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New member Username: Animas3dPost Number: 1 Registered: Apr-06 | Hi there folks, I recently dug out my old Denon DP-52F turntable, which, I might add, after a good cleaning, looks great. I bought a BBE Phono preamp and hooked it up to my amp. Now I can play records! Although I know very little about cartridges, etc... The cartridge is a Stanton 681EEE which is probably over 25 years old. The stylus looks like it still has a point on it, and sounds pretty good. However, I was a little unsure whether the stylus is in good enough shape. I decided to look into getting a new stylus and was surprised that the cost of a replacement stylus for the 681EEE was $69 bucks which is more than the price of many brand new cartridge/stylus combinations. That seemed a bit high for only the stylus and brought up a few questions that I am hoping to get answered. I've noticed that you can buy entire cartridge and needle combinations for about $35.00 from companies such as Shure, Audio Technica, Grado and even Stanton. In addition, From what I can gather there seems to be a newer version of the 681EEE called the 681EEE MK111 leading me to wonder whether my cartridge is obsolete. I wonder if my cartridge, which I guess is the original 681EEE, is so old that a new one, even if it is cheaper, will sound as good if not better and will save me considerable in the future when getting replacement styli. Question 1: Am I wrong in my conception? Is there a compelling reason to stay with the 681EEE or is it obsolete by now? Is the relatively high cost of the stylus due to the fact that this is an old cartridge and is thus more of a "specialy item"? Question 2: Are there any other cartridges out there which are good value that sound very good which don't charge $69 bucks for a replacement stylus? Do you have any recommendations for a new cartridge in the $30 - $50 range? What do the good people around here use? Question 3: Does anyone know if there are any cheaper stylus replacements that will work with my cartridge? Question 4: Although I don't really know anything about it, is my cartridge a moving coil, moving iron, magnetic, etc. What is the best to get? Thank you very much for your kind assistance. |
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Gold Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 8362 Registered: May-04 | Thirty to fifty dollars?! Why not just stick a sewing needle on your records? I'm sorry if that appears snobbish, but, if you want your records to last, you are going to have to pony up some cash. Cheap cartridges are not good for your records. If the new Stanton cartridge costs as much or the same as the old cartridge what logic suggests the stylus assembly might cost less? Your cartridge is not obsolete if they still sell a stylus for it. $69 is fairly cheap nowdays for a stylus. Pay the $69 and this stylus will last you many, many years. Amortize that cost over the time you will be using the stylus and it will seem reasonable. Probably less than $10 per year. You cannot judge the condition of a stylus by looking at the end of the cantilever with your eye and no other visual assistance. A microscope or jeweler's loop are required to properly judge the condition of a stylus. You have a moving magnet cartridge which is best for your situation. |
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New member Username: Animas3dPost Number: 2 Registered: Apr-06 | Thanks for the information, just a few followups... If it is true that a new cartridge at 69 bucks will last for many years, then I agree, it is worth it. For some reason, I thought I heard somebody say that you should change it every 6 to 8 months. One thing I am interested in listening to is older recordings that were probably not recorded with advanced technology, therefore I suppose extreme quality is not such an issue although there is a limit. That is one reason why I don't really care to spend so much on equipment in this area. (I kind of just hooked up my turntable for the fun of it). Regarding your comment of Cheap Cartridges are not good for your records, please take a look at the following web page: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/DJ/Gear/Lighting/Turntables/Cartridges?sk u=800145 As you will read, there are two interesting comments about this cartridge. Regarding quality: "High-definition reproduction at all audible frequencies". Regarding Record wear: "tracks with a force of 1.5 to 3 grams to provide high skip-resistance while keeping record wear to a bare minimum". For some reason, this does not sound like a product that will shred my records. My feeling is that a lot could happen in 25 years. Look at what happened with computers. Today you could buy a machine that costs 1,000 dollars which 25 years ago would have been hundreds of thousands. While it's true that you often get what you pay for, it is not always true. Sometimes you just pay for the name and the prestige. However, I will say that I am lacking knowledge in this area, and do not really know what they mean when they say a cartridge is for "DJ use". I would like to know your thoughts on that cartridge (above). Are you saying that they are lying when they say record wear is at an absolute minimum? |
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Gold Member Username: John_aLondonU.K. Post Number: 4153 Registered: Dec-03 | "One thing I am interested in listening to is older recordings that were probably not recorded with advanced technology, therefore I suppose extreme quality is not such an issue" I heard some RCA Living Stereo recordings recently, played on FM stereo from SACD re-issues of master tapes. The recordings were made from about 1957-65. Advanced technology seems to have taken us in the direction of convenience, not sound quality. |
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Gold Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 8367 Registered: May-04 | What would you expect the sales brochure to say; eats vinyl like a dog eats chicken? Considering records were once played with cactus needles, I suppose you can claim high defition sound as long as you make no comparison to what else is possible. Do you know how to set up, align and balance the tonearm if you buy a new cartridge? If not, slipping a new stylus into your alread installed cartidge is very simple. You have what was the top of the Stanton line at one point; why switch to the bottom of someone else's line? If none of these arguments make any difference to you, go ahead and buy the Shure. |
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New member Username: Animas3dPost Number: 3 Registered: Apr-06 | Thanks for your help. I appreciate it. I was also thinking about getting an IBM 286 with 64K of RAM for $3,000. It was top of the line in 1982, I'm sure that they haven't advanced things since then. ;) |