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Quick Cartridge Questions

As someone relatively new to vinyl, I have a few simple questions that I need help answering...

First, what is the average lifespan of a cartridge? I listen for approximately 10 hours per week, with a Goldring 1012GX. I cue, rather than drop, and I thoroughly wipe each record before play. Would 4-5 years be a reasonable estimate? Also, how do you judge when a cartridge needs replacing? By ear?

Next, out of curiosity, which cartridges are said to match well with the Pro-Ject Tube Box II?

Truthfully, I don't understand the emphasis on matching the cartridge with the phono-pre. From my uninformed perspective, I would think that the amplifier and speakers would at least be equally important in achieving a balanced sound. For instance, if one has a tube amplifier along with some warm sounding speakers, wouldn't ANY cart/pre combination sound a bit on the warm side?

Thanks for the help!
jferreir

Showing 2 responses by hdm

hdm
1,075 posts
 
Stylus life will, generally speaking, be determined by stylus profile.

Cheaper, bonded conical styli would be the worst, probably not lasting more than 500 hours. A high quality nude conical/spherical stylus like those found on the Denon 103/103R should be good for around 800-1000 hours.

High quality nude ellipticals around 1200 hours.

The more exotic profiles with high quality styli (Fritz Geiger, Van den Hul, Micro Ridge and various line contacts) should be good for around 1500-2500 hours.

All of the above estimates assume good vinyl hygiene. Start playing dirty or damaged vinyl and the life span of the stylus will probably be reduced.
hdm
1,075 posts
 
Looks like your Goldring uses a Fritz Gyger line contact stylus so it should be a very long lasting stylus.

If you're basically buying new records, keeping them clean is generally not a problem. However, if you're buying a lot of used vinyl then investing in something that will give you the ability to wet clean/vacuum your records might be something to consider. It need not be outrageously expensive to do a very good job. The KAB EV1 is a good example of that.

As far as stylus cleaning, you'll find lots of recommendations but the Magic Eraser is a very cost effective way of cleaning your stylus (make sure you buy the all white original Magic Eraser). Do a google search using "magic eraser stylus cleaner". $5 will buy you stylus cleaning for the rest of your life. I believe there are a couple of significant threads here on Audiogon about it as well in the archives.
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