If you compare the diagram and your picture, I think you will basically see the exact same thing
Your tip has naturally darkened due to use (heat); that's the actual contact area in the groove, also as depicted in my new diagram
The Ortofon Replicant 100 geometry
- Thread starter ack
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If you compare the diagram and your picture, I think you will basically see the exact same thing
Your tip has naturally darkened due to use (heat); that's the actual contact area in the groove, also as depicted in my new diagram
But I don't. The diagram shows a 30 degree inward angle toward the bottom of what should be the perpendicular side, and the entire depiction is tilted to make that lower piece perpendicular. Whereas if you look at the full side view picture of the real stylus, you see that there is no such thing. The entire side to the tip on the leading edge is flat. If it wasn't, it couldn't follow the SRA. Am I not seeing it right?
That stylus has about 23 hours on it. You're saying that it gets so hot as to discolor diamond without damaging the vinyl? I'm aware that vinyl deforms slightly with each play (and if left alone for a number of hours will eventually resume its original shape), but if a tip was that hot, it would be forming its own path!
--Bill
Does this help? If not, let me know what I am missing again...
My drawing is clearly missing the 3-Dimensionality, and facet 33 is mostly a triangle and not your rectangle - I was being lazy; but the drawing and your picture are effectively the same.
RE your tip - I can't otherwise explain why it is so dark with so few hours, other than hazard a guess that this cartridge may have been used before sold to you??? A wild thought, though...
My drawing is clearly missing the 3-Dimensionality, and facet 33 is mostly a triangle and not your rectangle - I was being lazy; but the drawing and your picture are effectively the same.
RE your tip - I can't otherwise explain why it is so dark with so few hours, other than hazard a guess that this cartridge may have been used before sold to you??? A wild thought, though...
Ok. I would never have guessed from the drawing that facet 33 was on the other side (trailing) of the shank.
It was purchased from a dealer as NOS and was sealed outside and with the security seal inside. In looking back on earlier pictures it's not nearly as dark as now, but the lighting was different then. On this last picture I didn't use any backlighting, which makes the shading more pronounced.
Just need to get closer with better light to see what's going on.
--Bill
Thank you all for an interesting, and informative discussion...
Please.......based upon the picture ...what was decided.
Should the facet 39 edge as shown in the picture be at 90 or 92 Degrees to the record surface for correct SRA of 92 degrees for a Replicant [A90]
all opinions are appreciated......
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(my FG-S stylus is very similar to the Replicant discussed above)
Don't know what others have decided, but considering the many SRA dependent variables at play here;
I MUCH prefer to set stylus SRA (& as important physical Azimuth) using a CBS labs test record, optimized with VTA/tonearm set dead parallel (cart shimmed if required). Visually my stylus look ~90+ degrees SRA when optimized by ear. I vary tracking force (+/-0.25 grams) to further focus in sound quality (w/headphones) dependent on the LP/pressing ... before each play (or recording).
Been using this setup/system, successfully, for years ... done in a jiffy.
This question (90? 92? other?) is being actively discussed around the net over and over again. On some forums, there are threads and posts (some mine, that I will try to dig up) that basically claim the following: that SRA should be set such that Intermodulation Distortion is minimized, plain and simple, whatever the resulting SRA is. In fact, the Analogue Productions Test LP has a dedicated track to adjust based on that measurement, but you need specialized equipment. After a long ride with the A90, I settled at an elevated arm (at the rear) such that IMD is minimized by EAR, playing tens of LPs, while keeping VTF very close to the prescribed 2.3g. Tracking at 2.3g is exceptional, and I was convinced that Ortofon know they are talking about. Under the microscope, it kinda looks like the angle is around 91 degrees, but I haven't spent the time to measure accurately. What I can tell you, though, is that, as Ortofon claims, tracking at 2.3g and with the arm parallel, the stylus appears indeed 90 degrees - a great starting point, and testament to accuracy in their manufacturing.
Listening for IMD is hard, when the levels involved (up or down) are fundamentally small; but over time, you can get your ear to focus on certain unnatural sounds, which do improve with proper SRA adjustment, as long as other parameters (VTF, azimuth, overhang) are also adjusted at the same time - copious effort, but that's analog. I think it took me a year to get it optimized, maybe longer. Unlike others, what I don't do is adjust SRA for every record, and only because I don't care to have to readjust all other parameters.
90 or 92
Thanks for your reply Ack...it is as always appreciated as are your ongoing post re this question......
firstly may I say that I agree with you......and
but ......my question is thus: ........
based upon the replicant 100.......if facet 39 is at 90 degrees ...is the SRA based upon the V cut and profile of the diamond also 90 degrees or is it 92 degrees ......
Thanks for your reply Ack...it is as always appreciated as are your ongoing post re this question......
firstly may I say that I agree with you......and
but ......my question is thus: ........
based upon the replicant 100.......if facet 39 is at 90 degrees ...is the SRA based upon the V cut and profile of the diamond also 90 degrees or is it 92 degrees ......
If facet 39 is vertical (at 90 degrees) to the surface, then your SRA is also 90 degrees. Here's Ortofon's own image from the A95 manual:
Also keep in mind that the Replicant 100 is just a Gyger profile, where the big radius (R) of the contact area is 100um (and small (r) is 5um) - a rather large footprint; that is irrelevant to SRA
I run an Ortofon Cadenza Bronze which has their Replicant 100 stylus. While it does require a bit more effort to achieve proper alignment I find it well worth the time. I have had too many cartridges to count over the years, with just about every other available stylus profile at one time or another. The Replicant 100 stylus achieves a level of silence in the groove that I have never before experienced, along with its superb tracking ability. There is a musical and effortless quality to the produced signal that is very enjoyable and engaging. Highly recommended!
Thanks Ack...thats the answer I wanted to confirm......I must be blind, illiterate ...and ignorant as I did not read this in the 95 manual....accept my apology.....
Can you please elaborate ... I'm interested in either the Bronze or Black Cadenza's; how has your Bronze compared to your prior carts? What did it replace?
The Cadenza Black is a bit more detailed and revealing than the Bronze, which by comparison has just a touch of warmth compared to the more typical Ortofon house sound. I spoke to Louis at Ortofon US before purchasing it, and decided on the Bronze over the Black for my system since it's all solid state and would benefit from a warmer tonal balance. The Black is better suited to a system that can handle its slightly more detailed balance without possibly becoming too analytical. I have had many carts over the years, including the Audioquest 7000, Dynavector 20x2L and XX-2, several Benz, Lyra Delos, and more. None of these other cartridges has ever tracked my records' grooves as silently as the Cadenza Bronze does. On my most familiar records I know where noisy sections of the vinyl always have been, and other than an occasional pop most of the surface noise that I always heard has virtually disappeared with the Bronze. I wouldn't have ever believed that was possible if I didn't hear it myself! While I didn't try the Black, I have had other carts with the Shibata stylus profile and never found them to track so quietly, rather they tended to emphasize surface imperfections. The Cadenza Bronze sounds superb and is eerily quiet producing the blackest background I've ever heard in vinyl playback. I find its performance to be a superb value in today's market of cartridges, many of which are priced at multiples of the Cadenza's price. That is why I said that I recommend it so highly! There was a set of reviews of the Cadenza range in the UK press shortly after their release, and when it came down to choosing the reviewer's favorite for his "desert island cartridge" it was the Bronze that ended up being his selection.
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