Origin Live Aurora MKI - Manual (Page 19)

19
Proper care and maintenance of Hi-Fi
cartridges & records
C A R E O F H I - F I C A R T R I D G E S
Replace your cartridge when due - hi-fi cartridges have a lifespan for their cantilever suspensions and stylus
needles. This will vary from manufacturer and type of cartridge as well as other factors like the cleanliness of
your records and the care you take of the cartridge. It is wise to enquire on the expected life of your cartridge to
the manufacturer, so that when the time comes it is replaced accordingly - most importantly this will preserve
your records as well as enable you to enjoy the best performance.
If there is a build-up of dust and dirt where the needle enters the cartridge body you should use a small soft
brush to brush the debris out. Always brush from the direction of the cantilever to the stylus or you may do
damage.
Care of stylus - One well known method of cleaning styli is the Linn green stuff which is a very fine abrasive
paper - this may is OK on some cartridges which do not have fine stylus tips and fragile cantilever mechanisms.
However there is a danger of causing fractures or chips in your diamond stylus on certain fine line tips. This
method can also strain the cantilever mechanism.
There are a number of fluids on the market that increase stylus life and help to clean grunge from the needle - a
word of caution though - some of these can loosen the stylus glue on the cantilever over time - some fluids can
also attack the cantilever or coil material itself or harden the suspension - consult your cartridge manufacturer
over this. One key factor is to use the liquid very sparingly on a cotton bud such that it is just damp (not
running with fluid) - this minimises the fluid, which can run up inside the cartridge.
R E C O R D C A R E A N D C L E A N I N G
The stylus itself does a pretty good job of cleaning the grooves and should itself therefore be kept clean. The
proprietary brushes etc. for cleaning records will often do little more than brush dirt deeper into the record
grooves and are best avoided if possible. Also keep records in high quality non-scratch record sleeves -
preferably good ones.
A record-cleaning machine is really the only answer for cleaning records properly as they suck out the debris
and dust in the record grooves using a powerful vacuum. Tests using a microscope prove that this d oes the job
with 100% success. The performance improvement is also very noticeable when it comes to even new records
being played. We supply and highly recommend the Moth record cleaning machine as this is very effective
from personal experience and comes with many glowing endorsements – see our web site for details and
reviews.