Wayne Parham Messages: 18793 Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)
I have a few cartridges that I've owned for decades. One I've had for over fourty years. As long as you replace the stylus when needed, a cartridge can last longer than a lifetime.
That's the tricky part - Knowing when to replace the stylus. I bought a microscope to examine styli in an effort to be able to see when a needle was done. There's a whole thread on that subject here:
What I found was it wasn't as obvious as looking at a flat tire on your car. There is a document written by Shure in that thread that describes the process of examination and what to look for. But it's still not as obvious as a flat tire.
I just don't want to let a stylus get worn enough to start trashing my records. So do I wait 'til I see wear spots? Or do I replace a needle that still looks good, even under high magnification?
Look at the thread above and let us know what you think.