[78-L] 78 rpm stylus question

[Bryan Wright]

Yes, the issue here is a "ringing" or high-pitched "whistle" that is  
present in the affected stylus. I'll admit that in the excerpts I  
provided, the effect isn't very pronounced, but on some records it's  
more obvious than others, and in all cases, I find the ringing or  
whistling to be at a frequency where I find it quite bothersome and  
distracting -- especially when listening for more than a few minutes.  
I'm in the marked for some new styli to replace the ones I have on  
hand, but because styli are so expensive, and because I find this  
problem rather irritating, I want to avoid purchasing styli that  
produce this ringing effect. As I mentioned in my original post, it  
seems to affect styli randomly from various manufacturers, so until I  
know what's causing it, I don't know how to avoid it. One possible  
clue is that the ringing starts from the instant the stylus touches  
the record's surface on the outer rim -- even before dropping into the  
groove. So it really doesn't have anything to do with stylus size, but  
obviously something about the way the tip is attached to the  
cantilever or perhaps some weakness in the cantilever itself. Does  
anyone have any idea? Visually, I can see no difference between  
affected and unaffected styli, though I don't have access to a  
microscope for close inspection.

Thanks,
Bryan W.


On Jan 8, 2013, at 1:11 PM, 78-l-request at klickitat.78online.com wrote:

> I listened to the clip.  I can hear a definite 'ringing' character
> superimposed on the hiss from the records on the segments using the  
> stylus
> Bryan is asking about, that also will affect the music.
>
> On Mon, Jan 7, 2013 at 6:43 PM, Malcolm Rockwell  
> <malcolm at 78data.com> wrote:
>
>> If anything the second example of the first side has diminished  
>> blasting
>> on the horns and a very, very slightly lower level overall, to my  
>> ears.
>> I hear no hissing artifact on any of the four examples. But that may
>> just be due to my aging ears! Haven't tried it with a headset.
>> Mal
>>
>> *******
>>
>> On 1/7/2013 5:36 AM, Bryan Wright wrote:
>>> Occasionally when I buy new 78 styli (either from Esoteric Sound or
>>> Expert Stylus), I get one that sounds "different." I usually order
>>> truncated elliptical styli in sizes ranging from 2.0 mil to 4.0 mil.
>>> I'm accustomed to the general "sound" these styli provide, and I  
>>> know
>>> what I should be hearing. However, once in a while I get a new  
>>> stylus
>>> that produces sound with a light constant "hiss" and a greatly  
>>> pinched
>>> frequency range in which the highs seem to be greatly reduced or
>>> virtually gone. I've encountered this same general "altered sound"  
>>> on
>>> about one out of every three or four new styli, and it can affect  
>>> any
>>> sized stylus. Rather than try to describe it further, I've posted an
>>> audio sample with four brief clips:
>>>
>>> http://www.bryanswright.com/2013-stylus-test.wav
>>>
>>> 1. The first 15 seconds is played with a "normal" 3.0mil TE stylus
>>> 2. The next 15 seconds is the same record with a stylus as I  
>>> describe
>>> above (in this case, a 2.8mil TE stylus)
>>> 3. The next 20-25 seconds is another record with the "normal" 3.0mil
>>> TE stylus
>>> 4. The final 20-25 seconds is the same record with the "problem"
>>> 2.8mil TE stylus
>>>
>>> I don't have a microscope to examine these two styli carefully to  
>>> see
>>> what might be causing the different sound. Does anyone here know? Is
>>> the 2.8mil stylus in the audio excerpt defective? It isn't always
>>> "worse" (sometimes, the reduced frequency range is a blessing on
>>> really worn records), but in general, I much prefer the sound of the
>>> stylus in the first example above. It sounds much more "open" and
>>> "natural" to my ears.
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>> Bryan W.