Quote:
Originally Posted by Nerull  Is there any correlation between sound quality and stylus width?
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Yes, but what do you mean by "width"?
Quote:
| The vinyl width on 33/45's is 40um, if that makes any difference |
Where did you get that number? That's pretty low IIRC, and it's not even a single number for stereo records anyway (the modulation depth changes).
If you assume an average of 255 LPI and 50% groove coverage on the surface of the record you get something like 50um average groove width. But I have heard of some cuts getting as wide as 100um.
Quote:
| Do you think that a thinner profile stylus cartridge would be better at reproducing sound? Why or why not? |
Stylii with a thinner profile are theoretically and practically shown to avoid numerous high frequency distortion issues which are prominent with circular/spherical profile stylii, as is quite extensively covered on this forum and elsewhere.
In particular, microline/hyperelliptical/fine line stylus profiles are
absolutely necessary for playing back CD4 records, and repeated record play (100+ plays of a single record) demands at least an elliptical profile to minimize record wear.
But there are practical considerations which may suggest the use of wider profiles than otherwise suggested. In particular:
- Always use a spherical/circular profile stylus for DJing, backspinning, etc. Thinner profiles tend to come on more fragile cantilevers that do not withstand backcueing well. They also have increased skating forces which might result in increased record wear when backspinning.
- On a related note, always use spherical/circular profile stylii with "straight" tonearms which lack an offset angle in order to improve backspin performance.
- Thinner stylus profiles are, relatively, more sensitive to vertical alignment considerations than wider profiles. I believe the overall distortion is still lower than what always exists with wider profiles, but it may make it harder to get an "optimal" configuration than if using a wider profile.
- Ultimately you're never going to get alignment perfectly right, and such perfection would be necessary when using an "infinitely" thin profile, covering the entire width of the groove. Misalignment of such a cartridge would cause permanent damage. Such inaccuracies aren't an issue with hyperellipticals but you occasionally hear such talk with Van den Hul profiles.
- Some people speculate that thinner profiles are more susceptible to catastrophic stylus damage from debris in the groove, but there is little to no verifiable evidence of this sort of thing happening in the real world.
