How to Replace a Record Player Needle or Stylus

These are the main reasons for replacing your stylus or turntable cartridge:

1. Wear and tear: the tip of the stylus naturally wears after many (~800-1000) hours of use. Worn, blunt needles have a duller, unclear sound, often with more noise and distortion.
2. Damage: Accidents happen, and sometimes needles break. Either they bend, or the tip snaps off. Don’t use a broken needle! It can damage your records.
3. As part of refurbishing a second-hand record player – since usually, you wouldn’t know how much use the installed needle has already had.
4. Sound Quality Upgrade: Sometimes, it’s even worth replacing a brand-new needle. The needle that comes installed with your turntable from the factory may be of low quality. Replacing a needle with a higher-quality model can improve the accuracy and range of your sound.

Replacing the needle is often overlooked, particularly by new vinyl listeners. Either people don’t know or are too scared to do it.

In actuality, it’s not that difficult to accomplish if you have the right equipment and a steady hand, and sometimes, you can easily upgrade the sound of your turntable this way.

Related Turntable Components

Below are some short explanations of each turntable component related to the process of changing the needle.

The exact components used vary between turntable designs, but here are the basic components.

• Tonearm: This is the long, arm-like component. One end is attached to the main body of the turntable, the other side holds the needle mounting system (which varies in design).
• Headshell: The first component of the needle mounting system. This attaches to the tonearm and contains the cartridge and stylus.
• Cartridge: The small box-like unit that holds the needle component itself. This contains the electronic components for transducing the vibrations of the needle into electrical energy.
• Cantilever: The long thin device suspended in the cartridge, holding the stylus on the other end. This transfers vibration from the stylus to the cartridge.
• Stylus: A tiny (usually) diamond tip that rests in the microscopic grooves of the record. The stylus vibrates based on the frequency information cut into the groove.

Needle/stylus vs cartridge

Remember, the needle (aka stylus) and cartridge aren’t the same.

Stylus refers to the small needle-like device mounted inside the larger cartridge housing.

You can usually find replacement parts for either element. Most often, you will only need to replace the stylus itself rather than the whole cartridge.

How to replace a record player needle

This first section explains how to change the needle or stylus of your record player. This doesn’t include the cartridge, which is explained below. If your cartridge is fine, but you need just to replace the stylus, read on!

Preparation

Replacing a record player needle is a precarious and fiddly task. Handle with care to avoid damaging the sensitive needle. Don’t push anything too hard, the needle can bend very easily.

I also recommend you wear microfiber gloves to minimize the chance of dirtying the stylus with grease or oil on your fingers. Even if they feel clean, your hands have microscopic particles of oil and dirt – which styluses and records hate!

Step 2 – Remove the Stylus

Now it’s time to remove the stylus itself. Slowly and carefully pull the needle by its tip. The stylus should disconnect fairly easily.

Pulling from the tip ensures you only remove the parts you need to. Sometimes the needle is housed in a smaller casing that attaches to the cartridge. This can be seen in the below image of an Ortofon Concorde cartridge.

In other models, only the stylus and cantilever arm is removed.

Either way, make sure you only remove the main needle mechanism.

Step 3 – Insert the new needle

Next, we need to connect the new needle.

See below to learn how to find the right replacement needle if you are unsure.

Carefully remove the new needle from its packaging. If possible, try not to touch the needle itself, and don’t touch the tip! Most needles come with a protective cap, so leave this on until it’s time to play a record.

The needle is usually aligned in the factory, so if you bump it, you’ve probably damaged it.

Hold the cartridge in your weak hand and carefully slot the new needle in place. Make sure it is firmly seated. Typically you will feel the needle click into place.

Be careful not to force it too hard, as it may break. If it doesn’t click into place easily, try at a slightly different angle.

Step 4 – Reconnect your setup

After the needle is connected, you can reattach the headshell and cartridge assembly to the tonearm. Connect your speakers and test out the new needle. You may need to adjust the calibration, as outlined further in this tutorial.

How to replace a turntable cartridge

The steps taken to replace a turntable cartridge are slightly different from the needle.

Rather than just removing the needle, this process involves taking the whole cartridge system out of the array and disconnecting the four colored wires that pass through the tonearm.  You will need a small flathead screwdriver for this. After replacing the cartridge, you will need to recalibrate, so you’ll need a couple of extra tools.

Preparation

Replacing a turntable cartridge is also a delicate task. Much like replacing the needle, you should do this with care to prevent damage.

Similarly, make sure your turntable is unplugged and your amp and speakers are turned off before removing anything.

It’s also a good idea to calibrate your turntable afterward. So you’re going to need a few extra tools.

