I've crossed this bridge many times. Peter Ledermann has retipped my Soundsmith VPI Zephyr many times already. Peter told me once or twice that a cartridge should be inspected every 1000 hours or so for wear and tear. It has been my experience that 2000 hours is a "max Q" length of time for the life of a stylus.
Which brings me to my next point -- retipping. If 2000 hours is a fair ballpark estimate of stylus life, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to divide the cost of a retip/exchange by hours of life to compute cost per hour. Looking at it this way can give you a "virtual" sense of the cost of enjoying vinyl.
Last point. I intend to shop for a Soundsmith Paua, not sure if new or preowned. Peter Ledermann charges a couple of hundred bucks for a retip. That bring the "virtual" cost of enjoying vinyl down to a more reasonable level.
In the case of my Zephyr, Peter charges about $200 for a retip. That's about 10 cents per hour of "virtual" enjoyment.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Which brings me to my next point -- retipping. If 2000 hours is a fair ballpark estimate of stylus life, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to divide the cost of a retip/exchange by hours of life to compute cost per hour. Looking at it this way can give you a "virtual" sense of the cost of enjoying vinyl.
Last point. I intend to shop for a Soundsmith Paua, not sure if new or preowned. Peter Ledermann charges a couple of hundred bucks for a retip. That bring the "virtual" cost of enjoying vinyl down to a more reasonable level.
In the case of my Zephyr, Peter charges about $200 for a retip. That's about 10 cents per hour of "virtual" enjoyment.
Happy Thanksgiving.