I bought a used Dynavector DV20XL or something like that and it had collapsed suspension. The bottom of the cartridge was scraping on the record. But, for that brief moment, it sounded sublime. I ended up getting it fixed by Andy at The Needle Clinic for a few hundred back in 2011.
Safe to use an old Sumiko Talisman Virtuoso B?
I bought a VPI HW19 / Souther Linear tracker some time ago, surprised to find it came with a Sumiko Talisman Virtuoso Boron cartridge. The seller ( a reputable shop) warned me that the cartridge was old, and he couldn't verify it's condition. he mentioned the possibility that the suspension could be old and dried out, could even fail and drop the whole cantilever out, allowing the cartridge to scrape along the record (if I understood him correctly). I think he was trying to cover himself from any liabillty, he didn't even try to sell me a new cartridge. I did try the cartridge, and it worked, but I replaced it with a Clearaudio Maestro Satine (installed with the supplied weight plate, due to the Souther low mass arm). I don't remember how it sounded relative to the Clearaudio.
I'm wondering if I'd be better off with the Talisman, and if the whole suspension scenario is a real concern. Has anyone heard of such a thing? I'd hate to ruin a prized old record.