Linn Forums

dave friday · 2012-08-11, 21:26

Hi all,I'm thinking of buying a usb microscope for checking the stylus,
any recomendations?
Ta.

CT0wens · 2012-08-11, 21:30

Check out Michael Fremer's recent advice and reviews at analogplanet.com -- he refers to some from little to lots of money. Great for setting a 92-degree SRA -- which he is a strong proponent of.

linnrd · 2012-08-11, 21:33

(2012-08-11 21:30)cto007 Wrote: Check out Michael Fremer's recent advice and reviews at analogplanet.com -- he refers to some from little to lots of money. Great for setting a 92-degree SRA -- which he is a strong proponent of.

However, the final dialling in is done by ear anyway, so...makes me wonder if this is REALLY necessary for forum members who don't have to pad out a review.

CT0wens · 2012-08-11, 22:21

Agreed... but never underestimate the power of OCD Smile

Especially when it comes to PRAT.

dave friday · 2012-08-11, 22:59

Ta,what i'm after is advice from users of usb scopes,I dont like the idea of scraping the stylus with sand paper unecessaraly.

linnrd · 2012-08-11, 23:33

(2012-08-11 22:59)dave friday Wrote: Ta,what i'm after is advice from users of usb scopes,I dont like the idea of scraping the stylus with sand paper unecessaraly.

Ah, in that case these wee ones do not have the magnification required for checking out stylus profile, AFAIK. John or might be able to comment on this with more experience.

orthobiz · 2012-08-12, 02:08

I posted this recently and was told that it doesn't matter.

http://forums.linn.co.uk/bb/showthread.php?tid=16666

Paul

CJ1045 · (This post was last modified: 2012-08-15 13:04 by CJ1045.)

I have one of the 200x USB ones and it is great for viewing the stylus for fluff etc. However, checking stylus profiles as very difficult whatever the magnification - I remember seeing a Linn document that showed the worn profile next to a new stylus profile as a line drawing and it was very hard to see the difference even then. To make a determination as to how worn a stylus is in isolation is pretty much impossible. I would suggest the best way is to use your own ears. If you are getting mistracking, are confident the cartridge is correctly aligned and the cartridge is old then it might be time for a new one.

I have attached a sample pic from my USB scope.

CJ

Dr_Eddie · 2012-08-15, 13:01

Hear, hear, +1.

dave friday · 2012-08-15, 13:47

Thanks Cj,the picture is just what i wanted,my cartridge has about 50 hours use,so i'm just looking for fluff n gunge.I saw a dem of stylus wear that used the refracted light that came off the worn stylus flanks[ more light= more wear]