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How many plays can you get out of a good record?

I haven't seen this question posed in the Audiogon forums, but I have seen many answers on generic audio sites, that say a record can be expected to last for "hundreds" of plays before any sonic degradation is noted, if well cared for. 

I'm wondering if they might last even longer with modern audiophile styli / styluses, which track at around 1.8 grams.  Does anyone have any real experience or knowledge about the longevity of records in such a scenario?  (If records only last 100-200 plays before some degradation, then this means that playing a record once a week could be at least partially deteriorated in two to four years, which is a real shame.)  

drbond

Showing 1 response by clearthinker

clearthinker's avatar
clearthinker
1,582 posts
 

It's not a question of tracking weight, it's a question of mistracking. Too light is as bad for records as too heavy.

I did wear out a copy of Blonde on Blonde in 1966 using my father's old Collaro player that must have been tracking at about 5g.  That was the design weight.  The whole thing started sounding like mush. I guess there must have been swarf.

I bought another one and my own turntable.

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