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needle life
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| don_q |
Hola ppl
How do guys know its time to change the needle? I have a used cartridge and no idea how old it is. But it sounds good. |
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| 3xx3r7 |
| Again, I have the same question. lol |
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| KiNeTiC ENeRgY |
| As long as it has been set up properly from the get-go, you should see around 400 hrs of use. That is an average figure, but when you notice that the high frequencies begin to sound a little distorted and not as clear, that is indication that it is worn and its time to replace. |
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| dj chex |
| It also depends how you use the stylus as well. If you scratch alot, use alot of tracking weight, don't clean your records, or neglect cleaning your stylus that can shorten the life as well. I personally try to replace mine around once a year (btw, im still have and use a 3yr old 520sk stylus w/o problems) |
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| stevebutabi |
hmm i was actually wondering this myself-
my records have been skipping A LOT lately- even brand new ones.
i need to change my needles right? |
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| 3xx3r7 |
| quote: | Originally posted by stevebutabi
hmm i was actually wondering this myself-
my records have been skipping A LOT lately- even brand new ones.
i need to change my needles right? |
Check your tonearm weight first. |
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| stevebutabi |
| would skipping be a result of too much weight or not enough? |
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| don_q |
| quote: | | would skipping be a result of too much weight or not enough? |
come on man,
Guess |
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| tu_face |
| yeah i usually change mine around every 6 months - 1 year (depending on when i have the spare cash usually. styli are infuriatingly expensive). you can generally tell by ear if they need changing, they sound . :) |
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| Rememberence_ |
| quote: | Originally posted by stevebutabi
hmm i was actually wondering this myself-
my records have been skipping A LOT lately- even brand new ones.
i need to change my needles right? |
There are several factors that come into play here... firstly you want to make sure that your needles are setup correctly, that means the correct tracking weight for your particular needle, correct anti-skating setting for how you DJ, and other like making sure the tonearm height is set correctly (not as important). Other than having your needles setup properly, it could also be that your records are warped or dirty, that your needle is dirty, or much worse, it's busted and you need a new stylus. Oh and quite obviously a higher tracking weight will do a better job of keeping the needle in the groove, but this doesn't mean you should just set your tracking weight loads higher... this causes unneccessary ware on your vinyls and your styli. |
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