Need Recommendation for New Phono Cartridge for Sherwood ST-905 Turn Table

mufsoman

I"m looking into replacing the cartridge for my Sherwood ST-905 (linear tracking turntable circa 1983) that I recently resurrected and installed in my system. However, its been a really long time since I bought a phono cartridge, so I'm looking for some help. It would appear that I need a series 212 cartridge (replacement for the current Audio Technica M14LCU which appears to be discontinued) which I found Jico replacement cartridges that range from $30 to $149. I don't need a top of the line replacement, but definitely a decent quality level.

Is Jico a good brand? If not, recommendations for other brands?

Best supplier to purchase from?

What should I be expecting to spend for a replacement cartridge these days?

Thanks!!!

mhardy6647

Grado still makes P-mount cartridges; I like the Grado sound and that is where I'd go for a tt like that one - probably a Grado Black in P-mount. I think the Black is around 60 smackers.

Yes, the JICO cartridges and replacement styli are quite good in general.

EDIT: You should be able to source a replacement stylus for your AT cartridge, you know?

mufsoman

So which type of diamond shape is better, conical, elliptical or linear???

mhardy6647

Well... that's a harder question to answer than you might think! In the perfect world, the more exotic stylus shapes (various flavors, e.g., "hyperelliptical", Shibata, line contact, etc.) are capable of the most extended HF response - and indeed, that is why they were developed. In the 1970s, a "compatible, discrete, four-channel" (CD-4) quadrophonic format was developed for records. The CD-4 standard encoded four discrete channels of information into a standard X-Y modulated record groove using the technique of analog multiplexing (just as analog stereo FM, to this day, encodes two channels of information into one complicated frequency-modulated, multiplexed signal). CD-4 used a very high frequency (ultrasonic) pilot signal (30 kHz, see link below) as the reference point for the decoding of the multiplexed signals. The aforementioned exotic stylus geometries were developed to provide adequate HF response for CD-4 record de-multiplexing (up to 50 kHz response)... and they're still with us today (even though analog "quad" and the CD-4 format are long gone except in the domain of whacky collectors!).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadraphonic_sound#CD-4_.28Compatible_Discrete_4.29_.2F_Quadradisc

So, what's best? Well - the good ol' conical offers two great advantages; relative immunity to modest misalignment and low, low cost. It gives up HF extension and "trackability", although, on a poorly set-up arm/tt, a conical is perhaps less likely to damage a record than any of the more asymmetric stylus geometries. I am currently using a very venerable cartridge with a conical stylus (Denon DL-103 LOMC) and am very pleased with it.... but they do have limitations.

A plain-vanilla elliptical is probably a very good compromise; your servo-drive linear tracker will handle an elliptical OK and it's probably what it came with originally. Alignment is very important to minimize wear/damage to records; for an elliptical, this pretty much means just tangency to the groove (and the "T4P" P-mount system pretty much builds that in) and proper VTF (tracking weight). Again, that's pretty much built into the "T4P" standard (there is probably some fine adjustment on the arm, however).

The more exotic styli, IMO, require very precise tracking geometry alignment and present the greatest risk to records if misaligned. They also, arguably, offer the greatest promise of high-performance groove tracking and extended frequency response.

I'd recommend aiming fairly low :-)

nspindel

Shure MX97E. It's about $70 on Amazon. Incredibly good. Don't believe me, read the reviews.

mhardy6647

Is there a P-mount version of the M97xe? The titular Sherwood linear tracker looks to need a P-mount cartridge. If there is a P-mount version of the M97xe, yes, I'd agree that it is a good sounding and good performing cartridge for the $ (we have one in a Pioneer PL-12; it's done college dorm duty and lived to tell about it).

TNHNDYMAN

no p mount for the m97xe... there are several p mount shures aval though. If I were buying new I'd look to the Grado line as well for pmount at least. If you find some of the older shure p mount carts such as a M104 they can be very nice sounding with a new needle. Audio Technica makes some very inexpensive p mounts if you just need something to play for under $40.

nspindel

Ah bummer. I'm so impressed with the mx97e given it's price.