Quick Cartridge Questions


As someone relatively new to vinyl, I have a few simple questions that I need help answering...

First, what is the average lifespan of a cartridge? I listen for approximately 10 hours per week, with a Goldring 1012GX. I cue, rather than drop, and I thoroughly wipe each record before play. Would 4-5 years be a reasonable estimate? Also, how do you judge when a cartridge needs replacing? By ear?

Next, out of curiosity, which cartridges are said to match well with the Pro-Ject Tube Box II?

Truthfully, I don't understand the emphasis on matching the cartridge with the phono-pre. From my uninformed perspective, I would think that the amplifier and speakers would at least be equally important in achieving a balanced sound. For instance, if one has a tube amplifier along with some warm sounding speakers, wouldn't ANY cart/pre combination sound a bit on the warm side?

Thanks for the help!
jferreir

Showing 1 response by steveaustin

Matching a tonearm with a cartridge refers to the arm's effective mass vs. the cartridge's compliance (low compliance = stiff suspension; high compliance = springier suspension). You wouldn't want to match a high-compliance cartridge with a high mass arm (like a Zeta), nor a low-compliance cartidge with a low-mass arm. The Vinyl Engine site had a page that was a good reference for this kind of matching data, but not sure if the page is still there. Google is your friend ;-).

One thing I've found is a great way to keep the stylus clean (and is easy enough to actually stick to using it with every lp side I play) is the Zerodust, which is just a rubbery blob you dip your stylus into and it grabs all the little fuzzies and particles that are picked up with normal play. No liquids to 'wick' up your cantilever and muck up your cartridge's innards. They seem expensive for what they are, but they're really great, and easy-to-use.