The stylus is so small, that it's hard to tell what condition its in, whether it needs cleaning, or is worn from use. Let's take a look at how we can examine our styli, and get the best performance.
This is vinyl university course. You explain things based on evidence and proof rather than perception and imagination. Thats what I like the most in you channel.
You're a storyteller by nature. I love following your videos, Craig. Even though at times you go deep in details that most people don't necessarily need or want to know, you have a way of making it fun and accessible. Cheers!
Wow, excellent video. Amazing stuff. All your vinyl videos are awesome. This one is the best. Very informative. Can't wait to see that Supertramp grooves video you mention. Keep up the great work!
Very good video Craig. I appreciate your patience with the inspection and cleaning. I learned a lot and doing the same things to mine now. Thanks and keep up the good content.
Spot on information ! ... if your record is skipping or not sounding right after properly cleaning the record ... properly clean the stylus ... this will solve 99% of most problems. Do not use stylus cleaning gel pads !
Hi Craig, I use my grandads old Jewelers Loupe Magnifier to regularly check and clean my stylus . I use it with an LED mini torch which I keep by the Turntable. I find after 40 yrs that this system really works for me. Thanks love your vids. Ado.
Hi Craig Just found your exceptional video in Stylus under the microscope. As usual fantast just watching you at work .And the part that caught my eye was when you cleaned the stylus in distilled water and took your time cautiously and meticulously brushing . Brilliant video . Tonight is music night in my Attic with a few beers . I will first brush my stylus as you did then sit and enjoy some music knowing i have followed your lead to the best of my ability's.Thank you so much for the time and effort you put into these videos . Gerald UK
really nice. as a new vinyl listener, your tips are incredible help. your channel and videos have started a life long hobby for me and you also have a life long subscriber now! wish i could send you pictures of my set up and recieve some ideas what to do next as of speaker placement, furniture etc.
Love all your interesting videos. Not only are we enjoying our music but a great hobby to go along with it. I often think of throwing my TV out of the window as there is so much boring garbage on it. Turn that awful TV and phone off and play some vinyl. Pure heaven. All I need is my MK1 Ford Cortina back in the garage and I'm reliving the glorious 70's.
This... Good sir ...is the most educational and informative game changing video I have ever watched! Thank you Thank You Thank You for the time effort and money that went into this.
@@MARTIN201199 For cleaning my records I use a Disco Antistat record cleaning machine with QS Audio Tonar cleaning fluid. After cleaning the records with this, I use distilled water to remove any resdidue. The stylus I now clean with a stylus cleaning brush and some cleaning fluid for glasses/spectacles. I then bow the stylus and cartridge dry with a can of compressed air. I use a magnification glass from and old rifle scope to inspect the needle. Hope this helps!
Great vid again, Craig. Super interesting to see exactly why your record is so hard to play! Also, another classic example of maybe not having to spend too much money on products.
I'm a +1 on the Wow. Great job, very insightful. The back and forth comparisons were Amazing, Learned more about dirt on needles then I wanted to know (or see)! :)
I bought this microscope a few days ago before seeing this video. I haven’t so far been able to get the level of detail shown here. However, I’ll now go back and try again and give it a little bit more time and patience. Many thanks for this video!
Thank you so much for this video! I purchased the little gadget, and indeed: what I discovered was as you said! So, I cleaned it with distilled water and a little brush, and the result is flawless! I can even see the tiny solder punctures now (on my ortofon concorde 40 anniversary). How beautiful to see that little gold coated diamond up close! Thanks a million!!!! :) :) :)
Excellent...! This is the best using a microscope with/for a turntable setup/inspection I`ve seen to date and,I watch a LOT of turntable video`s on youtube,well done fella,"you-are-a-STAR". V.F.E.
very informative...i really admire you for having the patience and the passion to take those microscopic pictures of those stylus and the record grooves...i know it takes a lot of practice and patience and you manage to do it...congratulation...
@@ediblehorse use it dry, just drop the stylus carefully into it using the cue lever and lift it again several times. it should grab the dirt and grime from the tip, you don't have to scrape or anything
Beautiful shots! After having attempted and realized the difficulty in getting some decent pictures of my stylus, I'm very impressed with the quality of your setup!
Now this is the kind of content on RU-vid we need! Very informative and educational! Nicely made images as well (I know how difficult those micros are to operate). I really appreciate it that you made all those images yourself; most people just rip pictures from other sources.
Been looking into getting one of these microscopes myself to check my stylus, etc. After seeing this video, it's a no brainer now. Very well done! Thanks.
