Stylus gauge recommendations ?


Priorities are ease of use & accuracy.

Thanks in advance.

rost

Showing 3 responses by lewm

That "Neoteck" is sold under many brand names at many different prices.  Some versions have metal cases and cost more.  I have one and used it for years, but I eventually detected that the weigh pan on mine was ever so slightly magnetic.  This is not to say that all of the scales that look exactly like the Neoteck, under many different brand names, will also attract magnets on the weigh pan.  Caveat emptor. Otherwise, they are quite nice.

I forgot to mention, because it should go without saying maybe, that you do have to be careful that the weigh pan is nonferrous (i.e., will not be attracted to the magnet in any cartridge), and must gauge the force at approximately the level of the surface of an LP mounted on the platter surface. So the weigh pan should be above the platter surface by about the thickness of an LP.  Surprisingly, some of the cheap ones appear to use stainless steel with a low level iron content. Seems the Riverstone is OK on that score.

Any of several of the available digital stylus force gauges should be fine.  I use an Ortofon DS3, because it has a readout to three decimal points, but you can spend a lot less for a perfectly good one.  Don't overthink it, is my advice.