The stylus can wear from use. The cantilever, pole piece, magnet, coil, body and terminals are pretty much forever. That leaves the part the cantilever passes through and pivots around, the elastomer bearing. This is the part that can wear or harden over time and at least theoretically affect the sound.
It seems pretty clear to me that the elastomer bearing is the one part most responsible for the fact that every cartridge sounds better as it warms up from playing a side or two. Everything else I can think of from car tires to basketballs does eventually over time lose its elasticity, get hard, and crack. The same would sure seem to be true and put at least some time factor on a cartridge.
In practice however I have yet to run into anyone who has actually experienced this. I have a Stanton 681EEE from 1974 that near as I can tell still sounds the same as ever. All the people I have talked to, if they have any long term stories at all they are like lewm, no problems.
Now you know one thing, whatever you think the fact is I have noticed for many years now and across several different cartridges that they do warm up and sound better after playing a side or two. So I can hear that subtle (if you want to call it that, it sure ain't subtle to me!) a change over 20 minutes. A similarly subtle change over 20 years? Not so sure about that.
Fair to say I think that a cartridge probably does have a shelf life, just in effect a shelf life longer than yours.
It seems pretty clear to me that the elastomer bearing is the one part most responsible for the fact that every cartridge sounds better as it warms up from playing a side or two. Everything else I can think of from car tires to basketballs does eventually over time lose its elasticity, get hard, and crack. The same would sure seem to be true and put at least some time factor on a cartridge.
In practice however I have yet to run into anyone who has actually experienced this. I have a Stanton 681EEE from 1974 that near as I can tell still sounds the same as ever. All the people I have talked to, if they have any long term stories at all they are like lewm, no problems.
Now you know one thing, whatever you think the fact is I have noticed for many years now and across several different cartridges that they do warm up and sound better after playing a side or two. So I can hear that subtle (if you want to call it that, it sure ain't subtle to me!) a change over 20 minutes. A similarly subtle change over 20 years? Not so sure about that.
Fair to say I think that a cartridge probably does have a shelf life, just in effect a shelf life longer than yours.