Needle Care and Questions

HiFi Guy said:
Maybe it’s the angle, but your headshell looks skewed to the right- high on the left, low on the right. This means your stylus isn’t centered in the groove. Compare to this picture. My phone was on the shelf. Everything is straight on mine.

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That’s a sexy cart. I think it is the angle but the stylus does look bent to me (on mine)
 
Joe Mac said:
I’d absolutely not try to bend it. I’d look to adjust the azimuth before that. The think I agree with @marshall the whole arm looks off kilter but then the photo isn’t square and head on so it’s hard to be 100%
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I’ll try and get a better picture tonight but what is an azimuth?
 
feesrevenge said:
I’ll try and get a better picture tonight but what is an azimuth?
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It’s an adjustment that you can make to your tonearm or headshell to twist it slightly to have the stylus level. Not all tonearms allow for it though so check your manual. It’s only really for small margins to allow for manufacturing tolerances with styli. If it’s really bent then it’s done for I’m afraid.
 
Joe Mac said:
It’s an adjustment that you can make to your tonearm or headshell to twist it slightly to have the stylus level. Not all tonearms allow for it though so check your manual. It’s only really for small margins to allow for manufacturing tolerances with styli. If it’s really bent then it’s done for I’m afraid.
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Don’t say that @Joe Mac !!! It still plays it just sounds more dominant in the left channel which affects the staging of the sound (which is why we listen to records, right?)
 
feesrevenge said:
Don’t say that @Joe Mac !!! It still plays it just sounds more dominant in the left channel which affects the staging of the sound (which is why we listen to records, right?)
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Well take a better picture from a straighter angle and see what the heads in here say. It might not be as bad as it looks and they may have a solution for you. All I’ll say is that I’d rather go on a vinyl diet to get a new stylus than wreck the records I do have with one that’s badly out whack.
 
Joe Mac said:
Well take a better picture from a straighter angle and see what the heads in here say. It might not be as bad as it looks and they may have a solution for you. All I’ll say is that I’d rather go on a vinyl diet to get a new stylus than wreck the records I do have with one that’s badly out whack.
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@feesrevenge this. Do not play your records with a damaged stylus. You can cause permanent damage to your records.
 
HiFi Guy said:
@feesrevenge this. Do not play your records with a damaged stylus. You can cause permanent damage to your records.
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Alright so I got home and checked it out and it looked like my head shell was crooked so I grabbed the level and it was cocked slightly so I corrected it and now my needle looks straight. Still having the issue with the right channel though. Let me clarify by saying it doesn’t sound bad it’s just not as loud as the left channel. Don’t know if this means anything or helps to pinpoint the problem but I tried putting the balance to the right (on 2) and this helped alleviate the problem. Right channel is now louder and sound stage has returned.
13AA4B0B-CF00-44DD-B9AC-1658DF71710A.jpeg
 
feesrevenge said:
Alright so I got home and checked it out and it looked like my head shell was crooked so I grabbed the level and it was cocked slightly so I corrected it and now my needle looks straight. Still having the issue with the right channel though. Let me clarify by saying it doesn’t sound bad it’s just not as loud as the left channel. Don’t know if this means anything or helps to pinpoint the problem but I tried putting the balance to the right (on 2) and this helped alleviate the problem. Right channel is now louder and sound stage has returned.
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Well I've proven in another thread that I don't know much about anti-skate, but I did read that if your stylus doesn't sit in the groove with even pressure to each side of that groove, one effect of this could be differential volume from one channel to the other. If true, obviously the same effect could result from a stylus that is not properly aligned within the cart. BUT since so much of what I read about audio is often discussed as being wrong as often as being right, don't take my word for it!
 
If all my records are starting to sound scratchy/static-y, especially towards the end of each side, it it time to replace my cartridge?
 
Jeff Lerner said:
If all my records are starting to sound scratchy/static-y, especially towards the end of each side, it it time to replace my cartridge?
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Can you roughly estimate how many hours you have on it? The sound usually start to sound muddle. Could it be also that your cart is not properly aligned anymore? Did you change/move anything recently?
 
Mr Moustache said:
Can you roughly estimate how many hours you have on it?
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I'd guess around 500

Mr Moustache said:
The sound usually start to sound muddle. Could it be also that your cart is not properly aligned anymore? Did you change/move anything recently?
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The record player has been moved a few times from one room to another while we were having some work done at the house. How can I tell if it is not aligned, and how hard is it to fix?
 
Jeff Lerner said:
AT LP-120
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So calibration and checking isn't that hard, you do need a couple of tools though. I would start with the basics, make sure the VTF is correct, check the cart with a protractor and check the Azimuth as well. With the removable head shell there is a tendency of the Azimuth being off over time.

What you need, if you don't have:
  • A Protractor
  • A VTF Scale
  • Azimuth alignment tool / Bubble Level
All good things to have around and not expensive, Amazon is your friend ;)
 
I'm adding here that a paper protractor printed off internet should suffice. Just be careful with poking the hole. For azimuth, if you look closely, does the headshell look a bit crooked?
 
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