Cartridge life

[gavreid]

Actually I have a friend using an MC30S which he bought in the 80's. It gets very little use and is still on the original stylus. It had to be repaired at ESCO a few years back due to an accident and had the canti straightened and welded, but stylus still good.

On that basis I suggest suspension issues do not apply universally to all mc's, but obviously any rubber part can perish.

Ortofon, for example, use different rubber compositions to match their different stylus tips, making it very difficult to say I got 5 years from x so I can expect similar from y. Also you do wonder what kind of longevity tests the manufacturers do. If they're only specifying 500-1000 hours some will likely be more thorough than others.

 

[PerF]

Aren't there issues with the cantilever suspension going hard over time, used or not? Probably not an issue for the OP, I'm talking like 2-3 decades.

I would have thought so too.

When I ordered the SAE 1000, new old stock high output MC cartridge, available shortly as a bargain on eBay, there were explained somewhere why the suspension didn't age much.
Not that I exact remember the explanation or the forum, probably Hoffman or VE.
I have used that cartridge some weeks now and performed ok even its age (maybe 35-40 years ?)
Rumors were its near identical to Denon DL160 and Hana EH.