When to change a cartridge?

The real credit for that work is due to Mike Bodell, who wrote the piece and did all the research. I just served as editor/publisher. I learned a few things in the process. I now keep track of stylus usage with a simple click counter (of course, Mike turned me onto a very well made vintage unit). Clean records go a long way.

Incremental degradation is not apparent. I liken it to sneakers (or British "trainers"). You don’t realize they have lost their "bounce" until you put a fresh pair on. (Maybe it’s a dumb analogy). I think Mike mentions a reader who said his stylus was well past the normal conservative threshold and thought it still sounded fine, but then decided to send it out for a retip, and was pleasantly surprised by how much better it sounded after it was refreshed.

I keep an eye on the stylus just for basic cleanliness and straightness of the cantilever-using relatively low magnification. I’m not really qualified to examine stylus wear under a microscope, so have used various retipping services, including those of the manufacturer (who will often replace, or rebuilt entirely rather than just replace the diamond and clean up the cartridge innards).

I gather that the micro ridge type has a pretty hard limit at around 1,000 hours-- and that it should not be used after that. I had an Airtight Supreme done with that stylus shape, keeping the original cantilever. I had one Koetsu rebuilt by the factory before they went defunct. And have had a few others over the years- trade ups with Lyra, a rebuild by Van den Hul, etc.

I thought Mike did a great job in addressing the issue and called for more transparency within the industry about realistic wear/life, rather than quoting the absolute outer limit for a cartridge to function. Kudos to him!

@audio-b-dog - sonic memory is extremely tricky- I have to have the specific components or cable to hand and the ability to swap out to compare. It is a relatively rare thing to be able to tell immediately if a given piece is an improvement (rather than just a change). I’ll give you one example- I was running a very highly regarded line stage, and a dealer I trust brought over another unit. We plugged it in, let it warm up and I could tell immediately that it didn’t have the sonic qualities that made my system sing. Fast forward 6 months or so, the second line stage underwent a substantial revision. Did the same comparison in my system. I wanted to buy the "test mule" of it on the spot!

Cables are even trickier. I started comparing them back in the ’80s. The dealer (a different dealer) lent me 4 different sets. I played with them for about a week, and chose the set that sounded the best. It wasn’t the most expensive of the bunch.

Cables are also one of the last things I tend to do. There are some synergies, and some known matches with certain components, but a lot has to do with the overall voicing of the system and what you are after. I have very good cables in my main system and have had little need to upgrade- I did upgrade within the same brand the "earliest" cable in that system- from phono stage to line stage (the cable from the tonearm is captive) , but the core system has relied on the same cable since around 2007-8.

On my vintage system, I deliberately chose to use less vaunted wire-- I use Canare 4S11 and Analysis Plus--the system emulates what I was running in 1975, when audiophile cable was barely in existence. That system, having had all the components sympathetically restored--some of them owned by me for more than 50 years--sounds to my ears the best it ever has. Much has to do with the glass- I use a lot of NIB NOS tubes, including GEC KT66s.

The only thing I can suggest is that you work with someone who will allow you to try the cables and be able to return them without penalty.

I have yet to come up with a "holistic" approach to system building beyond the obvious in terms of impedance, power, room size, relationship between speaker and amp, and tonearm and cartridge (compliance). On the main system, if I change a rectifier in the phono stage power supply, the voicing of the system changes, sometimes dramatically. I’ve gone through quite a few to get everything just so.

I do hear differences when I compare in my room, with my system, under controlled circumstances. When I did the cables for the current main system, the manufacturer visited to swap out and demonstrate. I did not hear any difference on the power cable to my motor controller for the turntable, so passed on buying the high priced cable for that link in the chain.

Other random thoughts- when I was comparing different types of isolation devices for the tube power supply to my phono stage, I tried 1/2 dozen. Some lent more clarity, but at a price- greater stridency. I found a compromise that gave me the best of both worlds. Ditto on the record clamp/weight for the turntable. I have on occasion swapped out the aftermarket device for the factory one and still prefer the aftermarket unit.

Last thought (and much of this may be obvious)- the longer you can listen to evaluate, try a variety of different program material. It will be more telling. Some things impress initially but it’s longer haul evaluations that are more informing.

You can often isolate what a given component (or wire) is doing, but that does mean you have to be familiar with all the rest-- evaluations in dealer’s show roooms- different system/room make it much harder.

Sometimes I have to remind myself- this is supposed to be fun! Best,

Bill Hart

PS: @viridian's suggestion about making a recording if you have an A-D device is still a good suggestion even with a cartridge/stylus that has miles on it. You should be able to discern the difference, not relying just on sonic memory. 

