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does anyone know...

are there benefits from changing carts every so often, as well as replacing needles?

Unless a bad connection developed somewhere along the line, I'd see no point in replacing the cartridge. But I'm not sure...

replacing needles is a funny thing, since I've had my decks (about 3 years) I've replaced my needles twice and both times they've fucked within the month, so I'm still using the same 500-II's that i bought originally.

I don't think theres a logical explanation for this, but it happens to everyone i know. File it with bumblebees, dissappearing undergarments and cd burners simultaneously dying on everyones PCs, one of lifes not so great mysteries.

yeh i figured that pangaea but there are many technical things i dont understand so thought it was worth asking! cos you never know how things can deteriorate...obviously nothing would be damaged but in terms of sound quality i want to get the best i can out of my set up

with needles, i change mine about every 6 months, i try to do it even more regularly but obv its one of those things you dont get round to. i didnt change them for ages at first, and when i listen back to some of my early hip-hop collection theyre so worn as a result

you wouldn't need to replace the cart unless something breaks or something like that.

but as needles get older and wear, the wear on the vinyl increases (especially the ortofon style needles, they wear vinyl hard). new needles would slow down the wear of the vinyl, but the damage has already been done.

but this is kind of a slow process, it takes a long time to really have a noticable effect on the records (i'll say about 4 or 5 years of regular play).

i know people who get new needles on a regular basis to try to keep wear at a minimal level.

replace em every 500 hr's of play like..when i scratch u can hear a old needle tear down the groove on the vinyl where as with new needles it dont do it "as much"

only replace cart's if there's fucked

I've had the same carts on mine for 10 years - and just relaced the needles when I need to - got a few spare carts now tho!