how do you know when your needle is worn out/ruined/damaging your records?

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well.....

― OCP (OCP), Wednesday, 25 February 2004 09:22 (twenty-two years ago)

wondering that myself right now. i'd say if you're noticing more noise or distortion than usual then that's a good sign. if you use your turntable quite regularly (say, an average of an LP a day) then replacing it every year or so is probably good for avoiding damage to the vinyl.

there's a bit of a catch 22 involved - damaged records will wear out your needle sooner, and a damaged needle will wear out the records sooner.

― the surface noise (electricsound), Wednesday, 25 February 2004 09:25 (twenty-two years ago)

It makes Soooo much sense that it was the surface noise that answered this...

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 25 February 2004 09:28 (twenty-two years ago)

i don't hate myself nearly as much as i hate surface noise

― the surface noise (electricsound), Wednesday, 25 February 2004 09:29 (twenty-two years ago)

I'll second Surface Noise, in that noise and disortion being heard on records that you know are in better condition than that is a good sign, along with noticing missing frequencies. The problem with that, is that these flaws only appear slowly, and so it is quite possible you don't notice them until the damaged needle has already worn out your records.

How a friend gets around it, is he has a back up needle to check and make comparisons every month or so. When he finds a needle to be damaged he replaces it with the backup needle and orders a new needle to use as a new backup.

Xpost x 2

― Jedmond (Jedmond), Wednesday, 25 February 2004 09:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Get a Lupe -- 10x magnification or better -- and, well, look at it from time to time.

― christoff (christoff), Wednesday, 25 February 2004 14:00 (twenty-two years ago)

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