When to change a cartridge?

@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. 

whart, yes there are so many variables in improving a system. I inherited my Hovland Radia amp from an audiophile friend of mine who passed away. I was using a McCormack DNA-1 upgraded to the top level by Steve McCormack just a few years before I got the 20-year-old Hovland Radia (the only non-tube amp Hovland ever made). When I first compared the amps switching them out quickly, I liked my McCormack. It seemed more musical, throwing a  wall of sound that was wide and deep. I was just about ready to sell the Hovland but something nagged at me.

I listened to the amps for a good three weeks, leaving one in for a day or two and then putting the other in my system. Slowly I realized that the Hovland was providing a lot more inner detail and air between the instruments. The McCormack's wall of sound was comforting and pleasing, but as I became used to the Hovland's "sound I liked the air in its soundstage. Once I was able to hear that--in other words, my ear was a limiting factor--there was no question that the Hovland which was much more expensive than the McCormack was a much better amp.

If I get a windfall, like a work bonus or an inheritance, I might decide to look into upgrading my system. Otherwise I don't buy equipment until something seems wrong. My ear has developed so that I can hear a lack in my system. I am a big fan of ARC's phono preamp and for years I owned the PH-3. One day it dawned on me that something was missing. I listened to a few solid state preamps that were well reviewed, but I like the ARC sound. I could not afford $9K for a new Ph-9, so I began looking in the used marked and found a PH-7 at a dealer in Canada. (I called every ARC dealer in the U.S. and Ph-7s were impossible to find.) I bought it and I think it's a terrific phono preamp. 

I guess my point is that upgrading a system is not only a question of money (although it definitely is) but also of how educated one's ear has become. I avoid listening to very expensive equipment I can't afford. The only reason I was able to purchase $18K Sonus Fabers was that I received a large inheritance, so my wife agreed to my splurge. I love the speakers.

BTW, with this new amp change I am beginning to understand the difference between overly "analytical" systems in which the instruments are well separated, but they lack air. With my Hovland Radia, there is a definite separation between instruments both in width and depth, but the instruments sound as it they are enveloped in air, not just coming out of a black background.

My new speakers were demoed to me against Vienna Acoustics in the same price range. The Vienna Acoustics were extremely accurate, but they were not "musical" like the Sonus Fabers. Again, that had to do with the air. Some people like a system where instruments come out of a black background. They see that as accuracy. I go to the symphony and hear music live a lot. The instruments do not come from a black background. They are in a kind of musical soup, but when I listen carefully, I can distinguish were the sound of each instrument is coming from. It's not always easy, though.

Bill, what cartridge do you currently have ?

I usually need three/five recordings, one minute of listening for each to evaluate my system. And do it closer to midnight on weekdays when the wall current is okay.

Good advice get a new stylist replacement if you love the cartridge.Funny thing years ago I  never thought about replacement, was it because the records were cheap back in the 70s...lol.I did clean mine with a brush and cleaned the needle my ex thought I was a nut job...