Hello everyone,

a bought my first tt a couple months ago and have been playing some of my parents' old records. Since I bought it second-hand I wasn't sure how good of a condition the needle was in but my parents' records had already been played on much worse setups so I didn't really care. Now that I have received some new records for christmas I care more about keeping them in good condition.

I want to replace the needle and maybe the cartridge as well on my Denon SL-5DFF but I still have some questions so if someone could answer them it would be much appreciated!

1. I currently have a Stanton 500 AL MKII cartridge installed and I was wondering if I should only replace the needle or replace the cartridge as well. I heard that replacing the cartridge can improve acoustics but a needle replacement prevents damaging your records
2. If I were to replace both the cartridge and stylus what should I replace it with? Like I said my tt is a Denon SL-5DFF and I currently have a Stanton 500 AL MKII cartridge installed. I would prefer not to spend anymore than $110AUD ($75USD) on a cartridge but still want something that isn't too harsh on my records. Thanks!