If the stylus is worn out, you’ll notice a scratchy, distorted sound coming out of your records when you play them. It’s easy to hear when a stylus needs to be replaced. If you continue to use a damaged stylus, it may damage your vinyl records. The tone arm refers to the arm that you move to raise and lower your needle. The cartridge is the piece that the stylus plugs into underneath the metal case (called a headshell). The stylus and the cartridge work together to actually read the sound coming out of a vinyl record.
Some turntables are different, but this will work on the vast majority of models. If you can’t pull the stylus straight out, look up your turntable’s model online to find the instruction manual. If the stylus is built into the cartridge, you’ll need to replace the entire cartridge. Some styluses are built into the frame of the piece that connects to the headshell. If your turntable has any locking mechanism or latch near the counter-weight at the end of the tone arm, use it to lock the tone arm in place while doing this.
You can take the stylus to a record repair shop and ask them to look up and order a replacement for you, but you may not have one of these shops near you. The model number will be the only piece of writing on the stylus. The model numbers are usually a short combination of letters and numbers, like “A805” or “MT49. ” If your stylus doesn’t have a model number printed on it, you’ll need to search for your turntable’s model online.
Wear rubber gloves when you handle your new stylus and avoid touching the needle. The stylus is perfectly aligned when it comes out of the box and touching it may damage the needle’s ability to accurately track the grooves in a record. Some styluses won’t make a clicking noise. So long as the stylus is attached and flush with the slot on the cartridge, you should be fine.
You can tell if your cartridge is damaged if the sound cuts in and out. It definitely needs to be replaced if you already changed the stylus and the sound is still distorted. Many audiophiles believe that upgrading the cartridge improves the sound. You probably won’t notice much of a difference though, unless you have a great ear for subtle tones and textures.
When looking to upgrade your cartridge, look for cartridges with an aluminum cantilever and a trackability of 60 µm or higher. Aluminum cantilevers tend to be the most consistent, while a high trackability will ensure accurate sound.
There is a plastic sleeve that covers the connection where the wire meets the metal terminal at the end. Use this piece to grip and pull your wires. It will provide a lot of traction without messing with the sensitive terminals at the end of each wire. Set your stylus aside after removing it by placing it upside down on a clean towel to keep it safe. You can put on rubber gloves and pull these wires out by hand if you have a steady hand and plenty of room to work with. If you bend the terminals that plug into the cartridge, you’ll need to take your record player to an electronics repair store.
If you have washers and nuts on the screws, set them aside in a small bowl so that you don’t lose them.
You won’t damage your cartridge by touching it so long as you don’t press on the location where the stylus slides into the front. Hold your cartridge by the back end to avoid damaging this area.
You can use an alignment protractor to check the path of your stylus. To use one, place your grid over the slot on the platform for your records. Then, place the needle in the middle of the grid. If your cartridge is parallel with the lines on the protractor, your stylus is aligned.
These screws are really small and the slots for them can be quite fickle. This may take you a few tries to get it right. If there isn’t a ton of room for you to reinsert your wires, it may help to not tighten the screws all the way so that you can move the cartridge around a little.
If the new cartridge isn’t color-coded or labelled, use your diagram or refer to the old cartridge to see which order you need to insert the wires.
Many cartridges come with new styluses already installed. If your cartridge comes with a stylus, don’t bother replacing it unless you have to.
