Cartridge wear with clicks and pops…?

It’s actually sort of an interesting question. All I can say is for myself, I never worried about anything short of a damaged groove or extremely loud pop. Your speakers will let you know in short order if it’s something that could damage the stylus. My cartridges always lasted a long time and I never agonized over record condition. But I guess there may be something to what you say. A smooth road creates less wear than a rough one. Maybe buy some new/mint copies of those old records you want to play again and relax. 

Even if in perfect shape, some music is nostalgic but nothing special sonically, no need for a special cartridge. Use your MM with replaceable stylus with a quick switch.

Another good reason to have an arm with a removable headshell. Many current makers of darn good TTs use tonearms with fixed cartridges, a big objection of mine.

Fixed headshell better than removable headshell? BULL. Think about the famous SME 3009 and 3012, they all had removable headshells. So many other great tonearms with removable headshells.

I have two Shures for this: V15vxmr body with replacable Jico stylus SAS on Boron, with brush for warped LPs, and Shure 97xe with brush. Both it’s elliptical stylus with brush and the Jico SAS fit the cartridge, so depending on .....

Adjust tracking weight and corresponding anti-skate. Two considerations: select a MM with same tracking range as your MC, then just switch headshells. Also compare cartridge playing height (stylus down, in the groove), if ’enough’ different, arm height might need a tweak, or get one with essentially the same playing height.

I had one cartridge for years and years. Now I have a half dozen cartridges I switch for various reasons, including MONO of course, And friends bring their cartridges here to listen/compare.

This assumes you have the few inexpensive tools and fairly easily acquired cartridge alignment skills. You will want those skills when the originally supplied cartridge is worn anyway.

Installing a cartridge on a fixed arm is harder than pre-installing it on a loose headshell, then attach headshell and refine overhang, null points. VTA and Azimuth is the same, fixed oe removable. I buy headshells with adjustable azimuth. No sides gives open access to cartridge wires

@lewm. Right-right after loud POP, I've started hearing significantly audible humm from both speakers. Input opamp IC and couple caps needed replacement on my power amp that was at that time around 17 years old.

Speakers, maybe in extreme cases. I only wonder about input stages. On my bench I’ve driven phono stages well into overload while watching the wave form on a scope, say at 1kHz. The wave form distorts but no permanent damage is done. However I own nothing with an op amp input. Maybe they’re more fragile. I don’t doubt that a sudden transient might damage certain speakers.

@czarivey 

That "pop" was the op amp blowing probably not the record. 

@lewm 

You and I certainly do not have to worry. It is virtually impossible to harm a Sound Labs with signal. It requires a pitchfork. Modern subwoofer drivers ( the good ones anyway) will hit their bump stops before any damage is done to the wiring or suspension. If you overdrive them you get a very annoying burp which is difficult to misinterpret. Even the voice coils are hard to burn, copper ribbon on Kaptan formers. That would require a large DC offset.