Should I Brush My Cartridge After Each Use?

I agree with Dougdeacon and Viridian. Careful brushing by itself does not do it. Tried extreme phono plus brushing and still got stuff on the stylus. Now having adopted the Magic Erasure, my ears hear a change and my eyes and magnifiers no longer see any build up. Just my experience.

Michael

Piedpiper - "Using Linn supplied sand paper on your stylus is an equally bad joke." I don't know if you've tried the Linn green paper, fwiw I've got it in my arsenal of cleaning stuff and sometimes it really does the trick. I think it might relate to what Doug noted "The heat and friction of the stylus/groove interface burnishes these deposits into a hardened layer that becomes progressively more difficult to remove". It seems like occasionally, or perhaps just over an extended period, the non-abrasive techniques run into something they are not effective against.

yes yes yes and you should make sure as above you clean the records first with a machine, good sleeves, i alsways dry brush the record and clean the stylus before i play. its a pain but it makes it better. please do not drink and clean play cds instead

Jeff Jones,

I thought of that, and it does make sense, except I can't help wondering what effect it has on the stylus itself, as opposed to the gunk that builds up on it. Obvoiusly they think the green sandpaper does minimal damage. I personally would trust processes that involve solvents rather than abrasives. For some reason these Scotsmen seem to enjoy flaunting this cavelier attitude. I have alot of respect for Ivor and Roy and their products. It must be something in the single malt stuff...

I agree with Viridian and Dougdeacon. Clean vinyl and keeping a clean stylus is the best way to go in my opinion. Cleaning the vinyl takes a little time and effort. Cleaning the stylus is quick and easy. I clean my stylus after each side and follow with a dip into a Zerodust. It takes about 15 seconds and keeps the stylus free from any buildup. I probably don't need to do it that often, but it has become habit. I began doing this about 2 years or so ago and am happy with the results.

New inner sleeves after wet cleaning and a dry carbon fiber brush before each play, followed by stylus care above seems to work well and has just become the routine and is done without other thought.

And like Doug mentioned, if you brush your stylus, ALWAYS go back to front and be gentle.