Time to Start Playing Records....With A New Cartridge

Just got that old turntable out of the cupboard - time to rediscover the wonderful world of vinyl ....good call.Or been gifted an old turntable....a special present.....begin the adventure.Now where do you start?Apart from starting your record collection there is another more important step.Most people think that replacing the stylus will refresh their cherished turntable.Unfortunately not the case.

The phono cartridge is as important as the stylus as it converts the movement of the stylus into an electrical signal at a very low signal strength.Changing the stylus without changing the cartridge will end up with a 40% improvement versus a 100% improvement when a new cartridge is fitted.

There is another important factor in the replacing the stylus equation.The average cost of  a replacement stylus is $50 to $60 and you end up with a conical sapphire stylus tip that not only because of its minimum groove contact has poor music information retrieval but due to surface pressure actualiy damages your records.

What's weird is that for $60 you can buy a brand new cartridge and stylus with an eliptical diamond stylus that will transform your music listening experience.An eliptical diamond is shaped in a "V" shape similar to the record groove therefore minimising damage to the record groove.

Most people don't know that the life of a phono cartridge is about 5 years.The mechanical parts inside the phono cartridge deteriorate and replacing the stylus will not fix the sound deterioration.Another fact is that upgrading the phono cartridge is the best "Bang for Buck" upgrade to any hifi system.Spending $150 on a cartridge upgrade can reap a bigger improvement to sound quality than spending $100's on upgrading components.It all starts at the source.....better source....better sound!