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Do You Play Or Save Your Best Cartridges

I suspect I am like many here, I have a small collection of cartridges. Until recently I would keep a casual playing cartridge set up and I would save my "good" cartridges for evening listening sessions where I am focusing on listening to music at the listening chair. I always had a casual cartridge mounted on an arm, maybe an Audio Technica OC9 III or something along those lines. These days its either an Ortofon MC3000 II or MC5000. 

 

Earlier this year I finally decided to use the DAC in my Trinov pre amp, and this involved getting a subscription to Roon, and hardwiring the computer and preamp to the router with CAT 6 ethernet cable. The sound is remarkably good, to the point where this can easily be my casual listening format. 

I almost wonder if its necessary to have a casual cartridge. Or should I just play my best ones as often as I want and bite the bullet and know I am getting a new diamond fitted every few years. 

 

Anyone else go through this kind of decision process?

neonknight
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
12,935 posts
 

especially not a Grado…. of course…..one of my assignments…long ago… was picking thru the incoming Grado and play grading them….. let’s just kindly say they defined variability…..

pasquale Grado lived upstairs…but i guess that’s a different story / bottle of wine

terry9
2,342 posts
 

Good thing I didn't hear that before it arrived. The one I have has absolutely superb fit and finish.

bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,821 posts
 

@tomic601:

Nope, Decca's defined variability ;-) . The London's not nearly as much so.

sj00884's avatar
sj00884
80 posts
 

Save it 7ntil what, your hearing begins to degrade due to age? I’m with the gent that said “use it, then buy another” and in the camp of (loosely) “listen to the best regardless of mood”

wspohn's avatar
wspohn
608 posts
 

Have to be bonkers to want to change cartridges more than you have to.  Each time you do that there is a small but finite chance you will damage it  - brushing against the stylus with a sleeve or any number of ways. Plus it is a PITA to do .

If this is an obsession for you, I'd suggest buying one of the tables that allow mounting of more than one arm so you can have a casual music arm and a best audiophile arm/cartridge.

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