Stylus Upgrade Can Sharpen Vinyl Sound, Engadget Says

Engadget said that although newer turntables may advertise Bluetooth connections, speakers remain among the most important pieces in the audio chain, and on the turntable itself the stylus makes the biggest difference. Styluses are made of diamond and typically come in elliptical, microliner, Shibata, line-contact and spherical shapes. Older or budget turntables are likely to use spherical, or conical, needles, which are durable and affordable but do not target precise, detail-rich audio.

For a budget-friendly improvement, Engadget recommended an elliptical stylus. It has an oval-shaped tip that increases a turntable's contact area through two radii and can improve distortion, frequency response and modulation tracking. Cheaper than the premium options, it is a midrange choice suited to most casual listeners, but improper alignment can cause noticeable wear on records.

More premium choices include microliner, Shibata and line-contact styluses. A microliner uses a narrow, elongated tip like those used to cut records; it is more agile than an elliptical stylus and can track high-frequency inner grooves while remaining durable, producing high-detail sound and inner-groove clarity without an audiophile-grade setup. It is more dependent on a quality setup, however, and should be paired with a high-end cartridge and tonearm. A Shibata stylus, created in Japan in the 1970s to play 4-channel vinyl discs, has a flat, narrow point that increases contact area and is suited to high-frequency recordings and high-fidelity playback, especially high-resolution jazz and classical. It is pricey and requires intensive installation to ensure proper alignment. A line-contact stylus, typically reserved for the best audiophile cartridges, offers an extended contact area that Engadget said means total fidelity to a record's grooves and studio-grade resolution, at a price.

Regardless of tip shape, Engadget advised switching from a bonded stylus to a nude needle. Bonded styluses attach a diamond tip to a metal shank fastened to the cantilever. They are affordable and durable and are common in lower and midrange cartridges, but the shank's mass dampens the needle's response to record grooves. A nude stylus fastens the diamond directly to the cantilever, giving it lower mass and allowing it to better follow the grooves.

Another upgrade is replacing the cartridge altogether. Engadget said these small devices convert the vibrations picked up by the stylus into the electrical signal that comes from the speakers, and some might consider upgrading the stylus without upgrading the cartridge like putting a new engine in a jalopy. A new cartridge can help bring out minute details, improve sound quality, enhance groove tracking and minimize distortion, and it can extend stylus life.

Engadget compared Moving Magnet and Moving Coil cartridges. Both use magnets and coils to convert stylus vibrations into electromagnetic signals that travel through the turntable's tonearm to the sound system. In Moving Magnet cartridges, vibrating magnets send electrical currents between two coils. The report described them as best for entry-level and midrange setups and perfectly suitable in most cases, producing what it called astounding sonic output with a punchier presentation. They lack the refinement of their Moving Coil counterparts, but they are also substantially cheaper, according to Engadget.