Hi Craig Found this video very interesting, you had my full attention. Thank you for taking the time and to share your findings with us. Also I love the way you represent your videos. Great guy! Many thanks. Jacques
Love the pictures. Came here to see what microscope you are using as I would like to replace my optical microscope for stylus checks. Pictures are nice for seeing how clean your records and stylus are, but realize, the pictures shown here are not the best in terms of knowing when the stylus is worn. The very tip will look the same pretty much forever from the side. The very tip isn't touching the grooves. The sides of the diamond just "above" the tip are touching the grooves and flattening out over time. Best way to see this is by looking down on the tip with a scope. Have lighting on the left and right side. Flat spots will reveal themselves on the left and right sides as white dots. A new stylus won't have much to see but a worn stylus will have white spots that get bigger over time. As they get bigger they almost start to meet at the tip - well past when the stylus should have been replaced.
Thanks for the video After watching this I only use a stylus brush and water and I clean my stylus every record great video thank you so much I have learned a lot from your channel
Fascinating insight,thank you very much. I looked at my stylus recently under a stereo microscope and found it very interesting. Its a TC8G from a 1959 Ferguson 623RG ,pretty mucky so I've purchased a new one.All the best from sunny Wales 😊
A great, informative, and very detailed video! Thumbs up. This video is another one of my favourites, Craig. I also learned a couple of things about a dirty stylus, and I am (in italics) surprised that a stylus can pick up plenty of dust from a new, clean record. I would expect a very small amount of dust, and dirt; but it looked substantial to me. I imagine, and assumed that a record-making plant is as clean, and free of dust as possible! Very good photographs that show exactly what you explain, and demonstrate. I look forward to taking a look at another LP's grooves, deep under the surface - of another video. I know what it is like to handle, and work with very small things, you have a lot of patience, and perseverance, Craig. Excellent work! Myself, I've recently added one small drop of alcohol to a small felt mat that came as a combination record, and stylus cleaning kit bought many years ago. Afterward, the record sounded clearer. I'm going to use a brush later, as you advised. Further, this time I've bought 91% alcohol to clean my records.
Awesome instructional video Craig. Very fun to see the differences, and how the playing of a single side can contaminate the stylus completley... Have a nice week and best regards to you and your family. 17
And, again, you rock, man! I'm a big fan of your videos down here in Brazil, and I've used some of them in my classes (I hope you're ok with that). My students love them! I'm an English teacher.
Thank you. You pop up to a problem I have with one record. I have bought two LP's from the same group but in two different shops on internet. My stylus jumps at the same place, exactly at the same place, unbelievable! It is a record mistake, I think. Now, you show me how to do by myself to know what it is and maybe how to fix it. Thank you, again.
Superb video thank you for sharing. I have seen those magnifying USB cameras advertised now I fancy one. At the moment I just use a jeweller’s Lupe but it’s obviously not as good. The brush and distilled water is something that I use for my stylus cleaning but I didn’t realise that I should be doing a clean every time I play a record.
Thanks for posting another informative video. I have recently revived my old turntable thanks in part to one of your videos and am enjoying myself quite a bit. You mention the high cost of the zero dust system and I have to agree. Perhaps there are styli costly enough to justify such a purchase, but I am on a tight budget. I have found that the product "moon gel" that drummers use to dampen their drums gets the same results as zero dust at a far far far far far lower price!
Great video Craig. I´ve had my microscope for about a year now, but only just got it working a few weeks ago. Amazing what we can see with 1000x zoom. Thank you for sharing :) Vinyl is Final
Wow! Beautiful work in this video. I have one of those microscopes and checked a stylus I was replacing. It was very eye opening but a lot of what I saw as wear was probably debris. Great job here. Thank you.
Thank you for sharing. I never knew how to check the styli on my record player. And the other information about the vinyl records is interesting and also helpful. I just subscribed so I won't miss any other info.
I have been using the Audio-Technica AT607 stylus cleaning formula for some 40 years. May be an expensive way to get a little brush and a tiny bottle of distilled water but it works great (I don’t know if it’s distilled water or something more, but raised suspicions when I saw your excellent video). Also, back in the day, the local high end stereo shop had a free service; I would take my Signet TK7e in every six months or so and we would look at the stylus with their 100x stereo optical microscope. It was easy to see the wear. Audio Consultants is no more, so the usb microscope may be a great way to check the stylus. And certainly cheaper than a stereo optical microscope!
