DIGITAL Microscope Phono Stylus Cleaning

Digital microscopes are invaluable for phono stylus inspection. A simple mod of this one lets you comfortably inspect your stylus from a standing position, while it sits on its arm rest, with just a glance at a 7" HD LCD display. NO need to bend down, detach the headshell, or position anything! Simply place the tonearm on its rest and view! DONE.
Correction: This cantilever is .5mm wide, not 1mm as labelled at 1:58.

[@gustercc]

I really love your videos especially the acoustic research turntable deep dive

[@sudhirsingh-sx8lo]

just a minute of play.wow.hence i clean both vinyl and stylus before and after play

[@m.zillch3841]

Me too. People who clean only if they hear a problem are likely damaging their records.

[@gustercc]

I really love your videos. I especially love the acoustic research ask a deep dive, it was very informative and thorough.

[@m.zillch3841]

Thanks

[@danlong6162]

Awesome video! Love the closeups!

[@Harry_Hippie]

Brilliant Thankyou great to see under microscope

[@m.zillch3841]

Thanks

[@SPINNINGMYWHEELS777]

thanks for sharing this information - I'll be looking for this product - I use a normal microscope to check my stylus' - very difficult to take a nice photo without the 'gear' - this would be very beneficial going forward and easy . Cheers from Onterrible Canaduh.

[@cobar5342]

That was great
Thank you

[@teddyrasputin3850]

Thanks for that. I've always wondered just how effective brush cleaning actually was. It seems more expensive tools like the Onzow Zero Dust might be unnecessary. Any plans on the best ways to ground a phono setup and dealing with static?

[@m.zillch3841]

My contention is if you can view the stylus in microscopic detail the exact cleaning method you choose isn't all that important. Just keep brushing until the surface is clearly shiny and like new. Even the free brush could achieve that after just a few strokes. [Although I guess there are different kinds of dust and some may cling more.]
No plans on a grounding video because it is dependent on what the turntable is and the environment. One method that works well for one person's 'table and room might not do well for another.

[@glenncurry3041]

Check out "Time to Put Away The Onzow ZeroDust?" by Michael Fremer of Analog Planet. He did extensive research and found it was building up an unremovable layer of gunk.

[@rpg896]

Thanks for the video. So, the first brush was dry and the Discwasher one, also?

[@m.zillch3841]

I sometimes use distilled water (so when it dries there's no residue) but in this video the brushes were dry.

[@SPINNINGMYWHEELS777]

@4:10 - that's what some people online would call "morgellons"

[@mucrim11111]

Amazing:)

[@litoboy5]

Cool

[@sulleneldritch7680]

Any thoughts on using a scope like this for more precise cartridge alignment? Or would it be too difficult to get close enough when on the platter?

[@m.zillch3841]

Good idea! I just tried it but my current setup does not really have the capability of supporting the massive base of the microscope, in its current configuration, mounted where it needs to sit for an inspection of the needle while in the groove, so I had to sort of hand hold it. Results: You can get a good view but a new problem arises. You have a good view of the stylus but it is difficult to simultaneously view the overall plane of the record surface to make relative assessments of the angles.

[@m.zillch3841]

@@sulleneldritch7680 Not sure if you've seen it already but I show the use of a close range monocular to examine stylus/groove movement, on pipe organ notes here: czcams.com/video/d_EDuvPCJ04/video.html
My vision isn't great either but I think the best approach is to mount the cartridge as squarely to the headshell as possible and then worry about the entire headshell alignment to the record surface rather than just the stylus tip. At least on my AR-XA that seems to be the best approach.

[@utub1473]

Could this microscope be used to set the stylus rake angle?

[@m.zillch3841]

The problem is when you view it up close you don't have a good sense of the horizontal plane of the record surface other than the tiny spot right under the stylus. Like many microscopes the image has an extremely narrow depth of field so you can focus on the diamond tip but the horizontal record is out of focus and completely blurred. , , , I can't speak to all brands/models, but my Shure manual says they've designed it so that if the cartridge top edge (where the screws are) is square to the record surface and you are applying the correct tracking force then your VTA and SRA are good to go.

[@utub1473]

@@m.zillch3841 What it says in the Shure manual really only works when the cartridge is perfectly manufactured. That's seldom the case, so it's important to dig a little deeper.

[@m.zillch3841]

@@utub1473 I'll be glad to examine any objective evidence you have that some Shure M97xE cartridges have audibly compromised sound by simply following their advice on this matter. Have a link? Thanks.

[@utub1473]

@@m.zillch3841 This isn't specific to Shure cartridges though, it's all of them. Unless you have a specialty stylus profile, your cartridge manufacturer is going to tell you that a level cartridge will ensure you a proper stylus rake angle. It's difficult to send a single link to explain this, as there are so many different places I've learned this from, but I also shouldn't need a link. If your cartridge isn't manufactured perfectly, then the universal recommendation Shure and many other manufacturers make simply won't be an accurate method of setting the stylus rake angle. The real way to do it is to have a microscope, one which is capable of examining the stylus rake angle with the stylus resting and tracing a groove. If you don't believe me on any of this, I would recommend that you check out some of the set up videos/articles done at AnalogPlanet. You could also check out WallyTools, a company of mechanical engineers specializing in the art of proper cartridge alignment. Cartridges are such small tools that it's unrealistic to expect that they all be manufactured identically...

[@m.zillch3841]

@@utub1473 " If your cartridge isn't manufactured perfectly, then the universal recommendation Shure and many other manufacturers make simply won't be an accurate method of setting the stylus rake angle." No, my concern is not that the angle might be slightly off, even measurably so by, say, a couple/few degrees, it is that the degree by which it varies is of AUDIBLE concern. The rants of others claiming they "hear" it, including magazine reviewers, conducting their tests under SIGHTED conditions is of no interest to me.