To answer the actual question, none of us is qualified to judge the difference in appearance between a new stylus and one that is lightly worn. No matter how powerful the microscope. That takes experience and skill. Also, most brick and mortar dealers are honest enough not to sell you a used cartridge in the guise of new. And finally, a never used cartridge that is 4-5 years since manufacture is going to be just fine. Many of us own NOS cartridges that are more than 30 years old, and we’re happy.
Cartridge new or used ?
How do I know if a cartridge is new or used and number of hours played ? 1- If it is bought from an individual or 2- Could it be that a HiFi store sells used or a "Demo" without anyone knowing it? 3- Is a cartridge that remains on the shelf of the store for 3 or 4 years, retains its same performance or its internal parts, can harden and lose their flexibility of reading? 4- Is it easy with a magnifying glass to see the wear of a cartridge, if so what would be the best magnification to use?
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@chakster None of the photos that you posted have any meaning whatsoever. The first stock photo by AT is a generic photo with just one face showing...and none of the rear facets and the actual cut angles, worthless. The other photos are equally as worthless, showing a stylus at that magnification is totally meaningless...well done, lol. @clearthink. +1 |
This is MicroLine diamond under professional microscope and this is the same diamond under macro lens for iPhone. When the diamond (stylus tip) is bigger we can see the diamond much better, this is brand new, never used Dynavector MicroReach diamond, all we can see is a sharpness of the unused diamond. This is what i mean @stevecham Here is another example of the MicroReach diamond on the unused Dynavector 23RS cartridge. It is also looks sharp, but it's brand new. And finally Replican 100 diamond (the most complicated stylus profile ever) on very lightly used Ortofon SPU Royal G mkII. All pictures taken on my macro lens. Diamond in perfect condition or brand new diamond looks sharp. Damaged or worn diamond looks different, but to inspect them we need a powerfull microscope, this is an image from the internet, the diamond is worn accodring to the poster. |
You need an inverted microscope with at least a 40X or higher power objective in order to see the stylus shape and wear. The diamond should never be "sharp;" that would permanently damage a record. The profile needs to be smooth and polished, otherwise, if it has sharp facets due to damage, it will act as a lathe and will scour and scrape off the undulations in the vinyl. Personally, I never buy used cartridges. Too much risk. It's not worth it. |
First you have to know which stylus profile, then you can search for the manual to find out a life span of the stylus. Some of them must be replaced after 300-500 hrs, some more expensive can be replaced after 1500 or even 2000 hrs. You can count an average listening session at home, so you can imagine how long you can use a cartridge if it’s lightly used demo or hardly used cartridge. With a macro lens you can see the diamond, but you can’t understand anything about hrs of use anyway. All you can see is that the diamond is sharp and not damaged. If you want to know more you can send a cartridge for inspection under microscope (to professionals), it will cost about $60 Personally i'd like to compare any unknown sample to my own sample. It's easy if it's the same cartridge, but the one i bought NOS (and when i'm the first owner). Comparing one sample to another will tell you more about quality of the used one. If the sound is not at good as another sample then the stylus is worn. |