What is the average lifespan of a phono cartridge?


I see ads for used cartridges stating that its barely broken in at 200 hours. How long will a stylus, cartridge etc last before something wears out and must be replaced/repaired? Thanks.
tbromgard

Showing 3 responses by inna

Yeah...not for me, anyway. And if some vintage MMs sound as good as you say they do, it makes even less sense. But then the problem is that there are not enough of them for everyone. Some will think that $5-$15 for an hour of listening is still acceptable expense. A little crazy especially if you play turntable a lot but better than buying $1500 pants, I guess. Opinions vary, though.
Well, not my case, but some cartridges are extremely expensive, and I am quite sure that many audiophiles having them will want them to last for a very long time. You normally don’t throw away a perfectly good $5k or more cartridge.