[rotarius]

It's not really the styli that need replacement of course. But the cantilever and its rubber and perhaps plastic components. I have been told that considering they are between 30-35 yrs old, they would have deteriorated quite a bit.

I am not talking about replacing the diamond tip, I am talking about getting the stylus assembly. Not sure about these days, but before the pandemic, you could get a Jico SAS.  You could look on LPgear.

[davidc1]

Can anyone tell me what the cantilever material was on the Shure V15 Type V MR? Was it boron or belleryium?

[sunnydaze]

Can anyone tell me what the cantilever material was on the Shure V15 Type V MR? Was it boron or belleryium?

Google is your friend.       

"On the technical front the V15 is a beautifully put together MM. A very small line contact diamond sits at the end of a tubular beryllium cantilever -"

https://www.tnt-audio.com/sorgenti/shurev15_e.html

[davidc1]

Google is your friend.       

"On the technical front the V15 is a beautifully put together MM. A very small line contact diamond sits at the end of a tubular beryllium cantilever -"

https://www.tnt-audio.com/sorgenti/shurev15_e.html

Thanks you./

[Bob2]

Have you installed them and gave a listen? Perhaps they are in better condition than you might think. Taking what you read here as fact may not be the best answer, it may be prudent to give them a chance to reveal what they can provide..

[dlaloum]

Can/does a stylus' suspension age - yes it can, and it absolutely depends on the formulation of the suspension (usually a type of rubber gasket)...

Unfortunately the suspension formulation was a trade secret, and we have no means to analyse it further.

However - most brands do not suffer from suspension rot or hardening ... Shures, AT's and Ortofons seem immune to this issue. (it may be a problem if the stylus/cartridge was stored in places where it gets really hot in summer....

I believe some people have experienced some issues with certain models and certain vintages of ADC styli - ADC did a lot of messing about with their suspension formulation... it was the secret of some of their performance.

But apparently some of their formulations have not lasted as well as others.... so there is a risk to purchasing original NOS ADC styli... having said that, I have not been bitten by the issue yet.

[stonedeaf]

One of the  reasons I spend money on test records is I don't know any other way to test for damaged/hardened/softened/out of spec dampening blocs. Either the Ortofon or Hi Fi News and record review test record will make it clear pretty fast if a stylus is very unfortunately past it's best if used by date or otherwise not worth trusting your irreplaceable records to.

[TABARD]

Hi, Dealer are there to help you spend MORE & MORE money. Stylus life provided it's of good quality and you keep it & your LP's clean. 3000 to 6000 hours. My second system has a Denon DL-109 on it, that is about 50+ years old now, just fitted a new Jelco Elliptical stylus & it sounds scarily close to my super expensive MC cart in my main system.

Cheers

[stonedeaf]

One: I worked for Audio dealers (still do for a day or two every month or two). Don't work on commission and have no financial interest in whether the customer buys today or tomorrow or from someone else. in the 50 plus years that I have been in the business -the thousand hour stylus tip life has been accepted. Having finished my second cataract replacement last month I am excited to be putting together a conventional 200X stylus inspection rig (and to be able to see what I'm looking at . Take a look at Ray Parker's stylus imaging thread on Vinyl Engine - these images are remarkable and really tell the story. remember. ray has no financial interest in replacing styli. Back to thread -suspension failures are rare. Tips wearing out is normal wear and use. REMEMBER:records are irreplaceable.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Nagaoka recommends replacing the stylus on their cartridges every 150-200 hours which is ridiculous.  I think that they are trying to boost sales.  There is no reason that a diamond stylus should wear out at 200 hours.  I own 2 Nagaoka's and they are going strong after 150 hours or more.

[dlaloum]

Jico did a series of measurements, and define "end of life" as the point at which distortion rises to a certain % (5% I believe...)

Based on those measurements - Sphericals reach that point at 200hrs, elipticals at 150hrs and the microline types at circa 500hrs.

None of these are at the point of damaging the record - they are merely at the point where measurable distortion reaches an unacceptable level (according to one manufacturer).

Wear is also dependent on the condition and treatment of the vinyl it is being played on... the cleaner the vinyl, the lower the wear. Also if you opt for a lubricating vinyl treatment, it can further enhance stylus life.

Some have reported stylus lives of 2000hrs (line contact styli designs) ... but on what basis? What level of distortion was being generated at that point?

If a stylus is used until shards break off the diamond (not unusual for very worn styli) - then it becomes a cutter, and directly damages the vinyl on which it is used.

Where do you draw the line?!

https://www.jico-stylus.com/2019/07/elementor-9582/#:~:text=Product%20lifetime%20is%20about%20500%20playing%20hours.

[dlaloum]

JICO rates stylus wear:

https://www.vinylengine.com/turntable_forum/viewtopic.php?t=34521