Cartridge wear with clicks and pops…?

@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. 

What, me worry?

Op using outer ring on my VPI Tt it does minimize clicks and pops. That’s my experience on my Hana SL cart.

How does a peripheral ring affect the frequency of ticks and pops?

I recent years bonded styli have undergone changes to the properties of the adhesives  selected to produce the bond and how the adhesives properties are able to manage energy transferred through it to the cantilever. Science is a must for identifying the ideal substance to function as the adhesive. 

Prior to the race to find the ideal adhesive substance, there are chosen adhesives that fractured under the stress created through energy transferral. 

There are quite a few who were left scratching their heads as the needle drop merrily skated from the outer to Inner dead wax.  Anti Skate is the first to be concerned about, a missing styli is not even contemplated.

Contaminated Vinyl LP Grooves was the most common description on offer from the manufacturer. After seeing numerous returned Cartridges in a filthy state, the description was most likely a viable one.