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Replicant 100 stylus longevity - truth or myth?

There are some contradicting opinions on the net about the longevity of the Replicant 100 stylus. 1200 hours, 1000 hours, 800 hours, 600 hours...

I know there have been quite a few discussions in regards to this but I still can't seem to find anything really confirmative as to whether they last longer than that or not except for a couple of Ortofon claims. If there is anyhing I've missed, I'd be grateful if you could point it out to me.

Has anyone clocked more than 1500 hours on any of the Ortofons that use this stylus profile? Opinions?

Thanks!
janhavjar

Showing 2 responses by wrm57

wrm57
1,073 posts
 
Downunder, thanks for the good info. My A90, too, is getting a little long in the tooth--or maybe short in the tooth is the better metaphor, since we're talking about wear on the tip. I'm curious, how did you determine yours was finished, by sonics or examination?
wrm57
1,073 posts
 
FWIW, I talked to my Ortofon dealer yesterday about the life of the A90. The "official" position appears to be: sonics will begin to change on the Relicant 100 at around 1,000 hours because of "changes in the molecular structure of the diamond" (whatever that means), resulting in less detail. By 1,500 hours, the stylus is basically shot.

Ortofon will rebuild the entire cartridge, retaining only the housing from the original, for $2,100 (here in the US) and it takes 6 weeks. Essentially, you get a new A90. But they could discontinue the rebuild program within a year or two unless demand is significant.

I think mine has around 800 hours on it. I'll probably go for a rebuild some time next year. I can't think of a $2,100 MC cartridge I'd prefer, even with it's all-too-short lifespan.
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