The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I saw an ad for a product called the "Siren" needle. They're newly made spear points. I was thinking of trying some, but I wanted to get your opinions first.

Anyone?

I ordered some of them a few months ago. After several weeks and a total rip-apart of the packages with lost needles thanks to the German customs office (I am took action for reimbursement) they finally arrived. Don't get me wrong, there's no blame at all to the seller who packed everything very professionally.

While not using them frequently, I found them very useful, especially for the cheaper pressings like Banner and the early acoustics. To my impression, they seem to be somewhat more gentle to the groove than the ordinary pencil-shaped louds and mediums which are known to be awful record wreckers.

I can absolutely recommend the Sirens.

So are these 100% steel needles, but they've been pressed thinner at one end, so they flex more?

Where do you get them?

Jim

I tried some. They are OK, but rotating them to change the loudness didn't have a dramatic effect. I have other needles I prefer.

I bought mine on ebay from this seller:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0433469008

I have a lot of unused vintage spear-tips, will have to give them a try.

I have some Sirens. I can't tell much of a difference myself.

It's probably that even when it's oriented along the groove, that flat part is still thick enough to transfer a big % of the energy. Maybe they should have made it even thinner.
When making my tungsten-tip needles, sometimes I've experimented with making 'super-soft' needles by dremeling different ways into the shank like making it really skinny or cutting rings into it. They are indeed softer, but usually I also get some horrible high-pitched resonances or whatever coming out of the needle. Like a whistle-y hiss. It's almost as if the high notes are emanating from the needle itself instead of going into the needlebar.

I've seen a lot of different shaped 'loud' needles. The absolute fattest ones I've ever gotten are old ones I find inside of machines. They look like overkill, as if they would not have any discernible 'give' to them at all so I can see why they would be the hardest on wear-prone records.