The stylus is the business end of a turntable. It is held by the cartridge on the end of the tonearm - together these form the mechanical interface to the vinyl, with the diamond tip sitting in the record's grooves and being moved around as the record spins
Styli are available in a variety of shapes: elliptical, spherical, or a semi-elliptical hybrid, depending on the application Other parts of the stylus are the cantilever and the shell, both of which have an influence on the sound. A good stylus should last for at least 1,000 hours on good, clean vinyl.