct me on that though. You can't even see the entire stylus, but you can clearly see the groove walls, and only a tiny portion of the stylus riding in the walls. So, shape is a factor in the contact patch, but it's the tip of that shape that handles the information retrieval.
Yes, it could be effectively argued that the dimensions of the diamond color the sound that would be transmitted to the cantilever, but how much of a factor this would be compared to all of the other influences that shape a cartridges sound, I think might be negligible? Then again, as audiophiles, it's difficult for us to find anything negligible. Even the room temperature is a factor.
Cheers,
David
armstrod OP
613 posts
 
Rolloff,

Is the photo on your systems page the stylus of your 90X? If you look back in the posts on this thread, Dougdeacon has some photos of actual styli, and the differences appear pretty large, although some argued that the differences aren't really significant and, of course, it's only one among many factors in considering a cartridge, which is certainly true.

All I know for sure is now that I have a stylus with a "modern" profile, it's way quieter in the groove. Since the Zyx also has better resolution, I see no other plausible explanation than the stylus is hitting a different part of the groove than the Denon or the Shure. For those of us that buy mostly used records, or didn't take the best care of our records when we were younger (I'm guilty there!), finding a stylus profile that rides fresh vinyl is a big advantage.

I can't wait until my Bloom is broken in... :-)
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