I have never had a problem with Lyra cartridges. The out-of-the-box quality, based on alignment of the cantilever and stylus, has been flawless, and I've never had problems with the cantilever tilting in one direction over time. While some may be concerned with the exposed position of the stylus and cantilever of Lyra cartridges, I actually prefer this type of cartridge because it makes alignment and cleaning much easier. I know a number of people with Koetsu cartridges and I have never heard of problems with that brand.
Almost of the problems I've heard about cartridges involve accidents and user error. I've heard from several people about problems they had with particularly delicate cartridges when cleaning with those sticky gel pads that one is suppose to put the stylus into and then lift the tonearm out of the gel. I've heard of several instances where the cantilever was left in the pad.
Aside from such damage, I think premature cartridge failure is a fairly rare occurrence.
Almost of the problems I've heard about cartridges involve accidents and user error. I've heard from several people about problems they had with particularly delicate cartridges when cleaning with those sticky gel pads that one is suppose to put the stylus into and then lift the tonearm out of the gel. I've heard of several instances where the cantilever was left in the pad.
Aside from such damage, I think premature cartridge failure is a fairly rare occurrence.