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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 dekay

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dekay
5,363 posts
 

In 2012 I compared a sealed 1971 Howlin Wolf to another original copy that had been played on/off since 1971 (didn't own a TT from 1986-2000).

They both sounded the same (good).

Found the sealed copy @ my mother's house when she was selling it in 2011.

Along with the sealed LP I also found 2 factory matched pairs of Mullard XF2 EL34's, a stack of used RCA 12at7 5-packs (pulls from my old Fender amps) and a small glass vile containing 3 squares of windowpane (the windowpane had turned from translucent to black over a 40 year period).

I gave the windowpane to a neighbor that I had grown up with and tossed the 12at7's after bringing them back to CA and testing them (they all had one poorly testing section).

DeKay

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