[Dixielandjazz] Thoughts on LP Needles

[Robert Pulliam]

Since the subject of LP needles came up recently, thought I'd put my .02 in.
Most people are guilty of "Felony LP Abuse" when playing their records -
i.e. they play them on any old turntable without any thought as to various
factors that affect wear and sound, especially *cleaning* of the record.

The little bitty particles of grime and dust look like rocks when you get
down to the scale of the stylus and are jammed into the grooves when the
stylus passes over them, causing damage to both the stylus and the groove.

Even a brand-new LP has contaminants on the surface which includes the
factory mold release. One of those felt record cleaning brushes don't do
much other than pick up some surface lint and push the crud in the grooves
around. The *only* way to really clean the record is with a vacuum
irrigation machine using a properly formulated detergent (using the wrong
stuff such as rubbing alcohol can actually damage the vinyl) and distilled
water - NOT tap water, which contains minerals. The idea os to loosen the
dirt, suspend it in liquid and suck it up and off the record surface. It's
surprising what a difference a cleaning can make in the perceived surface
noise of a good pressing that isn't already severely damaged.

I have a rig I put together myself which seems to work really well. I've
been contemplating hiring out the service.

There are other considerations as well -  making the platter level - so the
stylus isn't biased more against one side over the other, alignment of the
stylus/tonearm, skate adjustment (if your turntable doesn't have one, you
probably shouldn't be playing records on it) and balance/weight of the
tonearm. Making it "feather light" is not the answer. Too light is actually
worse than too heavy since the stylus will bounce in the groove causing
damage - the scaled psi of the stylus is enormous - a ton or more from what
I understand.

If you care about your LP's, you should invest in a turntable that allows
adjustment of these parameters, as well as a stylus aligning tool and carbon
fiber brush to pick up surface dust after cleaning and cut down on static
charge. You can pick up a "DJ" style turntable like a Technics SL-1200 or
one of the Technics clones for under $200 all day on eBay. Not the last word
in audiophile turntables but a good serviceable unit that will do a great
job. Of course, if you've got more money than you know what to do with, you
can spend 25 grand and more on a turntable.

Btw, in case you don't believe me:

http://www.audiofederation.com/catalog/turntables/