A pragmatic view of cartridge expenses / many questions

Nandric, I think you are right. But, it is a good reason to throw at the wife to get a new one:)

@audioquest4life,

Responding to your OP, I do approach with life cycle cost in-mind.  I have two tonearms a VPI 10.5i with Soundsmith Carmen and a VPI 12-3D with Soundsmith Paua.  I setup the Soundsmith Carmen based on life cycle cost (got a great a price on the 10.5i).  I listen to music ~3hrs every day (~1000 hrs/yr).  I have a number of records that are not 'audiophile' grade and why waste the Paua.  I am partial to Soundsmith because of their acoustic presentation; they are very easy to drive - you not need a $$$phono preamp to get good results, they are quiet, and the cartridges can be 'rebuilt' - not retipped, but rebuilt with a completely renewed suspension.  So, when you get the cartridge back - its essentially new and requires a break-in period for the new suspension.   I purchased the Soundsmith Carmen MKII (hype-elliptical diamond - VTF 1.45 gm) on sale for $699.

From a life cycle/performance cost, the Soundsmith Carmen MKII is a bargain. Because of the low VTF, you should be able to get 1000-hrs and Soundsmith "rebuilds" the cartridge for $199. So a 2,000-hr cost is [($699 + $199)/2000-hrs] = ~$0.45/hr-use, and at 3000-hrs = $1100 = $0.37/hr-use.  

Compare that to an Ortofon 2M Black with Shibata stylus that is $750 plus ~$550 for new stylus, so the 2000-hr cost is $1300 = $0.65/hr-use, and at 3000 hrs cost is $1850 = $0.62/hr-use.  

Now for my Paua, I bought the cartridge on sale for $2500 and I am into the first rebuild ($550), so the 2000-hr cost = [($2500 + $550)/2000] = $1.53/hr.  However, one item to note is that Peter personally rebuilds all the top tier cartridges and turnaround can be 8-weeks. The Carmen is rebuilt by staff, and turnaround should be just a few weeks.

Of course, the above analysis is useless if you do not like the sound of the Soundsmith Carmen/Paua, but the analysis is presented as a way to access a cartridge life cycle cost. But, make no mistake, digital can beat analogue life cycle cost easily because the average laser or digital component MTBF is at least 5000-hrs (but sadly the 30,000-hr MTBF of the Phillips benchmark glass optic lasers are history). However, if you have the financial resources, life cycle cost means nothing, but this OP was asking if a pragmatic approach was used. 

@antinn 

Thank you for the detailed cost of ownership analysis. That is clearly the line of thought I was thinking as I tried to pose my question. Not many people are keen or know what Mean Time Before Failure Rate (MTBF) is. I had to be aware of MTBF for mass storage hard drives back in the early 90s working at the hospital. It’s a factor that is not highly publicized in many products anymore. You have to look at the individual components to get a glimpse of MTBF...such as processors operating within specs (temp, normal speed, etc.), or lasers as you stated, for example. 

I agree with you regarding the maintenance and upkeep costs, and the sound qualities of the Soundsmith cartridges. They do have a blend of musical exceptionalities that enlighten my listening senses. For that reason, I will probably stick with Soundsmith for a while. Nothing really to complain about. Of course, you know us audiophiles, if something were to fall into my lap and I had the means to test, I will always do that to squelch that curiosity. And, as with cars, we are in the Wheel and deal business....trade in or trade up when it suits you. What do you think about the Soundsmith Hyperion😀
Tires...Another great factory racing tire, believe it or not, was the Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar which was standard on the Corvette C5 Z06. 
Happy listening. 

Ferrari used the Eagle F1 on several of its cars. Mussolini rolled in his grave. I believe Porsche has also but Ferdinand wouldn't give a hoot. 
Cactus spines? I suppose if Frank Schroder (he collects cacti) says so. 
I think MTBF in terms of cartridge expense involves to many uncontrollable variables to mean much other than MM cartridge are much less expensive to own over time. If you want real value get a Grado Prestige Gold. That will run you $0.25/hr or less 

“Ferrari used the Eagle F1 on several of its cars. Mussolini rolled in his grave. I believe Porsche has also but Ferdinand wouldn't give a hoot.” 😂 

The costs over time are what interest me as I approach retirement. I know with fixed income in retirement that I cannot splurge as much as I want compared to now. Have to research the Grado.