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Vinyl Lovers-- Cartridges!!!! Do you have a daily driver?

About a decade ago, some kind soul told me that the phono preamp was ever so important and that I could keep spending here and there, but to get to Oz I'd need a good one.  Since that time I've had a Manley Chinook and now Modwright's reference phono stage. 

These pieces have allowed me to get deeper into vinyl.  I have a lovely LTA Aero DAC (tubes and R2R), which I adore. Yet, nothing is the same as vinyl.  Ok--maybe my reel-to-reel stuff but I only have about a half dozen albums. 

At any rate, here's my dilemma.  I'm finding cartridges just don't hold up that long.  I keep a clean shop and my records are in very clean shape. I do not, however, have a laboratory clean room here. I run VTA generally at the middle of the spec. Still, cartridges are easy to run through--or so it seems to my ear.  

I've had mixed results retipping moving coils.  Sometimes it's fabulous!

I think I'm getting a little tired for buying cartridges only to wear them out. I've run through a Benz Micro LPS, Kiseki Purpleheart, Dynavector 20x something, Audio-Technica ART9, Ortofon 2M black, and a few others I cannot recall.  The initial outlay doesn't bother me. What's getting me is they just seem to fade off.  I doubt I'm getting more than 1000 hours before they sound raggedy. Yet, I've never counted. 

I've noticed with a high quality phono preamp you can use a lower priced cartridge to amazing results. So, I just scooped up an $800 Nagaoka MP-500, hoping I could use it as a daily driver to spare my Goldring Ethos (fantastic cart by the way). I don't have the Nag yet to evaluate.

What are others doing? If you're someone who plows through lots of vinyl in their listening sessions, do you just pony up ever year for a new $2k, $5k cartridge?  Do you run lower priced, value carts? 

128x128jbhiller
eagledriver_22's avatar
eagledriver_22
85 posts
 

What are others doing? Do you just pony up ever year for a new $2k, $5k cartridge? Do you run lower priced, value carts?

My 2 MC Ortofon Cadenza’s (Mono and Stereo) are running just fine up to 2500 hrs (around 1600$ each)

My 2 MM’s to about 300 hrs (around 400$ each)

I did not have to buy any cartridges during the last 3 years. On average, I am listening to about 4 complete records daily. The tubes from one of my preamp will probably the first to be changed, not the cartridges.

 

lewm
13,335 posts
 

This is a meaningless conversation because none of us has defined what is meant when you say a cartridge is “lasting” or has reached the state of being “worn out”.. In previous threads 500 hours or thereabouts was often quoted as the typical lifespan. These numbers are way higher but without specifics. At 2500 hours, what do you see under a microscope? Or even how do you keep track of hours?

slaw's avatar
slaw
22,198 posts
 

I have been a religious listener on weekends for years. I average 25 hours a week conservatively. I've bought a few carts during the time I've owned the Sussurro and still haven't heard many of them. Mostly because the Sussurro still sounds engaging.

dogberry
714 posts
 

There's a "boiling frog" issue with stylus wear: it happens so slowly that you don't hear the change. Once you put a new stylus on you realise what you have been missing. That Sussurro deserves a trip to Uncle Peter!

slaw's avatar
slaw
22,198 posts
 

I don’t disagree. I will say I’ve hosted my close friend/ music buddy here several times to listen for any problems then compared the same albums at his place on his recently upgraded Linn set up. He couldn’t hear any issues. But for hours alone it needs a re-tip for sure.

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