Hey Craig I just cannot fathom why it’s a good idea to use diamond, the hardest mineral, as a stylus when records are such soft objects. It’s just inviting damage. Wouldn’t it be better to use a soft stylus tip and change it more often. I am getting the brush after watching this. Thanks
i bought one of those microscopes and took tons of pictures like you did. i even had my original stanton needle from when i was young. i was able to see how well i had taken care of it. i use the same methods you do minus the $90 zero dust.
Wow this is one of your best videos yet. Love all your content, always looking forward to seeing the next. - Definitely picking up one of these microscopes for myself, even if it’s just for fun.
that stylus at 5:45 definitely surprised me. I suppose there was some dusty old records played. I know you clean your records well so that's even more of a surprise to me.
Excellent video, indeed! Wish I were a vynil enthusiast, what actually I am NOT. I like a lot your videos, even though I don't use vynil records anymore and haven't the less intention to return to them. But I pass a very good time viewng your calm and friendly explanations, even they are on a subject that lost any interest for me long time ago. So, you do a great job, don't doubt it. Many thanks and all the best. (BTW.: I'm a subscriber of your channel. No one kows when or how can learn new things. An open mind is the best recipe in audio in particular and in life, in general).
My Shure N75 has 1300 hours on it and still sounds pretty good. Under the microscope the tip profile is an interesting sort of 'grey area' ie. the tip is *just* starting to morph into more of a pyramid shape than a perfect dome, but it is still fairly rounded looking. I would suggest to be safe not going past 2000 hours, which is incidentally the life quoted for a diamond stylus on some of the first microgroove LPs released back in the 1950s.
Hi Craig..you are going to laugh when you read my reply because my family are calling me a Geek.. because i'm doing what you said about the stylus & went on Amazon & bought one of the Jiusion Microscopes & now i'm having some great times playing with a new toy.. but don't get me wrong.. it really works my friend & i have also gone back to my Linn K9 stylus because when looking under the Microscope & cleaning with Distilled Water as you said i don't have a problem with this one.. so the new AT-VMN95E has gone back in the box for now.. keep it up man with the videos.. love it ..
Recently took a look at my S245e Empire stylus under a optical microscope. It had some caked on grunge but I was able to clean it up fairly well. Could see the diamond tip on the metal post well. At $100 for a Ortofon 2M Red I would definitely want one with the diamond mounted vertically on the cantilever( not leaning to one side)! Seems if you spend the money for a nude diamond you definitely should see what you are getting and not have to take any manufacturers word for it. If I could have seen my old Empire stylus before I bought it, I would have chose another cartridge. I sure hope the AT95 that comes with my RT81 at least looks like an elliptical. Thanks for the video.
Awesome great job! I really appreciate your sharing this. I had thought about getting one of those microscopes and now you have convinced me to get one. I have recently replaced the stylus on my Signet TK5ea with an ATN120E nude round Elliptical stylus and can't wait to see what it looks like under the microscope.
Fascinating! Now we know why the boffins at Philips and Sony invented the CD. Distilled or deionised water is one of the best cleaners you can get. To get them spotless you'd need an alcohol to go along with it. Although that's not recommended as it can dissolve any glue in the making of the stylus.
I use the exact same brush technique. I never told anyone because I didnt want to hear all the guff I would get from everyone who think you will ruin your stylus. Just be gentle and you will be fine. I also use a H2o/ isopropyl alcohol 50/50 mix for my brush. No need to spend $14 on a little bottle of liquid when I can mix my own. Ill have to give the Magic Eraser a try also. Thanks!
Oh, so very excellent. Tried 2 kinds of dry brushes to get what looked hairs wrapped around the stylus. Bought the ZeroDust for $40 US - nearly useless. Tried the magic eraser, didn’t quite do the trick. Wet stylus brush - success! And yes, I’m cleaning the stylus after every played side - sometimes twice/thrice on a record I haven’t played in a while. Thanks muchly!
Hey Craig, thanks for all your videos. I enjoy watching them and they're very informative. I am definitely going to purchase a digital microscope to do a before and after on the styli that I have and also to do a before and after vinyl cleaning. Again, thanks for all your videos.
Excellent video. I am just getting started in the hobby and I value your knowledge on vinyl records. Your vids have helped me make some decisions about the direction I am going. I had a few vinyl records as a teenager in the 70s and I got rid of them over time as work and family commitments became more pressing. I am so new to the hobby again, that I only have one vinyl that l I have purchased to date. The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi (I love classical music). Another vinyl I hope to re-purchase is Rick Wakeman's Journey to the Center of the Earth. I do like classic rock, jazz and a few other genres as well. Keep up the good work!
Great job! Thanks so much for the video. Very educational. Magic Eraser (which I have) and distilled water with brush, got it. Passing on a $60 gummy pad.
