Should You Buy a Used Phono Cartridge?
You can go many places, like eBay, and find hundreds of used phono cartridges and styli for sale. Is buying one a good idea? In short, not really. A cartridge is both a mechanical and electrical device, and its suspension, cantilever, stylus, coils, wiring and contacts can all be affected by age, use, contamination, storage and environment. Even an old cartridge still sitting in its original box may not perform exactly as it did when new.
Then there is the unknown history. How was it cleaned? Was liquid stylus cleaner used? Was it properly aligned? Was the tracking force correct? Was it ever damaged? How many hours are actually on the stylus? Some manufacturers specifically warn against certain liquid stylus cleaners because fluids can potentially affect adhesives, suspension materials or other parts of the cartridge. When buying used, you simply don't know what the previous owner did.
The biggest concern, however, is stylus wear. A stylus is a wear item, and its useful life depends on its shape, tracking force, alignment, cleanliness and the condition of the records being played. There is no universal number of hours at which every stylus suddenly becomes worn out, but eventually wear occurs. As it does, sound quality may deteriorate and the potential for unnecessary record wear increases.
That is where buying used becomes a gamble. A seller may honestly believe a cartridge has very few hours on it, but unless its history is known and the stylus has been properly inspected, there is really no way to be certain. Even an inspection may not reveal everything about the condition of the suspension or the internal workings of the cartridge. If you have a valuable record collection, saving a little money on the cartridge may not be worth risking the records you are asking it to play.
With moving-magnet cartridges, a new replacement stylus from the original manufacturer may be the smarter choice when one is available. With moving-coil cartridges, many manufacturers offer rebuild, exchange or re-tip programs. There are certainly exceptions. Some discontinued cartridges are collectible, and some people simply enjoy restoring vintage equipment. That's perfectly fine. Just don't confuse rare with good condition, or expensive when new with safe to use today.
As I always say, it's your money and you can do what you wish. But when you buy a used cartridge or stylus, you are also buying its unknown history. If you care about your records, that's worth thinking about before chasing what appears to be a bargain.
—Lou