Record Player Stylus
The Top 3 Online Stylii Stores
After buying stylii from top end hi-fi stores to market stalls, I always come back to the best of the best. If you are looking for the best quality product, the most reliable merchants and the best overall buying experience then you can’t go wrong with any of the following 3 online hi-fi accessory merchants:
I give these 3 merchants a whopping 5/5 on the recordplayerstylus.com scale.
They are graded on product quality, speed of shipping, fairness of price, good communication and product range.
Record Player Stylus
Growing up before Ipod’s and MP3′s and even CD’s, I like many of you I’m sure who are reading this now was a child of the vinyl record era.There was something magical not only in the quality of the recording (which is why I remain as true as possible to this format to this day) but in the whole thing from choosing to purchase and play. How many of you out there used to line up whatever the weather to get hold of your favorite band or artists latest release when it became available? Remember how you used to appreciate the cover art, pull the new record gently out of it’s dust sleeve and admire it, checking gatefold covers for lyrics and pictures of the band. I remember fondly my first record that I bought as I’m sure many of you do too,but how many people remember their first download? Not too many I’ll wager.
Now let’s get one thing straight,I could come across as an old “stick in the mud” who lives in the past, but actually nothing could be further from the truth. I’ve got the newest Ipod and a bang up to date cd player and have a vast collection of CD’s and MP3′s and listen to both on a daily basis. But here’s the deal to me. The thing about putting a piece of classic music on a turntable is the whole process. First you choose what you want to listen to by either looking at the spines (you know which is which right?) or flicking through the stack. Then you carefully take it out of the sleeve and dust cover, trying not to get fingerprints all over it, maybe give it a careful wipe with an anti-static cloth if need be. You then put it on the turntable, put on the stylus, sit back, maybe close your eyes and wait for it to begin. You don’t flick through thousands of songs baffling yourself with all the choice like you do with an MP3 player. Each listen is a carefully thought out process to which the listener is ultimately rarely disappointed.
I liken the whole process to having a special meal. You savour the whole process from start to finish from getting ready before you go out to the actual meal. Sometimes fast food’s ok but lets face it which one do we really prefer?
It’s safe to say that Vinyl Records produce the closest representation of the sound that the artist was actually playing at the time the music was being created. In CD’s early days, vinyl records were still greatly prized by audiophiles because of their better reproduction of analog recordings; however, drawbacks included greater sensitivity to scratches and dust but still a small price to pay for what you get in the end. Even today vinyl records have a special place in the heart of those who truly enjoy music. Even though the mass production of 45 rpm singles stopped in the early 90′s, some vinyl records are still produced today, but in much fewer numbers and really only on independant and dance music labels.
Turntables as you know are precision instruments and generally speaking the more you spend will vastly improve the sound quality. You can also maintain your much loved record collection by using the best quality stylus available for your system, as using inferior styli can ruin that treasured album in a single play believe it or not. I actually have been guilty of this and believe me it’s not a happy moment when you realise what you’ve done to part of your treasured collection.
I only ever buy my styli from 3 places:
They are true audio experts and aside from only stocking top notch audio equipment their after sales service and attitude to any questions you may have is second to none.
I hope you enjoy your vinyl record collection for many years to come as I know I will.
Replacing a turntable stylus can work magic
An upgrade to my turntable stylus rendered previously unplayable records miraculously well again. Read this blog post by Matt Rosoff on Digital Noise.
A turntable stylus needs to be replaced more often than other parts because of the constant contact with the record. It is recommended that a stylus is changed every 200-300 playing hours.
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