2. analog
  3. 152336-117192

shibata or microline, pls respond ONLY if you specifically have tried both.

I only want to hear FIRST hand experience, not lecturing please.

These two seem too confusing to me.  I have a VM540ML AT cartridge and cannot decide whether Shibata or Microline is better.  AGAIN, PLS DO NOT LECTURE ME ABOUT **OTHER** EXPENSIVE CARTRIDGES.

To me obviously the music quality matters.  However, I also give a lot of importance to how durable one stylus over the other one is AND very importantly, which one is easier (less finnicky) to set up.  Also, it is important that the stylus does not degrade the vinyl excessively.

If you tell me an elliptical is easiest to set up but is 10% less musical, I would probably go with that too.

So.... any ACTUAL experience with either of these two styli ?

Thanks

cakyol

Showing 4 responses by cakyol

cakyol's avatar
cakyol OP
940 posts
 
Thanks to everyone who responded.
I have a Linn Sondek with the Audiomods arm.  Altho it is a great arm, it does not have an azimuth adjustment since the headshell is fixed Rega head.  Sondek itself is a bit funnicky anway in trying to get the armboard exactly parallel in all directions with the plinth.  That is why I was open to styli which are not (too) sensitive to setting up.
cakyol's avatar
cakyol OP
940 posts
 
Thanks dhcod.
cakyol's avatar
cakyol OP
940 posts
 
Maybe I am not using the terminology right here....
By azimuth, I meant looking at the cartridge head on, NOT from the side.  My armplate has caused the arm to be leaning (only a few degrees) to the right.  This can be fixed by 'twisting' a movable headshell but not doable on the Rega (Audiomods) head.  

Is this not called the azimuth (or rake angle).  Audiomods have a micrometer with which the VTA can be adjusted.  That is not the issue.

Thanks

cakyol's avatar
cakyol OP
940 posts
 
Hi JC,

Thanks for writing.
Yes, on the Linn, those SHOULD be absolutely parallel. But as you know, since the armboard is not an integral part of the suspended sub chassis plate which has the main bearing, due to some anomaly, those are not absolutely flat in my case. There is about 1.5 mm warp. And as a result, I am not able to balance the table perfectly. It may be a defective sub chassis.

I may upgrade to an ’integral’ unit where both the armplate & the bearing plate are just one machined piece, like the Keel or something cheaper.
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