Replacement cartridge/stylus

ViperZ

Hi all,

Looks like my stylus is done, and it's time to replace it. The left channel became very weak compared to the right channel. I haven't tried swapping the cartridge leads yet, but I isolated the problem to TT so far...

I don't even know what model Audio-Technica cartridge I have (it's blue and says AT on it ). Anyway, it's old and I probably want to try something better and newer. But if someone can tell me how to check the model number, I'd love to know it.

The TT I have is Dual 1228. The manual says the following: "this model will accept any cartridge weighing from two to ten grams (including mounting hardware) and having 1/2" spaced mounting holes."

I am a total TT noob, was looking through recent cartridge threads and found this one:
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=79645

Would Shure M97xE fit my needs? Would you recommend another budget cart? I am all ears (well, eyes for reading)! Thanks!

That's how mine looks like from the outside:

billbillw

To figure out which A-T cartridge you have, you would need to remove it from the tonearm. The model # is on the top side. There are quite a few places that still sell new old stock AT styli. Depending on which model you have, it may or may not be better than something like the Shure M97xE. The Shure is a great bargain when purchased for around $55. Its very hard to beat, and oh yes, it would work just fine with your TT/Tonearm. It weighs around 6 grams if I recall. The stabilizer brush on the Shure is nice feature that helps with warps and other record imperfections.

thsmith

I have not installed my Shure 97 yet but I agree at $54 from Amazon it is hard to beat, i think shipping is free is you can wait 7-10 days. I did get a recommendation from needledoctor for the Ortofon OM10 because you can upgrade stylis as your budget allows.

ViperZ

Excellent! Thank you for the suggestions! I will take my AT cartridge out and check the model number.

hearingimpared

http://www.needledoctor.com/Online-Store/Budget-Phono-Cartridges;jsessionid=0a01074e1f439a186478db8148d88f3c83dd9edf5830.e3eTaxeKbh0Te34Pa38Ta38Nc3z0


Here's a plethora of budget cartridges. I agree on the 97.

ViperZ

Looks like Amazon would not ship electronics up to Canada... so I may end up with Grado Black, which someone is selling locally.

billbillw

There are other places than Amazon...
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=shure+m97xe&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=8136196183497270913#ps-sellers

However, shipping to Canada may make the price jump significantly.

DeadFeat1

I have the Grado Black on my Technics 1200 MK2 and it works very well for an inexpensive cartridge...Enjoy!

AndyGwis

what is your budget? I have a couple Goldring carts laying around. Might have something for you depending on what you want and are looking to spend.

ViperZ

AndyGwis wrote: »

what is your budget? I have a couple Goldring carts laying around. Might have something for you depending on what you want and are looking to spend.

Hi Andy, thank you for the offer! I looked at Needledoctor website and the cheapest Goldring cart there is 175, which is way out of my budget. The reason why I was looking at that Shure and Grado Black is that they are under $100 cartridges.

thsmith

Viper, does it help if someone in the US buys the cart, sent to their house then send to ON ? BTW, I still work for Nortel, sure you know who they are:o

ViperZ

Nortel is still around? I thought they went bankrupt a few weeks ago (how many times did they do that?).

It's too much trouble for you guys to get such an inexpensive part. I will look locally first. But thank you!

(if you were closer to Houston, I'd pick it up next time I'll be down there for shuttle flight support ).

thsmith

Yeah, we filed chapter 11 and hoping to come out of it.

Wife goes down to Houston often as her parents live near Clearlake(Nasa) and our grandson lives in Conroe.

If nothing else we could just mail it to he parents. Her Uncle worked at Ford Areo space at LBJ, retired. My father in law and his brother would love to pick you brain about space flight but be aware the know their stuff.

ViperZ

thsmith wrote: »

Yeah, we filed chapter 11 and hoping to come out of it.

Wife goes down to Houston often as her parents live near Clearlake(Nasa) and our grandson lives in Conroe.

If nothing else we could just mail it to he parents. Her Uncle worked at Ford Areo space at LBJ, retired. My father in law and his brother would love to pick you brain about space flight but be aware the know their stuff.

