Cartridge cleaning

Is this a new cartridge? This must be a very unusual problem and it suggests to me a manufacturing fault. If I was you I would contact the manufacturer or importer and have a word with them about removing the problem for good i.e. a replacement.  

I've had the same roblem recently with my DV 20x2L. Dealer recommeded a drop of isopropyl alcohol on the brush that came with cartridge. Sweep gently from back to front. Works.

C.

Nagaoka Hi Clean 801 Stylus Cleaner.

Does what it says on the tin (bottle), very effectively. Compared to the price people pay for their cartridges, it's peanuts at about £15.00.

Green paper - doesn't DV supply a little piece of green paper with every cartridge?

and a GIOTTOS air blower - available via Amazon for around 10 quid:

The IPA on the brush worked on my 17D3.

IPA? I find that a mild is just as effective, whereas stout leaves deposits. 

Hungryhalibut posted:

IPA? I find that a mild is just as effective, whereas stout leaves deposits. 

I thought IPA was a bitter, and a very nice one too

It's a pale ale (the PA) rather than a bitter. 

IUPAC name propan-2-ol hopefully avoids confusion.

C.

Is that Tupac's brother?

thanks for all the replies. The cart is about 2-3 years old. The sound q recently went a bit 'off'  - so I started looking for possible causes. Looks like a major factor has been a dirty cartridge - specifically the cantelever. Backlighting with a mini-torch on the platter and then brushing the cant/stylus whilst viewing through a magnifying lens, it was possible to see a large amount of dust an debris being removed - as well as the tiny hair. Also, a much longer hair came out of the cart. body - which I take to be from the felt mat. The stylus has been regularly cleaned - but the rest of the cartridge neglected. The 'humble' brush and a few mins work has made a big difference.

Green paper for point duty scrub, and also an air blower really is good requisite for basic cartridge de-fluffing - which works particularly well cleaning out those side gaps each side of a DVXX2 cart. 

However it sounds like you need a record cleaning machine, clean vinyl not only sounds better but can extend the life of the stylus, and cleaning records will eliminate static so they can stay clean for years. 

Debs

Debs, I did a factory visit to Linn in 1991. We were shown a damaged Troika that had been returned where the owner had blown the dust off the stylus. Balls of fluff had gathered on the suspension either side of the cantilever.

IIRC the customer was given another Troika with the specific instruction not to blow on it.

C.

Christopher_M posted:

Debs, I did a factory visit to Linn in 1991. We were shown a damaged Troika that had been returned where the owner had blown the dust off the stylus. Balls of fluff had gathered on the suspension either side of the cantilever.

IIRC the customer was given another Troika with the specific instruction not to blow on it.

C.

This is why it's important to use an air blower, and not as you say blow with breath which will contain spit and moisture, very unhygienic too. An air blower as i've suggested above is completely harmless to the cartridge & stylus and highly recommended.

Debs

Using any blower on a cartridge is a bad idea. It causes the fine dust to go far into the innards, where it can do harm. The famous green stuff and an ultrasonic cleaner are all that's needed imo.

count.d posted:

Using any blower on a cartridge is a bad idea. It causes the fine dust to go far into the innards, where it can do harm

Rubbish! 

Chris's post about the Linn advise is ancient history from way back in 1991 - over a quarter of century ago at a time when relatively speaking very few owned or used record cleaning machines, and there lies the far bigger problem, people often blow breath over the carts in those days, and many people still do not realising they are gradually covering their cartridge in spit.

To invalid a harmless rubber hand pump blower as a bad idea is complete nonsense.

Debs

I think you'll find many people talk rubbish and you're just one of them.

Also, I wasn't referring to anyone's post.

A fine artist's paint brush is good to remove dust -years ago Dynavector used to supply their own brush just for this. I also recommend Lyra SPT - that will really clean up the cartridge. You can also put a small drop of that on the carbon fibre brush that Dynavector now supply - that combination will clean pretty much anything up. FWIW I always found green paper pretty ineffective.

When a stylus accumulates fluff or hair, a small paintbrush is my weapon of choice too. 

I have never felt the need to use a blower or even to do it myself. I just use a carbon stylus brush which I have owned forever and a carbon fibre lp brush. When I have had a closeup look at my stylus there is never anything much on the stylus or cantilever so I know my brush works fine. I do though use a record cleaner (manual) and am looking to buy the new Project model very soon.  Oh and I use the brushes before playing every side. 

Get an Audio Technica AT 637 if you are lucky. I bought mine in 1989 (I think), and it still works and looks great, the best invention human has ever thought off.

count.d posted:

Using any blower on a cartridge is a bad idea. It causes the fine dust to go far into the innards, where it can do harm.

I guess that depends on which direction you use the blower.

Peter Dinh posted:

Get an Audio Technica AT 637 if you are lucky. I bought mine in 1989 (I think), and it still works and looks great, the best invention human has ever thought of.

I like that you're still successfully using vintage gear. Must be one special cleaner to outrival inventions like the wheel and inclined plane

I thought Dynavector specifically advised against using a vibrator. Apparently it can lead to it dropping off.  A putty like cleaner I find best - Zero Dust.  Dunk it in the gunge every so often and clean as a whistle.

The Strat (Fender) posted:

I thought Dynavector specifically advised against using a vibrator. Apparently it can lead to it dropping off.  A putty like cleaner I find best - Zero Dust.  Dunk it in the gunge every so often and clean as a whistle.

Yes, I heard that. I've always used my AudioTechnica vibrator, on two Dynavector cartridges and now my Kandid, and it works splendidly, nothing having dropped off so far. A famous UK-based purveyor of fine LP12 turntables, and an ace setter-upper of same, usually has one in his pocket for instant deployment. Try this simple experiment - place stylus on vibrator, switch it on, then turn up the volume of the stereo. All you'll hear is a gentle buzzing. Now put Yello's "Baby" on the turntable, play the second and third tracks on side one. Then wonder which puts most strain on the stylus.