Stylus Drag


Hello all,

I was wondering, does stylus drag vary significantly based on the musical content of a record: frequency or dynamic vs slow passages? If it does vary based on the musical content is this amount insignificant relative to the amount of overall drag arising from the friction of the needle in the groove?

The resaon I'm asking is to understand that even if the speed setting is compensated for stylus drag if at a micro level it is still varying based on the musical content and if this is heard sonically.

Thanks,

Andrew
aoliviero
Theoretically yes, there can be a few % more drag with a heavily modulated passage, opposed to a lightly modulated one. I base this on others findings and I haven't measured this myself. The audibility of any drag really depends on the table. Platter weight, drive type and torque make all the difference. Considerations would be different for a belt drive with a light platter and low torque motor, than for a one with a heavier platter and/or speed correction etc.
Regards,
The audibility of any drag really depends on the table
If you can hear stylus drag on an otherwise accurate table, you most likely posses superhuman auditory abilities, or you simply think you hear it, but you really don't. The great majority of people cannot hear small changes in pitch so the idea that you can "hear" stylus drag is a long stretch to say the least. If your table spins at an incorrect speed to begin with, it's a different story, but I wouldn't obsess too much about stylus drag itself.
You don't hear the change in pitch as such. You hear it as a shaky soundstage. Speed variation causes the tonearm to decrease and increase skating forces. This makes the soundstage less solid. This is why speed stability is so important.
Atmasphere is correct.
You may not consciously 'hear' stylus drag as pitch change......but there are so many subtle clues embedded in the grooves which rely on perfectly stable speed control.
Remember that only half the analogue signal is contained in the record......Amplitude.
The 'Time Domain' to complete the sine wave is provided by the turntable rotation.
Any deviation in perfect speed results in a distorted sine wave just as if your amplifier was distorting?

And yes.....I have noticed via the Timeline....that heavily modulated passages cause more stylus drag than others.
I can see this effect on my Raven AC-2 quite clearly whereas on the Victor TT-101......the quartz-controlled DD motor compensates without any visual clues.