Step 1 – Remove the cartridge array

Unplug your turntable, and remove the headshell and cartridge array from the tonearm. This makes the next steps easier.

The exact method for removing the headshell or cartridge may vary depending on your turntable. Some turntables have non-replaceable cartridges or have a non-removable headshell. Check your turntable manual for any specific requirements!

Before removing the cartridge, you may need to disconnect wires on some turntables. Use a pair of fine-tipped tweezers to pull the wire sleeves from their terminals.  Do this gently – it shouldn’t require much force to unplug the cables.

If the headshell isn’t removable, hold the tonearm carefully for the next steps.  Be careful not to bend or apply too much force to the tonearm when working on the cartridge.

Step 2 – Remove the cartridge

Now, take the screwdriver and remove the screws holding the cartridge to the headshell.

Hold the cartridge whilst you unscrew it; unscrew one screw at a time, turning counterclockwise. Remember – “lefty loosey, righty tighty”! This is useful for remembering which direction to screw screws.

Store the screws somewhere safe, as you’ll need them to attach the next cartridge.

After the screws are loose, you should be able to pull out the cartridge from the headshell or tonearm gently.

Step 3 – Attach the new cartridge.

Take the new cartridge from its packaging and keep the protective stylus cap attached for protection.

First, we need to attach the cartridge to the headshell.

I find the easiest way to do this is by lying the headshell on its back so that the needle would be pointing to the sky. Place the cartridge on the headshell, then pinch them together and turn over.

Now you can insert the screws that hold the cartridge to the headshell.

Screw it in place, but not fully tight, as we will adjust it later.

Next, reconnect the wires, making sure you connect them to the correct terminals by matching the colors of the connectors to those of the wires sticking out of the tonearm.

How to select the right replacement needle or cartridge

With so many needles and cartridges available, it can be difficult to know which is the right one for your turntable.

With some turntables, you will have a wide variety of cartridges to choose from – each with a different effect on the turntable’s performance characteristics.

This is great because it means you can upgrade your turntable with a better-sounding needle and cartridge later on!

The easiest way to find the best replacement is Googling. Just search your turntable‘s name, followed by “replacement stylus” or “replacement cartridge”. You should be able to find information about most models.

Replacing a needle/stylus

The easiest way to find the right replacement needle is to look up the stylus’s model number. This identifies the suggested component you need to replace.

Where to buy a replacement stylus?

There are a few good places to buy replacement needles. Amazon has a decent selection but does lack quite a few varieties, particularly the rarer, niche models.

Turntable specialists such as TurntableNeedles.com usually stock a wider selection of needle and cartridge replacements.

Moving Magnet vs Moving Coil cartridges (MM vs MC)

These are the two main types of cartridge design. They both work in slightly different ways, with their own advantages and disadvantages. In short, MM has higher durability, MC has a better sound.

Moving Magnet Type Cartridges Explained

Moving Magnet cartridges are built to last and are ideal for demanding applications like live DJing, radio broadcasting, and archiving.

On the stylus assembly’s cantilever are two tiny magnets. The cantilever contains a diamond tip that tracks the record groove and sends vibrations to the magnets on the other end.

Two sets of fixed coils of wire are situated within the cartridge body, with pole pieces extending outward from the coils. This is the electromagnetic generator. In order to react rapidly and correctly to the motion caused by the record groove, the stylus requires the minimum mass possible.

Moving Coil Type Cartridges Explained

Moving coil cartridges are tiny and precise, costing more than moving magnet cartridges. The more complex production process results in higher costs.

Audiophiles favor them because they perform better, both objectively and subjectively. However, the low output level of the moving coil cartridge needs an extra stage of amplification to play loudly. They are also more delicate than MM-type cartridges and don’t have replaceable stylus assemblies.

Moving coil cartridges swap magnets for coils as the generator. Two coils linked to the cantilever conduct the magnetic fields from the stylus within the cartridge body. In this design, the coils are substantially smaller and constructed of thin copper wire.

This configuration produces a low-impedance, low-level electrical signal. This effectively creates extra hassle, but it allows for a more full-range frequency response, with an increased transient response and incredibly accurate reproduction.

High-end stereo amplifiers often include a dedicated phono section to provide the extra required gain. Dedicated phono inputs labeled “MC” are commonly seen on turntables designed for MC cartridges.

Below I share some suitable cartridge upgrades for beginner and intermediate turntables.

Upgrade cartridge recommendations

Here are a few recommendations for MM cartridges that make for great upgrades. These might not be full audiophile quality, but they’ll make a noticeable improvement over most factory-supplied cartridges on beginner to mid-range turntables.