I realise that there are no hard and fast rules about the life expectancy of a cartridge,but are there any rough generalisations ?(eg.number of hours/albums played etc).
For my own part,I have not a clue on to how to inspect a stylus or cantilever/cartridge body for signs of wear,or what to look out for (with the obvious exception of it sounding consistantly bad)
Also,how often can a cartridge body be fitted with a new stylus without the body itself needing to be replaced ?
Regards
Chris
Posted on: 24 February 2002 by Paul B
This is a difficult one. I used to keep track (as best I could) and it seemed 800-1000 hours for Asak (years ago but I had three). However the suspension on an Asaka gave out before the stylus was worn (the dealer told me the stylus was still ok - he had a microscope of some sort). My Troika lasted longer but by then I had stopped keeping track but I had well over 1000 hours on it. Arkiv A seemed to last longer again as has my Arkiv B so far. I would still use 1000 hours with a good quality cartridge as a guideline. This may be far too long for others, however.
If you are hearing a noticeable increase in distortion you should definitely get it checked or replaced.
Paul
Posted on: 24 February 2002 by Chris Brandon
quote:
I would still use 1000 hours with a good quality cartridge as a guideline
I kind of had it in my mind as being around the 1000 hours area.But good to know that someone else uses similar values !
(The question only really popped into my head after getting my LP12 back from having a new cart & full service).
Regards
Chris
