Thanks for the answers.
One question I'm now wondering about is if this FF15 would give a reasonable taste of the Ortofon sound. One thing that makes replacing the stylus worth considering is a chance to hear, at my leisure, the Ortofon sound as part of that never ending search for the Perfect Cartridge Company. Plus, it might be decent backup or second turntable cartridge. A new cartridge might be more practical--but I've heard some people suggest that the current lower end Ortofons aren't as good as they might be.
I am guessing that the current stylus probably does need to be replaced. I'm inclined to be cautious of old styli, and there is something about this stylus that looks strange when I viewed it with a magnifying lens. I have a record that is in hopelessly bad condition, which I played with this Ortofon. (I keep this record around for these times!) The Ortofon doesn't sound that bad playing it--I got the open and neutral impression mentioned by 4yanx.
One question I'm now wondering about is if this FF15 would give a reasonable taste of the Ortofon sound. One thing that makes replacing the stylus worth considering is a chance to hear, at my leisure, the Ortofon sound as part of that never ending search for the Perfect Cartridge Company. Plus, it might be decent backup or second turntable cartridge. A new cartridge might be more practical--but I've heard some people suggest that the current lower end Ortofons aren't as good as they might be.
I am guessing that the current stylus probably does need to be replaced. I'm inclined to be cautious of old styli, and there is something about this stylus that looks strange when I viewed it with a magnifying lens. I have a record that is in hopelessly bad condition, which I played with this Ortofon. (I keep this record around for these times!) The Ortofon doesn't sound that bad playing it--I got the open and neutral impression mentioned by 4yanx.