~1100 hours on Ortofon 2M Red stylus: is it near the end?

[nkorah]

The issue is not the stylus, it's the glue that holds the diamond on the cantilever.

Sorry, I wasn't clear - This is exactly what I meant

 

[Q-E-2]

Mmmm...since sooner (most likely) or later it will need to be replaced, why don't you buy a new one (maybe a Blue?) for the pristine mint copies and use the old one for the old/crackling records?

Just my 2 cents

 

[EmmEff]

Mmmm...since sooner (most likely) or later it will need to be replaced, why don't you buy a new one (maybe a Blue?) for the pristine mint copies and use the old one for the old/crackling records?

Fair enough, but it sounds like a bit of a hassle. I do not want to change my listening patterns just so I'm not changing stylii every other record.

 

[iLUVanalog]

If your stylus has had 1000 hours of regular use, I would go ahead and swap it out. It is much easier and much less expense to replace a stylus than it is to replace a record collection.

 

[guitarman50]

About once a month I will use a bit of LAST liquid stylus cleaner on the cartridges, but that is it. I wipe it onto the stiff stylus cleaning brush, and then clean front to back. Last is reported to be a non alcohol version, and therefore does not degrade any of the bonding agents between the stylus and the cantilever.

Regards
Mister Pig

I also use the onzow zerodust after playing every side and I use the Last stylus cleaner. However I use the Last stylus cleaner after each side followed by the zerodust. My logic was that the liquid cleaner loosens the dirt up and the zerodust extracts it easier. Hopefully I'm not causing any issues with my cartridge.

 

[arts]

Ortofon specifically warns AGAINST using any alcohol-type cleaning solutions. They will also not honor any warranty claims that they feel are alcohol related.
I do recall reading posts (I don't specifically remember on which forum,but probably Vinyl Engine) about people causing damage to Ortofon styli through alcohol cleaning.
I use the provided stylus brush and the Magic Eraser method.

 

[bindy555]

Realistically, should I be seeking a replacement sooner or later? I hear mixed opinions about the life of a stylus. Some say 1000 hours, some say 2000 hours.

I do not have the equipment and/or know-how to inspect the stylus for wear myself.

This might help. A few months ago, I replaced my Sumiko blue point #2 cartridge with a new one (another #2). The old cartridge had 600-700 hours on it. Being that 1000 hours is the standard of reference for replacement, my old Sumiko still had plenty more mileage. However, when I replaced it, I noticed the difference right away. The new Sumiko sounded crisper and sharper, had better resolution. Which convinced me that I made the right decision to scrap the old #2 before the end of its playable life.

 

[trinhsman]

The best thing I have found for cleaning a stylus is a piece of magic eraser. Works great. As to the life of the stylus, 1,000 hours or normal use is about right. I just changed out the stylus on my 2M Black cartridge. I thought it sounded ok, but after the change, OMG WOW! So you may seem the same thing.

 

[Chubba]

Great thread. I am at around 700 hrs on a Goldring Erioca LX. Starting to be concerned about wear and what I will chose to do. ! really like my music hall 9.1

 

[bobins08]

Back to your question. The 1000 hour mark is definitely the point to at least consider replacing it.

Unfortunately, a stylus is like the brakes on your car, they wear slowly and you get used to it.

I would consider saving for the Blue stylus to get an upgrade. Use the Red for records in less the stellar condition and the Blue for the others. This will make both last to the maximum

Cheers, Bob

 

[ETI_5000]

Here's a range of answers from various cartridge and/or turntable manufacturers to the question "how long will my stylus last":

Grace, Yamaha: 200-300 hours
Pickering: 250-300
Dual 300
JVC: 300-500
Realistic: 350-600
Denon, Jico, Kenwood, Sherwood, Sony, Technics and Thorens: 500
Ortofon: 500-700
Sansui: 500-800
Rotel, Sanyo: 500-1000
Pioneer: 800-1000

So it tends to range from a low of 200 hours at the more conservative end, to 1000 hours. There have been a few such as A.J. van den Hul who've suggested that with the cleanest records and using the best extended line contact stylus tips, up to 3000 hours isn't beyond what might be expected.

Shure welcomes alcohol and only makes bonded mounts.

They may only make bonded styli currently, but for decades (from the 1960's to the mid-2000's) Shure made many nude mount styli, as well as bonded styli. Most of the V15's, plus M91ED, M91GD, M24H, M95ED, M95HE, M75ED Type 2, M75HE Type 2, M97ED, M97GD, M97HE, Ultra VST III, Ultra VST-V, Ultra 300, Ultra 400, Ultra 500 and lots more, all had nude mounted diamonds. Their suggestion that alcohol or alcohol and distilled water mixes are OK for cleaning applies to both their bonded and nude mount styli, and was suggested for at least 40 years, so I'm sure if there were problems, they would have found them.

 

[KentTeffeteller]

However, Ortofon does not recommend alcohol for stylus cleaning. Be mindful of that.

 

[classic carl]

The Onzow Zerodust stylus cleaners are no longer as expensive as they once were. I picked one up on Amazon for $25. I'm amazed how much crap appears on the Zerodust after dipping my styli into it.

 

[marcmorin]

Realistically, should I be seeking a replacement sooner or later? I hear mixed opinions about the life of a stylus. Some say 1000 hours, some say 2000 hours.

I do not have the equipment and/or know-how to inspect the stylus for wear myself.

I can look at the stylus for you. PM me

 

[GP Hill]

I would have to say you got your money's worth out of your cartridge. Maybe time to buy a new one.

 

[gusten]

It is normally very, very difficult to know when a needle is worn. I have several times thought the needle were fine, until I switched to a new needle. A flat spot at the needle starts very early in the needle`s life, the problem is to decide when these flat spots are too large for good playback. What we normally can do is to compare the sound, tracing and tracking of the old needle contra a new one, and then decide for ourselves what we can live with.
I´m guessing that the different recommended hrs for different needles, and from different suppliers, very much just will depend on how these flat spots are looked upon. It´s also reasonable that a high quality needle, grain oriented and effectively polished, will last much longer than a standard pseudo elliptical. Having a new needle to compare with the old at 500h I believe is good idea. I would assume a 2MRed has passed best before long ago at 1100h.

 

[ateal]

I just got my Fidelity Research FR1 MK3F back from Andy at the Needle Clinic where he has put on a line contact diamond. When I asked how long it would last using only clean and mint condition records his exact reply was "the new diamond will last minimum more than 3k + hours".

This is coming from someone who probably has a vested interest in my repeat business so I would expect him to be more conservative.

I guess the better quality the stone, the longer it lasts.

 

[grottyash]

Reading the above, I'm happy I've a Clearaudio cartridge. 2 year warranty, 2000 hrs before replacement.