All, The current definitive discussion on stylus wear and life is here: https://thevinylpress.com/the-finish-line-for-your-phonograph-stylus/. |
@chakster, Where did zyx.com get their data - did they do actual testing? VDH says his stylus can last 3000-hrs. But there is a big difference between ZYX and VDH, and that has to do with VTF. The higher the VTF the more force and the faster the wear. If you do a simple calculation with the contact stylus area and the VTF, it calculates into 1000's-lbs/in^2 (some calculations yield up to 20-Tons/in^2). The ZYX tracks at 2.0 gm avg, while the VDH tracks at 1.4 gm avg, that is a 30% difference. That is a lot, and the wear rate may not be linear, so a 30% reduction in force may result is >>30% reduction in wear rate. One of my cartridge's is the Soundsmith Carmen MKII. The stylus is a hyper-elliptical, but its VTF is only 1.4 gm avg. Now consider a Denon DL-103R which requires 2.5-3.0 gms, it can't have more than 500-hrs, and because of the high VTF, the risk of record damage has to be greater than a cartridge that has a low VTF. From a life cycle/performance cost, the Soundsmith Carmen MKII may be the lowest cost cartridge. Because of the low VTF, you should be able to get 1000-hrs, and right now the MKII is on sale Elusive Disc for $699, and Soundsmith "rebuilds" the cartridge for $199, and consider that the Soundsmith rebuild is not a retip, its a complete rebuild with the suspension replaced. So a 2,000-hr cost is ~$900, or ~$0.45/hr-use, and at 3000-hrs = $1100 = $0.37/hr-use. Compare that to an Ortofon 2M Black with Shibata stylus that is $750 plus ~$550 for new stylus, so the 2000-hr cost is $1300 = $0.65/hr-use, and at 3000 hrs cost is $1850 = $0.62/hr-use. Of course, the above analysis is useless if you do not like the sound of the Soundsmith Carmen, but the analysis is presented as a way to access a cartridge life cycle cost. But, make no mistake, digital can beat analogue life cycle cost easily because the average laser or digital component MTBF is at least 5000-hrs (but sadly the 30,000-hr MTBF of the Phillips benchmark glass optic lasers are history). However, if you are wealthy, life cycle cost means nothing, but this thread was looking for advice on a long lasting cartridge. |
@chakster, I would not be so dismissive of VTF as a variable for record and diamond wear. The advanced profile stylus's such as Micro-Ridge increase the surface area of the stylus to better contact/track the groove. The hardness of an inclusion free diamond is fixed. So, a consequence is that force over area calculates the pressure and this is a major factor in wear of any material, so the advanced profile stylus's have longer life if not compromised by excessive VTF. As far as the Garrott Optim FGS, the life cost for 2000 hrs is $1150 for the cartridge and $660 for retip (non user replaceable) = $0.91/hr-use, and the manufacturer is in Europe which for USA means international shipping (for retip) with associated shipping cost/customs. None of this is any critique of the cartridge performance - just a cost analysis. As far as digital, your passionate opinion is well known on this forum, but my statement was life cycle cost only. Some Mobile Fidelity Gold and JVC XRCD CD's on a good CD transport can sound quite good. But, I am equal opportunity, so I have analog and digital, but my dollar investment is in analog. |
@chakster, Error noted. However, the $1150 AUD$ includes a 10% tax that is deleted if selling to US, so the USA$ price drops to about $625, and with $35 express shipping = about $660; hard to argue with that price :). Not sure if the stylus retip is also = +10%, but if not 2000-hr cost is about $1100 with shipping = about $0.55/hr, not a bad price. |
