New(ish) cartridge used for needle drops - should I break in first?

Basically a few months ago I got a shure m35x for needle dropping purposes (i found it has a more neutral sound, which is better imo for needle drops). Anyways, I have done a few drops now and have about 3-4 hours on it, but I am wondering if I should break it in to like about 50 hours before I start needle dropping. Do you think this is worth the time investment or should I just record as it is? Thanks

 

I've never been concerned myself with a break-in period. If the sound is acceptable to you, go for it. I use my best modern cartridge, a Shure M97xe, for needle drops. I tried using a Pickering NP/AC for mono records but found that my M97xe sounded much better. If you are going to do needle drops to last for eternity, I believe in putting your best foot forward.

 

Agreed, decided that it's not really worth waiting another 50 hours, as its already gonna take tons of time to needle drop all the stuff I want to archive. Oh well, gotta start somewhere.

 

I thought that doing needle drops would be a breeze, but with only a few hundred done in my spare time and several thousand more to go, I've kinda changed my attitude.

 

I would say yes. I've had new cartridges open up after a couple hours. It is a mechanical device. 50 hours sounds excessive though.