Regular cleaning of the phono needle tip ensures sound quality and protects the recordings, making them less prone to wear and tear after listening sessions. Follow the article to know how to clean the phono needle tip properly!
Why should the phono needle tip be cleaned?
Vinyl discs contain audio information that is etched into very thin grooves on a plastic disc. The phono tip will work on this track, and if dust is present, the needle will be affected first. This accumulation of dust will cause the tip of the needle to be dusted, the contact of the groove is not good, so it causes an explosion, noise, and opaque. In the worst case, there is a loss of voice.
Which needles are not affected?
No phono cartridge can get rid of the problem of dust sticking to the tip of the needle. Analog sound is reproduced correctly only when contact between the stylus tip and the disc track is guaranteed. Dust adheres to the tip of the needle and causes it to enlarge, causing bad phenomena in the sound. Many people complain that they are listening to a disc, and suddenly the needle jumps to another piece of music. For some people, the needle always runs into the end of the disc without stopping at the end track. Most of the above causes are due to the dust on the needle tip due to not being cleaned.
Tools used to clean phono needle tips.
- Stylus brush
That is the most traditional and cheapest tool for vinyl players. We use a brush to clean the needle from back to front (same direction as the movement of the needle on the disc). It would help if you used it regularly for maximum effect. That is a product recommended by Ortofon, the leading needle manufacturer in the industry.
Users should not overuse needle cleaning solutions because they can dissolve the adhesive between the diamond tip and the cantilever, so a balance between using both. If it is too dirty, use the solution. Clean the needle once a week; other times use this brush is fine.
- Gel Onzow Zerodust
That is a product that is as effective as a stylus. After a day of continuous listening, you should clean the skin with this magic gel. The gel pad is designed in the form of flexible and very soft silicone. So you drop the needle in, all the dirt will stick on the gel pad. The gel will get dirty in the long run, so you need to clean it with warm water.
- Clearaudio Elixir of Sound.
Used to wipe the needle from back to front like the brush mentioned above. Used for a long time, it can be used for more than one year. However, be careful not to overdo it; if your house is too dusty, it’s okay to wipe it every two days, and don’t forget to wipe it before listening.
Things to note when cleaning phono needle tips
- Gel Onzow Zerodust
That is a product that is as effective as a stylus. After a day of continuous listening, you should clean the skin with this magic gel. The gel pad is designed in the form of flexible and very soft silicone. So you drop the needle in, all the dirt will stick on the gel pad. The gel will get dirty in the long run, so you need to clean it with warm water.
- Clearaudio Elixir of Sound.
Used to wipe the needle from back to front like the brush mentioned above. Used for a long time, it can be used for more than one year. However, be careful not to overdo it; if your house is too dusty, it’s okay to wipe it every two days, and don’t forget to wipe it before listening.
Things to note when cleaning phono needle tips
- Do not touch the tip of the needle with your hands; the oil on your hands will stick to the tip of the needle and cause more dust. If you hit it too hard, it is normal to bend the needle and break the needle.
- Dishwashing liquid, hand sanitizer, makeup remover. Please do not use it because of the risk of dropping the stylus.
- Do not use cotton swabs and isopropyl alcohol solutions, as they often evaporate before you can finish wiping the needle tip. Or if you use it, you should act quickly.