When to change a cartridge?
I currently own an EMT HD006 cartridge that cost about $1900. That's as much as I've ever paid for a cartridge. Previously I was in thousand-dollar territory. I can't imagine spending $5K for something that's assured to wear out. I play my turntable (VPI Prime Signature 21) every day for at least a few hourse. I guage that I put about a thousand hours a year on my cartridge, which is now at about 1500 hours.
I have read forums in which people talk about putting their cartridge under a microscope every few months. I don't own a microscope and I wouldn't know what to look for if I did. After reading forums in which people talk about cartridges wearing out before the manufacturer's recommended hours, I began to hear my cartridge slowly declining. I thought perhaps the attacks weren't as crisp.
I called my online dealer to discuss replacing mine, telling him that I thought I heard deterioration in the cartridge's sound. He said it doesn't work that way. I will know when my cartridge is ready to be changed. It will not be subtle. Often the suspension collapses.
My reaction was that a dealer wouldn't talk me out of spending about $2K unless that expense was foolish. So, I am still playing my EMT HD006 and not worrying about subtle changes as it wears down. The dealer said it might be fine for up to 3,000 hours.
I'm curious to know what other people do about their cartridges. Wait for the suspension to collapse and the thing sounds terrible, or monitor it more closely and perhaps even change the cartridge before the manufacturer's recommendation?
I think 3,000 hours is optimistic. If you keep track of the hours, I would think 2,000 would be the limit, assuming you have clean records and you clean your stylus. But when you get there, you don't have to buy a new cartridge! There are several places you can send it for a new stylus, and have the suspension refurbished if needed. I have used VAS and have been very happy with the results. |
IMHO, once you hear an issue you have already damaged your records. 800 hours seems to be the maximum life for a fine line stylus, and likely much less, but it’s pretty easy to send it off to Joseph Long or Steve at VAS for an inspection. And barring an incident that causes the diamond to cleave, a properly aligned stylus, with the correct anti-skate setting, will wear more, or less, linearly, much like a set of tires on an automobile. This is a scholarly work that looks at much of the available information, and it’s implications: https://thevinylpress.com/the-finish-line-for-your-phonograph-stylus/ The folks over at Hoffman are doing some interesting stylus wear studies as well, though they seem to be hitting some bumps in the road. |
