Listening Test! Does changing the stylus make a difference?

Discussion in 'Home Audio Gear Chat Area' started by Command8, Nov 5, 2019.

  1. Command8

    Command8 Active Member

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    Have a listen to this video I uploaded.

    I'm trying to hear whether the claims that aftermarket stylus sounds not as good as an original stylus on a shure M75ED are true.
     
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  2. Mister X

    Mister X Moderator Staff Member

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    Maybe the new stylus has a different tracking force, did you dial that in? I'm interested in seeing the wave forms.
     
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  3. Command8

    Command8 Active Member

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    I didn't change the tracking force, I only changed the stylus without changing cartridges
     
  4. Jorge

    Jorge Well-Known Member

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    @Command8 - its a good question, but it seems that you are the best person to actually answer it.
    On my receiving end the aftermarket cart sounds "snappier" (I almost want to say "better"), the original has more laid-back, maybe more balanced sound. Make sure that both styli are broken-in, it usually takes 50-200 hrs of play for MC carts (do not know much about MM as in here). Digitizing and compression for YouTube does not do much justice to analog sound, try to record both onto your Nak. This should make the differences (if any) more evident
    I wanted to comment that the first stylus tested sounds like conical, vs elliptical. Then checked eBay that (at least some) aftermarket styli for Shure are conical. If this is actually the case, then I am wrong and YouTube Does convey some differences between analog rigs :cool:
     
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  5. Mister X

    Mister X Moderator Staff Member

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    You may have misunderstood me Command8, I was thinking the new stylus needed a little more tracking force, I'd check the specifications for both.
     
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  6. Command8

    Command8 Active Member

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    I dont know the specification for the evg, ive set it to the same as the original stylus, at 1.3. (Ive measured with a digital jewelry machine)
     
  7. Command8

    Command8 Active Member

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    ill try to record again with the original stylus set at 1.5g the upmost limit set by the manufacturer. Also the EVG stylus has a black dot on the cantilever, i am unsure whether this identifies the aftermarket stylus being made by any specific manufacturer
     
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  8. Jorge

    Jorge Well-Known Member

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    And when recording silence the speakers. They seem to be on the same shelf as your TT and in my own experience it gives TT a hard time tracking the groove. in such conditions conical stylus (if your aftermarket is conical) outperforms elliptical.
     
  9. Command8

    Command8 Active Member

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    Id argue that putting the turntable and speaker on the same surface isnt that bad. Have a look at Vwestlife's video examining this:
     
  10. Jorge

    Jorge Well-Known Member

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    This is a really good demonstration that a budget TT sounds like crap no matter what: you Do need to crawl up the audio-ladder to hear the differences between supports, interconnects, power cords, etc

    The first Q: do you hear the differences between $200 and $5k TT at your local dealer? If not, Lucky You! :)
     
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  11. Command8

    Command8 Active Member

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    Yikes, I don't think I can really to that level yet. I'm still on my way on the ladder, this is still my first system.
    I did change the turntable from a technics fg servo belt drive to a 1 IC FG direct drive and change my at95e to an 95ex stylus.

    Besides that and changing my phono preamp (the integrated amplifier one has a channel imbalance) to a greater sounding external phono preamp.
     
  12. Command8

    Command8 Active Member

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    According to the ebay seller for the EVG stylus:
    I.E spec:- 0.0003mil X 0.0007 mil BIRADIAL ELLIPTICAL TIP ( TRACKING 0.75-1.5 gramms )
    APPARENTLY THEY ARE MADE BY JICO, BUT NOBODY SEEMS CERTAIN ABOUT THIS ?
     
  13. Mister X

    Mister X Moderator Staff Member

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    If you have a camera with optical zoom, putting them side by side and taking a photo might also help to compare shape and wear. In the early days of Audio Karma and digital cameras it was a revolution to look at stylus and see what wear looked like up close. Just out of curiosity, and since you have a scale what do the stylus weigh?
     

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