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Does NOS Highend MC carts 'expire'...

Sometimes I see tempting opportunities on 'New old stock' highend MC cartridges - new in box at a great price (that I couldn't afford back then, at original MSRP). I think I read somewhere that rubber components can dry out with time (perhaps suspension and such).

My question is - will a highend MC cartridge that's for example about 5 years old when it's first taken into service, sound as good as it did new? What's your opinion and experiences? Is there a certain time limit (and for certain carts)? Or is there not much to worry about in this case?

Thanks in advance for sharing and have a GREAT day!
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mulveling's avatar
mulveling
502 posts
 
Five years on the shelf is nothing for a quality cartridge, unless there were egregious problems in the storage or the design/build was defective in the first place. Plenty of high-end MC carts 15+ years or older can still provide quality service today (e.g. Koetsu); I have one myself over 20 years old that sounds fantastic, though it really needs a re-tip due to it high usage in the 1990s.

There are lots of pristine MC carts over 5 years old, ready to provide stunning analog sound.
mulveling's avatar
mulveling
502 posts
 
Oh, and obviously "proper storage" means a climate controlled environment with some kind of casing so that the stylus/cantilever doesn't get caked in dust over time.
uberdine
90 posts
 
Rubber starts to deteriorate after five years or so but my experience has been that this doesn't matter much when it comes to the miniscule amounts used on cantilevers. I had a stanton from the eighties that sounded great, although maybe it sounded better in 1985, who knows.
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