Sumiko Amethyst Moving Magnet Replacement Stylus

The RS Amethyst — Line Contact, and the Top of Sumiko's Moving Magnet Range

Sumiko's flagship replacement stylus for its moving magnet cartridges, sold singly. The diamond is a nude line contact measuring 0.2 by 0.8 mil, carried on a 0.5 mm aluminum pipe cantilever. It is a different geometry from everything below it in the range, not simply a better-made example of the same thing.

The two numbers moved in opposite directions. A 0.2 mil leading edge is narrower than the 0.3 mil elliptical tips; a 0.8 mil side radius is longer than their 0.7. The result is a long, thin contact line up the groove wall.

Fit, Profile and Compatibility

Which Bodies It Belongs On

Sumiko states it plainly: “Rainier, Olympia, Moonstone, Wellfleet and Amethyst use interchangeable stylus replacements,” and adds that “The cartridge bodies are identical with the exception of Amethyst, which uses an enhanced anatomy but remains compatible with the full range of styli.”

The Amethyst body is the one exception Sumiko names, and it is an exception in the helpful direction: an enhanced anatomy that still accepts every stylus in the group. Nothing in the range is closed off to you.

The Numbers That Matter at Setup

On an Amethyst body Sumiko publishes 30 dB of channel separation — the highest in the range — channel balance under 1 dB, a frequency response of 12 Hz – 35 kHz, and 2.5 mV of output.

Tracking force runs 1.8 to 2.2 g with 2.0 g recommended, and compliance is 12 × 10⁻⁶ cm/dyn. Line contact reads a narrow band of the groove wall, so arm height and a level cartridge matter here in a way they do not with a conical or elliptical tip.

See It in Action

Who Is the RS Amethyst Best For?

• Your Amethyst is worn — this is its matched replacement
• You own a Rainier, Olympia, Moonstone or Wellfleet — the styli interchange, so line contact fits the body you already have
• You want the separation — 30 dB published, against 27 dB on the rung below
• Your arm adjusts for height — line contact repays getting vertical tracking angle right, and punishes ignoring it
• You own an Oyster, Pearl or Black Pearl — those predate the interchangeable range and each takes its own stylus; they are in replacement styli

How Do You Fit It?

Leave the cartridge on the arm. Hold the old assembly by its housing, never by the cantilever, and pull it straight off the front of the body before pressing this one home. Then set tracking force to 2.0 g and check the arm sits parallel to the record — a line contact tip cares about both.

Pairs Well With

What most Amethyst owners shop alongside.

• Stylus force gauges — how you set the 2.0 g this one asks for
• Cartridge alignment tools — for the day the whole cartridge comes off
• Stylus cleaning — what decides how long the new tip lasts
• Record cleaning solutions — a clean record is the cheapest stylus insurance there is

Frequently Asked Questions

Will it fit my cartridge?

Sumiko lists Rainier, Olympia, Moonstone, Wellfleet and Amethyst as taking interchangeable styli — and notes that the Amethyst body “uses an enhanced anatomy but remains compatible with the full range of styli.” Oyster, Pearl and Black Pearl take their own.

What does line contact do that an elliptical does not?

It narrows the leading edge to 0.2 mil and lengthens the side to 0.8 mil, holding a long thin line up the groove wall. That reaches modulation an elliptical tip rides over.

Does it need more careful setup?

It repays it. Tracking force is the same 2.0 g, but a line contact profile is sensitive to arm height and to a cartridge that sits square, so both are worth checking.

How long does a stylus last?

Around 1,000 hours is the usual figure, though it turns on how clean your records are and how accurately the cartridge is set up. A worn tip damages records, so replace it on schedule rather than by ear.

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