2. analog
  3. 1143072323

typical "shelf-life" of phono cartridges?

Just wondering if there's a rule-of-thumb for the useful shelf life of phono cartridges.. I bought an fairly inexpensive Grado model PZE+(?) P-mount MM cartridge about 7 or 8 years ago which has seen very light use. It still sounds fine to my ears, but can the age alone degrade the sound? and to what degree? Thanks, jz
john_z
john_z OP
178 posts
 
Hi Nightdoggy - Glad to hear it.. It's been stored indoors away from direct sunlight, etc. and I live in the S.F. Bay Area so it's low humidity, etc. My '92 Toyota Tercel still looks almost new so I guess this is a good area to live for having things staying nice longer. The "o-ring" material where the cantilever meets the cartridge still seems to be compliant so I guess I'm good to go for awhile longer yet.. thanks for the feedback! jz
gregm
3,409 posts
 
For a well set stylus, it's usually 2-3000 hrs of playing.
The rest is due to external conditions as mentioned above.
BTW cartridge manufacturers do specify a life span.
samuellaudio
91 posts
 
I emailed Grado this exact question and they replied there was no need to change cartridges because of this. They said you hear a loss of hi frequencies when you need to change cartridges.
More to discover