Stylus Profile Discussion

Advanced stylus profile setup problem is a myth. I have no problem to align any stylus profile, this is what a good tonearm/headshell can handle. The less sensitive is only conical, but it is also the worst and the cheapest. In my opinion a cartridge alignment with electronic microscope and some very special exotic devices is not necessary. Your arm must have VTA on the fly, a good bonus is headshell with azimuth adjustment. Dr.Feickert protractor is a must have for any turntable and cartridge. The most complicated profile in my collection was Replicant-100 and i did not notice any different in setup process at all. The best profiles last much longer (up to 2000 hrs), so i don’t understand why do i need those cheap profiles in high-end system if they last only about 300-500hrs and does not read the grooves correctly even properly aligned?

But this may also mean that stylus
shape is not as important as, say, chakster thinks.

From what i've learned the stylus shape is very important for those you listen to vintage vinyl (aka used original vinyl, not a modern reissues or new releases). The majority of the records from the 60's and 70's have been played with conventional styli for decades by previous users (not audiophiles) on average turntables, cartridges. Most likely it was a conical stylus not in the best condition. The groove walls of the records can be slightly worn by the conical when we're buying used old records. But the conical stylus can't go deep in the grooves as Shibata, Stereohedron, MicroRidge, MicroLine, F.Gyger, VdH or Replicant-100. Using high-end profiles like that can dramatically improve the sound as the diamond rides in the groove precisely and in case with vintage used records it rides in previously untouched part of the groove walls! Basically my passion is vinyl from the 70's era, playin' such vinyl with conical or elliptical tip is the worst scenario. 

The information on the record is on the left and right side of the groove wall, records used for decades with conical stylus degrade in sound, but if you will look under a microscope on conical stylus you will see contact area like a dots. This contact area only wear off a small part of the vinyl groove wall. But the actual groove wall is deeper, and huge part of this groove wall with music on it remains untouched by conical stylus (with very small contact area). Would you argue about it ?

The goal of the MicroRidge, Stereohedron or SAS is wider contact area, it is a line, not a dot/points. This line goes deeper and has much better contact with untouched part of the used old vinyl. The tracking force distributed over the larger contact area and has much less record wear factor.

Playin’ OLD (used) records with LineContact stylus is a clear benefit, because if you’re playing those record with the same conical styli then you exploring the same worn part of the groove wall just like previous owners for decades with their awful cartridges.

I know what i’m talking about, because 90% of my record collection is vintage (used) vinyl from the 50s - 80s.


The owner of modern re-issues are free of this problem, because nobody used their records for 30 years with conical or elliptical tip on cheap turntables. And even if they are buying a user reissues the time of use is very short compared to 40 years old records.

There are many articles about it online if you’re still not aware of it.

The record are very sensitive to wear factor, but diamond is not sensitive because diamond is the hardest material in the world. Vinyl is not. However, the diamond stylus life span in 2000 hrs max, so think about vinyl life span. Vintage records definitely worn, but where exactly on the groove wall they are worn is depends on the stylus profile.

To realize record wear factor quicker you can make a dubplate (accetate) aka lacquer disc at any pressing plant or disc cutting studio. The accetate degrade in sound much quicker than vinyl. Also styrene records degrade in sound very quick compared to vinyl.