In my experience with dozens of cartridges over the years, Shibata styli tend to pickup every bit of surface noise from the grooves. The Replicant 100 as used by Ortofon on their Cadenza Bronze (which btw uses a tapered aluminum cantilever) on the other hand is somehow able to avoid such surface noise to an amazing degree. On several records where I was used to hearing the surface noise with all other carts had the background become virtually silent when I switched to the Cadenza Bronze. Several friends who have also switched to the CB have had the same experience as far as how eerily quiet it is in the groove.
Replicant 100 stylus
My ''general statement'' that styli are produced by either Ogura or Namiki
may need correction.
Some friends of my ''discovered'' that Replicant (Ortofon), Decca and
''Expert stylus'' are the same. As is/was the case with Gyger and
Van den Hul. Van den Hul designed Gyeger I, II and S (?) but
Gyger produced them. This was obviously kept secret for commercial
reasons.
My assertion is that Expert stylus (Paratrace) provide them to the
other mentioned.
Is anybody capable to check this information?