How long should a new stylus cartridge last?
RCA tests indicate an expected life of about 1,000 hours play time for the diamond stylus cartridge. Some early reviews of the CED system stated 200 hours of play time, but this was for the sapphire stylus, which was never used in a production player. There are a couple of conditions to watch out for that can result in immediate failure of the stylus cartridge. One is the attempt to play a cracked disc, since the crack can rip the stylus arm right out of the cartridge. To avoid this, I always inspect my discs for damage when I first get them. The other condition is a static discharge between the stylus and disc surface that can actually destroy the conductivity of the titanium electrode on the trailing edge of the diamond tip. This is a rather unlikely occurrence, but can happen with some players if the grounding spring near the top center of the turntable is broken or missing.
