[Closed] Record Player - new stylus?

I haven't replaced my stylus (linn k9) for a very long time although it is something I have been thinking about recently. I don't have any sound quality issues generally although I do tend to get some distortion from time to time. Invariably it is dust or a bit of fluff picked up from the vinyl and caught on the stylus. I used to clean the records with a carbon fibre brush but seem to remember reading somewhere that it wasn't a good idea. That may be tosh though. Anyway, i haven't cleaned them for a while, hence the fluff build up.

I play LP's most nights, probably more than cd's I reckon

It's called inner groove distortion, and is one of those classic issues with vinyl playback.

It might be worth resetting the cartridge in the arm (use a proper protractor). If that doesn't work, then a new stylus would be a relatively cheap way of eliminating the noise.

Failing that sell all your records to me and listen to the perfect sound of silence....

Interesting, have never heard of that. I did get a protractor to set up the stylus though so presumably I got it right.

Likewise i'll happily take your nasty distorted vinyl off you 😀

You used to get special stylus cleaning 'brushes' which have a circle of very close packed short bristles which you put a few drops of a solvent to remove detritus that builds up on the stylus over time, mostly dust that sits in the grooves and isn't removed by using a carbon fibre brush. I can confirm that it can really build up into a lump that's actually difficult to remove with a regular brush, especially with older vinyl, and can really cause distortion.
There used to be a system that involved a tube full of liquid with a brush on the end that sat on the record on the opposite side to the tone-arm, so the stylus would actually track in liquid. Problem is, all the dust that settles on the record just sits in the liquid until it dries, then it sinks into the grooves and becomes like mud; a friend used it, and albums I played on his deck really suffered because this crap would stick to the stylus a hard lump, and was really difficult to remove.
There was another way of cleaning the stylus using small strips of plastic with a rough surface, a sort of benign abrasive, which worked very well, but you need to turn the volume right down!
This was used on Japanese cartridges costing thousands, so perfectly fine for cheaper AudioTechnica cartridges, you just need to be careful, and maybe use a magnifying glass to see what you're doing.
Double checking tracking and bias won't hurt, either.
I'll have a look and see if I can find sources, I've still got my turntable and all the odds'n'sods I accumulated for cleaning, so I know what to look for.
Right, the nearest to what I have, which is D3 cleaner, is this:
https://www.directaudio.net/products/mobile-fidelity-stylus-cleaning-fluid-cleaner-lp-9
Not cheap, by any means, but it really does work, if my similar system is anything to go by, this is what mine looks like:

[img] [/img]

Did find this, which might be useful:
http://www.high-endaudio.com/Magic.html
http://forums.naimaudio.com/topic/analogue-junkies---how-do-you-clean-your-stylus

I remember the clear arm thingy. My dad had one that he never bothered to set up. He did clean his stylus with a special brush though.

What you need is a new needle ....