VTA adjust over the lifetime of a stylus

Yes. nothing stays set exactly forever, you're always going to get some drift and it doesn't take much especially if you use fine tip cartridge.

My guess is around 350/400 approx - probs 200 hrs approx since last adjust 

lol, yeah, cant wait - one of my fave jobs - not  

I found that I started having to play around more and more with VTA and also resistance loading on my Cadenza Bronze as the hours ticked on. It was when i tried the 2M black and realised how much more detailed the latter was that I knew it CBr was past it.

Rob, I’m sure you’re not at that stage yet if it’s only 400 hours, but I thought this article was very interesting and seems to be about the most comprehensive amalgamation of the available information out there. It would appear that most of us overestimate stylus life by quite a degree and that certainly by the time we think the sound is off, the stylus is probably already causing increased record wear.

thevinylpress.com/the-finish-line-for-your-phonograph-stylus/

Excellent article Dt79 however all the manufacturers have slightly conflicting ideas of how long a stylus will last - I see on one table a Shibata stylus as in the 2M black could last 500-3000 hrs. This figure taken from forums and audio manufacturing websites. All stylus manufacturers will probably have different accounts of stylus life and wear, obviously it is their interest for you to change your stylus as often as possible?

However what I did not see taken into account, forgive me if I have missed this information was the fact that any given cartridge/ stylus will be used on an infinite amount of turntables and its set up will infinitely be different. Even a stylus set up on two turntables that are exactly the same will always be installed slightly differently ( VTA / VTF and azimuth) Also taking into consideration stylus cleaning and record cleaning then you have a set of variables which will greatly affect the life of a stylus.

I am sure every time I set up my 2M Black it is not always exactly the same and could therefore contribute to more or less stylus wear. I tend to install mine by ear then leave it and not touch a thing unless I hear changes significant to the sound. I tend to change my stylus at around 1000 hour point as recommended by Ortofon as I am sure their knowledge and recommendations for use will be the most trusted.

I am a bit sceptical about record wear as I have not found this in my experience although I never drag a rusty knackered nail through my grooves so maybe keeping changing stylus frequently prevents this. From my own experience I have a record I play 2 or 3 times a week and have done for the last five years and it has shown almost no wear at all and yes I compare it to a reference record which is almost unplayed. In fact i have two references - sad I know!

I would say keep VTF the same unless it is out of the range recommended by manufacturer but as a stylus wears I have found just adjusting the VTA can help a little restore some of the audio characteristics that you can loose after playing the cartridge for many hours in one position. Not only does the stylus /diamond wear so does the suspension so readjusting VTA can compensate for this.

I now use a Fozgometer to setup my cartridges alongside a test record. It takes 5 minutes and removes all of the PITA set-up of the more exotic stylii profiles.

My thoughts/findings over the years are pretty much the same as much of what's been said.

In terms of the difference between the Cadenza Black with it's stock Shibata tip and after with the FGS tip, the FGS CB is the best replay I've ever heard in my set up. Tonal / textural accuracy and instrumental tangibility, detail retrieval, recorded music info, bass texture and weight, the CB-FGS does it better IME.

When this one eventually wears, It'll will be the same again or if possible, a Windfeld, and if a worn one I'd re-tip with the FGS - Would love to see what differences I'd be able to hear over the CB-FGS.

Here you go Andy.

www.analogplanet.com/content/fozgometer-v2-musical-surroundings

Did you nail it Rob?

Spent the day adjusting my VTA mostly by ear to compensate for a year of wear on the 2M. Probably should have done a little bit of work on it a bit sooner but it has sounded so good I didn't bother, but like all things you don't know how far things have drifted until you hear the difference when you have nailed your cartridge set up. Its like everything is back in focus and the tonality across the audio spectrum sounds just right. Not too toppy and not a fuzzy bass! Well it wasnt as bad as that but you know what I mean.

Interestingly I have been listening to a manufacturer today who has confirmed what I have always suspected and that is no two cartridges even of the same make are ever identical. I thought this when I started listening to this particular 2M a year back. It sounded a fair bit better than any other of the replacement stylus that I have had. Now on my fourth!

There is a bit of a story behind the current one. I bought it from a reputable dealer and it never sounded right no matter how much I tried to sort it. I sent it back and the dealer sent it to Ortofon in Denmark. * Eight * weeks later they sent me a replacement direct from their factory and said the one I had sent back was out of specification. Excellent service as long as you are prepared to wait but brilliant result as the one I have now is certainly the best sounding I have used!

Just shows you sometimes need to go with your conviction if you think something doesn't sound right. If it doesn't it probably isn't. This is always a tricky one with cartridges because if you set them up incorrectly they also wont sound right!

Ortofon don't muck about do they.

Absolutely top class cartridges.

I very nearly bought a 2M LVB a few weeks back. It's still on my mind.

Haha thats what I have been considering too Oli. The LVB with a Boron cantilever and Shibata diamond sounds a killer combination and can be replaced easily although at a cost. However this would still be a fraction of the cost of replacing the Windfeld or probably even getting a re tip? An LVB would also give you an MM which would not only be great maybe as a daily driver it could enhance future development of the BB3? I know the BB3 is more  MC orientated and I presume its sounds good with MM cartridges but maybe it would lead to a little more tinkering with the MM facility in this phono stage?

The BBU & Avalon are as good in MM as they are in MC, so this really opened my eyes to the option of maybe going for an MM cart when my thoughts turned to repair costs for the Winfeld. In truth, i do really quite fancy a LVB and yeah, i think the investment would be worth it. Interestingly, you can stick a LVB stylus on a 2M black body IIRC. If you have a spare body, that makes it a bit more economical for you.

Ha! I thought you might! That could be the way to go though. Think it would save you about £200?

The only thing that put me off a little was the Shibata stylus. I am firmly an FGS/Replicant man these days, and i am just not convinced the Shibata is as good. I recall the differences in your FGS 2M Black and it sounded a much better cart.

The BBu and Avalon are both different to the BB3. A particular focus was to ensure there was elite performance for MM & MC. The BBu did keep a couple of the design features of the BB3, but we were able to improve on the few bits we kept due to changes elsewhere in the circuit design. That was a huge plus. The Avalon is a completely different design as it is Angus' brainchild but its acrhival grade in MM and MC.

And yes, i would welcome a loan of a 2m Black. I am not in a position to try it at the moment as my tonearm is being rewired at the moment, but when its back i'll give you a shout.