Psychic et al: http://db.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.mpl?forum=vinyl&n=549172&highlight=conical+spherical+thorsten&r=&session= The Denon is no more likely to cause wear than any other cartridge properly aligned. Given equal improper alignment, other stylus profiles are more likely to do much greater damage. |
Larry, I though the idea was to shorten my moniker? :) p=f/s, yep. So a surface area of 1.6 u will actually result in a lower pressure. But that is not the real story which is not necessarily total surface are but rather where the contact surface area is in the groove. I agree that there is a big difference in sound between riding higher in the groove vs. getting down deeper to the surfaces at the bottom of the groove walls. That is a completely different issue to claims of vinyl damage. |
Larry, Tell your friend that for a Denon 103 (or 103R) on a Rega, Twl's HIFI mod is an absolute must. $5 and 30 minutes will turn his $400 arm into a $1000 one. I've done it. It works. http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?eanlg&1032024188&read&keyw&zzstrange+tonearm+tweak |
Given equal improper alignment, other stylus profiles are more likely to do much greater damage.True, I am very careful when I set up the Fritz Geiger stylus. Could become a flying knife down in the grooves. Trackability must also be factored in the wear equation, and that's a forgotten term amongst vinylphiles! Very few cartridges nowadays have excellent tracking, especially most of the 'audiophile' MC's. Mistracking with a spherical tip is very destructive. Please remember. I remember when someone well respected here got into vinyl and brought over a Goldring cartridge for me to set it up. He had had arguments with me for me stating my opinion without his asking, so this time I just listened. The TT was a cheap ($30), s-shaped tonearm, 80's model. He had bought the cartridge because it was TWL's pick (what a riot!). OK, I installed it. I knew it would become a flying knife... First, between the mid-late 60's and at least the 1980's virtually all records where cut using a tracing simulator in the lathe, which pre-distorts the signal to compensate the distortion of the spherical stylus. Playing them with any other stylus shape will not cancel the pre-distortion. Even without pre-distortion on the LP spherical stylii are much less sensitive to issues of VTA/SRA and misalignment, which leads us to the next point. You know, this is a first for me. I suspected those 60's & 70's records sounded funny. Thorsten does make a case, indeed. My whole approach to basing my digital rig on a belt drive transport and making it sound as close to vinyl as possible also makes a case, too. So does the KAB modded 1200. All I would have to do is switch the stylus on the KAB modded Groovemaster when playing older records. Yes, I would be using a spherical DJ stylus, my friends! KAB sells three versions of the Ortofon Concorde, the top model having a Fritz Geiger stylus. I've been to Kevin's house and heard his setup. All that have dealt with him know his analog knowledge is way up there--and he's a 60's guy, believe me. Unfortunately this time, he has a strict policy of not posting in audio forums. Turntable/Phono Stage: Acoustic Solid 'Solid One' - German Mass Turntable, three Arm/Cartridge combo's mounted, custom LCR equalised Phonostage with E810F & D3aSo, I see Thorsten's point. He uses three arms (bet not all three cartridges have a spherical stylus). The KAB modded 1200 makes even more $en$e as time goes on... And so, I've learned something new today. If my record collection is older, a spherical will most likely give good results. However, the cartridge must be an excellent tracker. Got to choose the moving magnet great trackers, Stanton 881S, Shure V15 V, Ortofon Concorde, Stanton Trackmaster. *** |
