Phono cartridge stylus types: In search of the perfect groove tracker

ERRATA CORRIGE: As some have pointed out, the FM carrier in the JVC CD-4 system (shibata stylus) is responsable to separate the 4 channels, which are together, not the reproduce the rear channels as I stated in the video.

The first major symptom you hear when a Microline wears out is a reduction in volume. You'll still get great tracking and reading of frequency range - just lower dB.

I have a number of different types. The stylus type is only one element of a complex electromechanical system. The moving Mass and compliance of the cartridge and the performance of the tonearm matter a lot.polyvinylchloride is a relatively soft material that can easily be permanently deformed by exceeding its elastic limit. Low dynamic mass and high compliance reduce record wear by requiring lower tracking force to stay in the groove. A high contact area reduces stress on the plastic. A dynamically balanced tonearm with very low friction bearings such as jewels also reduces required tracking force. The best solution is the optimized moving magnet design. Another advantage it has is high output compared to the higher mass lower compliance low output moving coil design. The frequency response of the cartridge can be easily manipulated through equalization. Bright sounding cartridges like Ortophon at least decades ago had a poorly damped resonance at around 15 khz. They compensated for the high end rolloff of many speakers. If you undertrack a cartridge it will lose contact with the groove only to come crashing down. Channel separation is also important. Compared to digital sources harmonic distortion of records is high but usually below the threshold of audibility.

Thank you Guido. Your discussion was VERY helpful for me because I had been out of the vinyl world for a long time. Back in my day the elliptical stylus was the most attainable. I remember when the short lived quadraphonic CD-4 format came out that you needed a special diamond to maximize the 4-channel effect but I did not know this was called Shibata. So right now I have a fairly low -end Technics P-mount TT that my brother-in-law gave me. I immediately upgraded to an AT -style cartridge with a hyper-elliptical nude diamond and It sounds amazing! For my humble little system it is a major upgrade. I hope in future you will dive deeper into this topic. Again thanks because you have guided and inspired me on my analog journey and I am grateful.

I'm back! During my short hiatus with SACD and abandoning Analog, I have come back to vinyl and I'm not changing! I've become too obsessed with being too analytical with my so-called listening sessions and forgot how to enjoy music!

Best summary I have ever seen on stylus types and advantages/disadvantages of each. Great work and many thanks

Excellent video as usual, Guido!!

So intesting! Thank you very much!

Great job! Very detailed and very good info. Ya gotta love you tube. You got a new sub.

I have a Jico SAS and am very happy with the results

Thank you. Very helpful.

Fantastic video .

Excellent!

I just bought a vm540ml and it is a wonderful cartridge. I would like to get the same sound quality for my DJ carts but, until now , I can't find any equivalent product, unfortunately. For me, the best improvements in sound quality regards sibilance... with the AT cartridge there is not any sibilance left, it's very pleasant. Thank you for your videos.

The best thing I did for Vinyl playback was to invest in an expensive cartridge. I went from a OM-10 to a Sumiko Olympia to a Soundsmith Zephyr MKIII. The last jump was a huge improvement in sound reproduction. I also upgraded the TT with the Soundsmith, but the cartridge was the real winner.

I got an Audio Technica AT-440MLb because I was getting so annoyed with inner groove distortion on my Conical and Elliptical carts. The problem has now gone, I won't look back from a MicroLine. My one is no longer available but the replacement model is VM540ML

Thanks a lot for the good informations. You are always interesting to listen to....

Great information sir 👍👍👍👍

Thanks very interesting

Hi Guido. Great overview. Especially on the lifetime of the different stylus shapes. As a big fan of the DL103. There are some things I look different at when it concerns the conical shape. Enjoyed the video. Not easy to summarize all facts. Cheers. /Paul