...but I'll ask it anyway:

What has the potential to cause more damage to a record -- dropping the stylus on the grooves while the platter is in motion, or placing the stylus on the record while the platter is still, then starting it?

Definitely Dropping. Even with the spring tension of the stylus cantilever, that is still a substantial impact to both the record and the stylus.

Simply starting with the stylus already in the groove may not be ideal, but I don't see it hurting anything significantly.

Now, if by '...dropping the stylus in the grooves..., you mean PLACING the stylus in the groove. Then I say a dead start is more damage. If done correctly, the stylus should not DROP into the groove, it should be gently lowered so as not to put excessive force on the stylus, record, or stylus cantilever.

Could you clear up what you meant by 'drop'? Did you mean gently lowered, or did you mean to fall with substantial speed and force from a great height?

Steve/bluewizard

How does a dead start damage anything?

I'm sorry about that -- I'll clarify: by "drop", I meant properly placing the tonearm stylus on the record, whether it be by an automatic or manual cueing mechanism, or by carefully placing it by hand -- proper, non-abusive handing all around.

When we were kids, my sister had this Panasonic all-in-one stereo with the usual BSR lathe -- it had a cueing lever, but the damping mechanism was the Earth's gravitational pull. Clunk!

How does a dead start damage anything?

I don't know -- I was just wondering if it made a difference to the vinyl if the stylus dragged up to speed from a dead stop (e.g. overcoming the static coefficient of friction) or made contact at full speed.

See, we used to start records from a dead stop at the high school radio station... you'd take that turntable offline, then hand spin the platter until you found the best starting point where you wouldn't wow the first second or so of the song, but then you wouldn't have dead air and crackling either. And we'd have a thumb on the platter and let it go at the right moment.

But to my knowledge, no one really does that at home -- we manually set the tonearm on the disc, which has already switched on the motor by the time it makes contact, or we might have an older automatic unit.

I just wondered if the record cared either way. Is stylus compliance unaffected by platter rotation speed?

I think you mean to ask whether the cantilever suspension suffers any, and I can't see how. And as for the record, especially on the lead-in groove I can't imagine what the problem would be. I think the reason we bring the tt up to speed first is just so that it is the correct speed when the music starts. With DD tts that was really a non-issue, but the tradition continued.

How does a dead start damage anything?

I see the danger of movement in the TT (depending on the TT) when pushing the start button with the stylus already in the groove. This can result in the stylus jumping and damaging the record or itselves (it is even possible that the arm jumps off the record and the stylus dropping on to the TT base).

Less likeley to happen with a "spinning" start (I think).

-John-

I see the danger of movement in the TT (depending on the TT) when pushing the start button with the stylus already in the groove. This can result in the stylus jumping and damaging the record or itselves (it is even possible that the arm jumps off the record and the stylus dropping on to the TT base).

Less likeley to happen with a "spinning" start (I think).

-John-


I'm not so sure... Imagine you are a human
stylus, hanging on to the cantilever/cartridge --a gigantic teeter-totter-- with your feet in the groove as the stylus tip. The platter is like a huge, grooved merry-go-round. Is it better to be lowered into an already spinning merry-go-LP, or to have your feet in that groove as one starts up from a stop? Which imparts more of a jerk/twist to your hips and spine? THAT is the motion which will cause the stylus to skip/jump.

It is critically important in any case that the cart and stylus compliance is matched to the tonearm mass, and that everything is properly adjusted for ideal alignment.

DROPPING the stylus onto the record under the force of gravity is the worst thing, exacerbated if the record is moving at the same time, which adds further energy to the impact. In the analogy, this is bounce, bounce, chipped-groove and broken-ankle time! Lowering the stylus gently shouldn't be a problem.