How Often Should you Change your Turntable Stylus?

Listening to vinyl is one of the best ways to experience your music collection. As audiophiles ourselves, at Home Media we have vinyl playing in the store almost every day, not just to showcase what we stock but because we love it. That’s why we’ve dedicated our lives to supplying our customers with a turntable that helps them enjoy their favourite tunes at their optimum, using the best equipment that is affordable to them.

At the heart of what makes one turntable better than another is the quality of the components it is manufactured with. The stylus is a vital and hardworking piece of a turntable, that relays vibrations through the tonearm to the cartridge, which are then transformed to electric signals. Having to work its way through thousands of hours of music playback, it stands to reason that the longer your stylus has been in place, the more worn down it becomes, and the poorer the quality it will produce.

You don’t have to be an audio expert to tell that your turntable stylus might be coming to the end of its lifecycle. On close inspection, you may be able to notice the tip is far duller and not as sharp as it was previously, and when listening to your favourite vinyl you may start to hear more crackling or audible distortion than you’d normally expect. Simply put, a lack of clarity is the biggest signal that your stylus may need refreshing to return your listening experience to the levels you are used to.

Accumulating dust can cause a big issue for your stylus and the performance of your turntable over time, meaning the more regularly you listen to your vinyl then the more you will need to clean it. Dust can form easily on the grooves of records and then transfer to the stylus, so general upkeep of your vinyl collection every time you use it will ensure your stylus stays unaffected by regular and prolonged use.

Truthfully, there’s no hard and firm answer to knowing exactly when you should change your turntable stylus, but your educated ear will probably be your best indication. If you are unsure or want someone to come in and look at your setup, then contact our friendly team at Home Media and we’ll offer bespoke advice. Simply pop in, or give us a ring on 01622 676703, to start the conversation.