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Rega Apheta 3 - Life Expectancy

Jazzyguy

pfm Member
How many hours would it be safer for my record collection to replace the Rega Apheta 3?

I’ve searched this but life expectancy recommendations vary wildly on the internet with no specific search found for the Apheta 3’s type of stylus.

Does anyone have any idea?
 
I'd start listening carefully for any deterioration in sound after 1000 hrs

If your records are clean and you're carefully...maybe 1200 hrs
 
Fine line profile nude diamond stylus very basic profile for a £1375 cartridge normally fitted to Sub £500 cartridges
Ogura in japan do not quote stylus lifespan. but a FL will be well shagged out after 1000/1200hrs

250/400 on average as FL a fancy elliptical
Line contact 500hrs + Shibata / Microridge more on super clean records but this is frowned upon by Guru Gandy.

1000/1500hours for high end extended line contact styli with very clean records


If you keep your records stored in their
sleeves, avoid touching the playing surfaces and
keep all water and fluids away, cleaning should not
be necessary. Do not worry about visible dust on
the record surface, this is brushed aside by the
stylus during play. Dust collected on the stylus can
be easily blown away. In general, record cleaning
is overdone and one should not believe all the
claims made by record cleaner manufacturers.
 
If this is true, only 250 to 400 hours is very disappointing for a cartridge costing this much. That works out to an average of almost €4 per record listen! It’ll have me thinking… Is this record “sponge worthy?”

I may have to listen to more CDs until I can figure out a cartridge that makes more sense.
 
As a (newish) Apheta 3 owner, it is indeed very disappointing.

Looks like I will be (against advice) shimming my RB3000 sooner than I'd hoped.

I wonder if @paul darwin might like to comment.
 
If this is true, only 250 to 400 hours is very disappointing for a cartridge costing this much.

My Apheta started showing noticeable signs of wear after fourteen years, swapped at reasonable cost using Rega's rebuild scheme in 2020 and it sounds fine.

FWIW, I don't clean my records. Guru Gandy speaks wise words, imho.
 
I’ve got an Apheta 2, no idea of hours on it but would guess it’s more then 450 hours by now. Sounds absolutely fine to me
 
I have cleaned my vinyl (about 700 LPs) and am convinced it improved sq and reduced surface noise. It may also have contributed to getting well over1200 hours (so far) from a Linn Krystal without the sound changing in any way my cloth ears can detect.

Mind you, most of my vinyl was bought second-hand in the 70s or 80s Notting Hill’s Record and Tape Exchange. Since then they have been through the machine once. Give them another decade or so, and if I am still alive I will probably start cleaning the most-played candidates again.

Of course, all this may just show that I and my vinyl are both a lot older and a lot less pristine than average.
 
This Sound Smith article (scroll to the bottom!), as I read it, quotes Jico at c.400 hours on fine line profile, saying at that point the stylus will be worn so that it no longer meets their distortion spec, however if you consider it worn at the point it will start to wear your records you can at least double that to 800 hours and perhaps quadruple that for up to 1600 hours. Extrapolating from Sound Smith's quote of Jico's advice on a similar profile is a bit tenuous but it is at least opinions from those who should know.

Obviously it would be better to get an official Rega opinion ...
 
Jazzguy whoever quoted 250/400hrs is way out. The life expectancy of our MC cartridges would be at least in the region of 1500 hours with normal handling and reasonable condition vinyl but 1800 being a more likely figure before any serious degradation in performance, this is presupposing correct installation, alignment, tracking force, anti skate etc etc.
 
If this is true, only 250 to 400 hours is very disappointing for a cartridge costing this much. That works out to an average of almost €4 per record listen! It’ll have me thinking… Is this record “sponge worthy?”

Buy 4 x Ortofon 2M Bronze or 5 x OM30 for the same price with Nude Fine Line stylus
2 off Ortofon Quintet Black S with Shibata line contact stylus with sapphire diamond cantilever
 
The life expectancy of our MC cartridges would be at least in the region of 1500 hours with normal handling and reasonable condition vinyl but 1800


I get emails all the time asking about how long a stylus lasts. Conservatively speaking, with proper care, around 1000 hours (or so).

How long your stylus will last before it's too far worn to provide full, detailed musical pleasure depends upon a number of factors, including how well you care for it and your records. Dirty records, which includes new out of the jacket ones, create greater friction and the grit, though invisible, will cause greater stylus wear.
Bad stylus hygiene is another determinant of stylus longevity, as is stylus profile: the more extreme, the more quickly its sharp (but not dangerously so if properly aligned) facets will round-out. It's like your teeth: the longer you go between "brushings" the greater is the likelihood that oil from your fingertips will adhere to the stylus and dirt and dust will be attracted to it. Add heat and the result often is a hardened blob that not good for the stylus or your records.
If you don't pay close attention to the stylus after each side or at least each record, you might not notice any of this. I could embarrass more than a few well known names by showing close ups of their styli, but I won't!

Michael Fremer February 2023
 
Jazzguy whoever quoted 250/400hrs is way out. The life expectancy of our MC cartridges would be at least in the region of 1500 hours with normal handling and reasonable condition vinyl but 1800 being a more likely figure before any serious degradation in performance.

The quoted 250/400 was from the first member who replied to this thread. Mr. Darwin, thank you for chiming in! I really appreciate it! I love, love, love my P10/Apheta3/Aura, glad I can go on for a few more years without having to worry about this :)
 


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