A pragmatic view of cartridge expenses / many questions


Trying to see what your thoughts are on cartridge expenses? Do you buy cartridges and replace or retip after it’s worn? Cartridges are like tires for cars in some ways. You have to replace the tires after they wear out.

If you own an ultra expensive cartridge, let’s say, over 7k, is that your main spinner? Do you do a factory retip at costs exceeding thousands? Do some of you who own high cost cartridges use them only for special occasions, similar to drinking Dom Perigon for some special event, and use a normal not so exotic cartridge for regular day to day use and perhaps non-audiophile records.
I am sure each of us have our own price threshold and thoughts of high end cartridges. I only said 7k, because that seems to me a fair price point to describe a very expensive cartridge.

My thoughts are that having a few normally priced cartridges around is a good thing, due to the wear and tear, and replacing or retippimg would also be less costly. I do lust after some high end cartridges and if I do obtain one, my philosophy would be as described above. Enjoy for special occasions, and use a less costly for normal day to day listens. Geez, it feels like we are trying to separate our car cruises from a sports car feel to a luxury limo ride feel, in some ways. 
What’s your opinion on expendability of cartridges?
audioquest4life

Showing 9 responses by terry9

Audioquest, there is a thread on higher end Koetsu's, and the consensus seemed to be that the Diamond Cantilever option was worth the money. To some. I agree, I have one.
Please consider ultra-sonic record cleaning before you buy something really big. Not only does it improve the quality of the sound, but it improves the longevity of the cartridge.
Just one caveat, pindac. There are some proprietary elements which are not available to anyone but the manufacturer, e.g. platinum magnets used in higher end Koetsu's. No way, I would think, to duplicate that, and several approximate substitutions of different elements would be an exercise in R&D. Not that I'm against it, I prefer DIY, but it's not always plug and play.
First I spent on everything else, that doesn't wear out much. Then I built an ultrasonic record cleaner, and cleaned all my records a few times. Then I bought a big Koetsu.

Factory rebuild costs a bomb - but, after 1000 hours, there is minimal wear (objectively speaking - a photomicrograph). At this rate, I'll need one rebuild, maybe two in my lifetime, and I have few remaining audio expenses. So I use it most of the time.
I think cactus spine is a wonderful idea. It's a tapered tube (or is it a rod?) and so is inherently anti-resonant. It's been shaped for rigidity and strength by evolution. And it's recommended by Schroeder and Lederman, who has done extensive testing. If I had the extra loot, I'd do it.
@grgaudio 

About stylus life, have you tried ultrasonic record cleaning followed by heroical rinsing? I have done this, and my Koetsu shows very minimal wear at just under 1000 hours (photomicrograph). Can't imagine that it's going to be playing badly any time soon.
@drbarney1

Can’t say that I agree with very much of what you wrote.

1. Trans-Fi Terminator is a low pressure system which is virtually maintenance free. Air noise is undetectable in the listening position. It costs $1500.
2. My calculation says that a groove speed of about 50 cm / second corresponds to a distance of half a mm in a millisecond, while my stylus tip is less than a fifth of that. But why do you think this is a problem? A cartridge is offset in the tonearm to approximate tangentiality, whereas a linear tracker provides near perfect tangentiality. Sounds better to me.
3. A tonearm like the Trans-Fi allows precise setup. Precise setup means that you can readily tell the difference between cartridges, and the difference between a $1k cartridge and a $10K cartridge is large. IMO.
4. Nakamichi obsolete? My CR-7a is still capable of fine recordings in 2020. That said, sorry yours was worn out after a year - but must have seen a whole lot of hours. As noted, my CR-7 still meets spec today.