I purchased a Clearaudio Concerto a few years back, loved the sound, but one day was surprised to see that the entire stylus shaft had disappeared. I looked around with a flashlight and could not find it. I replaced it with a Concerto v2 and my dealer gave me a 10% credit for turning in the cartridge body.
Two months ago, I found that the same thing had happened to the v2. I replaced it this time with a Benz Micro Ref S Copper because of it's similar sonic profile (to me) and the fact that, instead of the stylus sticking out a mile "in harms way", the stylus is tucked nicely beneath the body (no analogies, please!). But again, I'm out 90% of the cost of the cartridge.
Since then, I heard a similar story from another Clearaudio user; one with a $10,000 unit.
When I brush the stylus, VERY carefully, it's always BEFORE I use it, not afterward. I also never manually place the needle on the LP. I was also very careful with replacing the plastic needle guard. So the loss of the shaft is happening while it's sitting on the armrest.
The only other clue I can offer is that I don't use the turntable very much. I'm more into hi-rez files. Could inactivity make the shaft more brittle? One would think that use would lead to deterioration, not inactivity!
I welcome any advice or similar experiences.
Two months ago, I found that the same thing had happened to the v2. I replaced it this time with a Benz Micro Ref S Copper because of it's similar sonic profile (to me) and the fact that, instead of the stylus sticking out a mile "in harms way", the stylus is tucked nicely beneath the body (no analogies, please!). But again, I'm out 90% of the cost of the cartridge.
Since then, I heard a similar story from another Clearaudio user; one with a $10,000 unit.
When I brush the stylus, VERY carefully, it's always BEFORE I use it, not afterward. I also never manually place the needle on the LP. I was also very careful with replacing the plastic needle guard. So the loss of the shaft is happening while it's sitting on the armrest.
The only other clue I can offer is that I don't use the turntable very much. I'm more into hi-rez files. Could inactivity make the shaft more brittle? One would think that use would lead to deterioration, not inactivity!
I welcome any advice or similar experiences.
