If it sounds like your stylus is dirty, but you clean it and it doesn’t help, it’s probably time for a new one. A stylus should last like 1000 hours - I change mine proactively every 14 months since I estimate that’s pushing 1000 hrs of spin time for me.
Needles & Grooves
D Jilla
Corycm
It’s always tough to do it by ear if you doin regularly because the change happens so slowly and incrementally that you get used to it. When I don’t time it or guesstimate, it just sneaks up and one day I just sort of notice “oh hey this sounds like shit.” It’s weird.
duke86fan
turns out it was just that the sound quality of big thief wasn't great
D Jilla
Ha, yeah, I think the first step of troubleshooting any system issue should be “check whether your record says 4AD on the back” 
. They’ve always had a fantastic roster but terrible pressings in my experience. Glad you don’t have an actual stylus issue though!
. They’ve always had a fantastic roster but terrible pressings in my experience. Glad you don’t have an actual stylus issue though!
Bennnnn
Mine was starting to sound weird and bad recently so instead of wondering if I needed a new one, I just went ahead and got one and yep all sounds great now. I hadn’t changed it in a long time...
Memo
@duke86fan lemme guess... Masterpiece?