llatpoh said:
"I wouldn't worry to much about it though, if your cartridge is properly adjusted (VTF, VTA, Azimuth) record damage is unlikely, styluses become dull as they wear, not sharper, your ears will likely hurt before your records do."
I'm sorry but this is incorrect. I have examined hundreds, if not thousands, of styli under the microscope and the wear pattern can definitely damage your records. As the stylus wears the contact patch, which starts out rounded, develops flat spots. The more it wears the larger the flat spots become. One of the techniques used to measure the amount of wear is to rotate the stylus carrier until the patch of light on the flat spot becomes a thin line and see how many degrees of rotation is needed for that to happen, giving you an idea of how broad the flat spot has gotten. The edges of those flat spots are sharp and when the spot gets quite wide it can and will damage your records. We refer to particularly badly worn styli as VMCDs - Vinyl Munching Chisels of Death! When a stylus reaches that point you are wearing the high frequencies off the record. Done badly enough it can basically engrave the distortion into the groove.
One telltale is when you notice an increase in distorted sibilants in the inner grooves - sung "S" sounds, cymbal hits, etc. The inner grooves are where they are the most difficult to track so you will notice it there first. If those sibilants sound splashy and distorted it is definitely time to get the stylus checked and likely replaced.