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?
mofimadness, Bill Hart who owns that site is a contributor here. If you poke around the site, he has also published Neil Antin’s scientific deep dive into how to clean records. Antin was a Navy scientist whose expertise is quite extensive. https://thevinylpress.com/precision-aqueous-cleaning-of-vinyl-records-3rd-edition/ Apologies for taking the thread a bit off topic. |
wear is inevitable and so gradual it is best to make an estimate of hours played, and mail it to a professional for evaluation prior to the potential of groove damage. I bought a usb digital microscope, figured out how to 'see' with it, but I have no confidence in making decisions with it. answer for OP: now, 1st you need confidence your overhang/2 null points/azimuth/vta alignments and tracking force/anti-skate settings have been correct, periodically checked, properly maintained. note: re-builders and re-tippers say this is not typical, the majority they inspect have uneven wear (likely due to incorrect anti-skate forces). Those are sent in by US! 2nd, you need some record or guesstimate of hours played 3. you have been keeping the LP, stylus tip, cantilever shaft/suspension clean (vital to achieve long life). 4. what you heard/remember/still hear or don't hear with very familiar content. Predictions of average life depend on the stylus shape's, advanced shapes far exceed elliptical and are well worth the higher cost I check any advanced stylus that hasn't revealed wear at 1,000 hours, expecting to find it's ok, not causing damage, but smart to get a new stylus tip. AudioTechnica; Soundsmith; others _______????? (tell us your experiences) have rebuild/exchange programs, I got a half price exchange from AT VAS can retip, or new cantilever with tip, or complete re-build CERTAIN models, not all. I send Steve links to used cartridges I am considering, he gives me pre-purchase advice He put an advanced cantilever/tip on a MC AT33PTG/II Mono Body I bought He put an advanced cantilever/tip on a MM Shure 97xe, keeping the OEM damped brush. Happily it also fits my MM V15Vxmr body, JICO sells replacement parts for MM cartridges, I bought their SAS on Boron for my V15Vxmr body, and if I ever wear out the NOS OEM Beryllium/MR I just bought in a V15V-P, they have an SAS/Boron that fits that body. (I'll use that advanced P mount via a 1/2" adapter) //////////////////////////// IF you are not inclined to mount/align your own cartridges, I encourage buying a high end MM Cartridge, with advanced cantilever material and stylus shape that is simply replaceable (shure's pull out the front/AT's pull off the bottom), they auto-position. Thus you get the cartridge setup once, then you renew the auto-positioning stylus yourself, every 1,000 hrs is my advice.
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ps, the dealer's comment about going bad suddenly, i.e. suspension failure is just wrong IME. Accidents, bend it, break it, too much chemical on rubber ... yes, but that's uncommon failure, not wear. Their tips commonly wear out, need to be replaced. They age well: I have half a dozen used or NOS cartridges with suspensions that are 40 years old that are still well under 1,000 hours play, they all sound as good as I experienced other new/good cartridges along the way and compared to my 4 new purchased within the past 5 years. |
In regards to cleaning a cartridge, I once sent a Grado Reference into Grado because the cantilever had been bent by an errant hand. I am pretty sure Mr. Grado himself fixed the cartridge. One thing he told me was to stop using that gunk to clean my cartridge. (I was using Last cleaner.) He said diamond stylus's are so hard that dust brushes off them without the use of cleaners which build up on the stylus. Opinions? |