@inna - main system, currently running Koetsu Tiger Eye in a Kuzma Airline/Kuzma XL + Minus K and HRS plinth. I have several others not currently in use, including a fresh Jade that Koetsu rebuilt before they shuttered, an Airtight Supreme rebuilt by Peter L using factory cantilever and a couple others that have not yet been retipped. On the vintage system, I use a Denon 103 that has been frankensteined by Steve at VAS- micro ridge stylus, and wood rebody potted with elastomers. Run that one on the Kuzma 4 Pt 9" on the vintage SP-10 table.

Inna said: "Bill, that’s quite a set up that you have. What would it take to go even higher ?"

@inna - I don’t know. I’m not focused on that aspect at this point. I’m actually sitting here enjoying listening. And shocker, the digital front end (inexpensive stuff largely from China) running hi-res through an I2S connection with a DDC sounds really good. So much so that I’d say if I hadn’t the long history with LPs, I don’t know that I’d even bother with the vinyl format if I were starting from scratch today. Of course, I’m not starting now, so that’s a rhetorical observation, but I’d imagine people who work on their digital front ends and put some serious effort into getting them right are probably getting great results, given how little I’ve spent and how little I know on the digital processing front.

I have a few other interests I pursue as well, though audio + music + the music biz/copyright law has been almost a lifetime for me, say since I was 16. (I started studying music at age 5 but was made to do so and hated it--it took me til I was a teen to "get it" and start composing though I never tried to make any money making music). It’s not going away, but my perspective about it all is much more relaxed these days.

It’s like waking up and discovering you did all this stuff deep into the hobby and now, as an idiot, I can just be blissful. (I don’t think I’m losing my mind, my judgement is good, my health is good, but I’m now 71 and want to enjoy life after working since I was a kid). In some ways, I’m still learning, but my focus is different if that makes sense. Sorry for the ramble.

@inna main instrument is piano and I got into playing organ in bands as a teen. I learned French horn, guitar and a couple others. My sight reading is a little rough, but I did a lot of formal study (orchestration, counterpoint, etc.) when a youth. Only after I quit the lessons did I start playing an old Melodion (sort of a foot pump organ that used reeds) in my parents' house, and got into blues improvisation. The instrument sounded like a big deep harmonica. 

What I do with digital is play files from an SSD, so they can range from redbook standard 44.1 to high level DSD/PCM. I use a DDC (digital interface) that not only isolates the usb input, but also affords an I2S output which is what I use for one of the DACs. It's the best sound I've gotten from digital. I do have a good transport-a C.E.C. TL5, their entry model, but I find the sonics on files running through the above described chain to be very musical. For a long time, I did not like the sound of digital. I only began to appreciate it in seeing and hearing what archival restoration projects yielded. It impressed the hell out of me. It took me a long time to warm to digital. For the modest amount I've invested, the results are unexpectedly impressive to me, a long time analog/tube guy. 

@audio-b-dog - I spent very little money, especially compared to what my vinyl front end involves. Given my considerable pile of records, some quite rare and never issued beyond a first pressing on vinyl, as well as a large catalog of material I accumulated (I think I've mentioned I got rid of over 12,000 records between the move to Texas and a further culling once here), I'm not walking away from records. But the combo I described, which involves playing off a drive through a DDC using the I2s connection has really upped the quality considerably and none of the gear itself was expensive.

@inna - I had ARC stuff for decades but didn't need the power. For a while I used an unusual amp, the Audiopax 88, and I did meet with Kevin at one show (I don't do shows much anymore) and at the time I bought the Lamms, I only knew CAT for its preamp. The Lamms were magical and I also had the L2 line stage, a two chassis model with a solid state audio path and tube rectified power supply. When the manufacturer of Veloce came over, I passed on the first version, but loved the second version. Unfortunately, it uses the 6H30 and in its circuit, the old DR Reflector is substantially better than the modern production. My amps are very early and came through a trade from someone who was possibly Vlad's first dealer. 

I doubt I'll ever get rid of them. And Vytas, who designed the Veloce, is still  very much active. He worked as a technical director for OMA for a period but am informed that he has upgrades for the Veloce line stages. I just hate shipping gear. In NY metro, it was much easier b/c we could drive to several of the manufacturers for repair/check up. 

Starker-Kodaly- that Unaccompanied Cello piece- stunning. It was on Period Records, mono, from the '50s. I know it has been reissued several times. You might like it.