Stylus wear

We all know worn records can sound pretty rough. I inherited a load of mid 60s classical stuff from an old gentleman who by the sound of it (intermittent hiss plus a fair assortment of clicks and pops) maybe let the records get dirty. It also sounds as if the groove wall might have been damaged on some; "blaring" on loud passages etc. Careful cleaning (warm soapy water followed by a thorough rinse and careful drying) improved them a lot, definition is better but a lot of the noise is still there; I guess this kind of damage is permanent.

Question is, can playing records in this condition cause damage or premature wear to a stylus, tracking at between 1.5 and 2 grams?

I am no expert, but I would hazard a guess that the presence of "abrasive" material in the record groove such as dust would not be good for the stylus - made of hard diamond or not!


This together with the greater enjoyment of clean records versus dirty ones makes it a given that records should be free of muck.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by aquapiranha

I am no expert, but I would hazard a guess that the presence of "abrasive" material in the record groove such as dust would not be good for the stylus - made of hard diamond or not!


This together with the greater enjoyment of clean records versus dirty ones makes it a given that records should be free of muck.

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Fair enough. I was more concerned about playing records that have been given a basic clean and still sound a bit rough. I may have overstated the case; they're not that bad, just noticeable. Thanks for your reply.......Jim.