I guess, no BS, right? I used to live in Clear Lake/Webster... depending if the bird flies this week, my next trip to Houston will be in the summer (ughhh, heat).

thsmith

Been pretty cool there this week but humitity is a killer

ViperZ

One local option came up: Shure V15-IV for pretty cheap, and it will need a new stylus. Is it a good cartridge?

My coworker has V15-III and he raves about it, but he has Thorens TD-160 (if I remember the model correctly).

billbillw

ViperZ wrote: »

One local option came up: Shure V15-IV for pretty cheap, and it will need a new stylus. Is it a good cartridge?

My coworker has V15-III and he raves about it, but he has Thorens TD-160 (if I remember the model correctly).

V15 styli are basically unobtanium (and the TypeIV is the hardest of the bunch to find), unless you get a 3rd party replacement. I'd stay away from it!!!! Get something new.

ViperZ

billbillw wrote: »

V15 styli are basically unobtanium (and the TypeIV is the hardest of the bunch to find), unless you get a 3rd party replacement. I'd stay away from it!!!! Get something new.

Bill, what about this one? Says 'made in switzerland'.

ViperZ

This is my current cartridge: Audio Technica AT110E:
http://www.lpgear.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=LG&Product_Code=ATC110E&Category_Code=A3

Any opinion on it?

ViperZ

Ordered Shure M97xE from needledoctor. USPS priority shipping of $10 USD was listed.

gdb

Could someone please explain to me why in God's name a replacement stylus usually costs about 50%-70% of the price for the whole cart./stylus combo ?? Seems to me that they should cost more like 25-40% like they used to !:mad:

ViperZ

gdb wrote: »

Could someone please explain to me why in God's name a replacement stylus usually costs about 50%-70% of the price for the whole cart./stylus combo ?? Seems to me that they should cost more like 25-40% like they used to !:mad:

I had that question too... even if my AT cart was still working, the replacement (not even the OEM) stylus was like 70% of the cost of the new cartridge, which really moved me towards getting another cartridge.

It's most likely supply and demand problem. Right now demand is going higher, so the manufacturers are jacking up the prices.

billbillw

gdb wrote: »

Could someone please explain to me why in God's name a replacement stylus usually costs about 50%-70% of the price for the whole cart./stylus combo ?? Seems to me that they should cost more like 25-40% like they used to !:mad:

Actually, in many cases, the replacement stylus is more than 75% of the cost of a new cart. This is because the stylus is where all the really expensive parts are: the precision ground/honed diamond tip, the delicately made cantilever (which is often made of exotic materials), the suspension, the tiny magnet(s), and in the case of some Shure (like the M97xe), it also has a new stabilizer brush. The body of the cartridge is really just a mount, copper coils, and the leads. That is why an old cartridge is like new again with a replacement stylus.


Viper, its too bad you couldn't find it cheaper anywhere. With shipping, that's almost double the price of Amazon.

ViperZ

Bill, I wasn't sure about buying from Amazon after this message on Carver forums from OBI56:

Yes, I remember that batch of M-97xE cartridges all right. The price sounds too good to be true and there is a reason for it. The cartridges seem to be genuine all right but they are not available at that price or even close to it from Authorized distributors and are also probably not covered by Shure's warranty. There was a large quantity of these cartraidges making the rounds several months ago and that was the case with them (grey market of some sort).

Ref: http://www.carveraudio.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=7429&start=15

thsmith

ViperZ wrote: »

Bill, I wasn't sure about buying from Amazon after this message on Carver forums from OBI56:


Ref: http://www.carveraudio.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=7429&start=15

Interesting comment the fella made but no facts. All I can say is the 97 I received from Amazon was sealed and came with all the same bits and packaging as Shure's web site.

Actually, finding a 97 close to price is not all that hard. buy.com has it for the same price as the river.

billbillw

Amazon doesn't sell gray market stuff. They are an authorized dealer for just about everything they sell. (I'm talking directly from Amazon, not their 'marketplace' sellers) Amazon has been selling the M97xE for $55-$65 for more than 3 years. Its not just a 'batch'.
http://store.shure.com/store/shure/ContentTheme/pbPage.where_to_buy

It really wouldn't have been a problem for any of us to buy it with free shipping and then ship it to you.

gdb

All I can say is the 97 I received from Amazon was sealed and came with all the same bits and packaging as Shure's web site.



So how do you rate the Shure 97 at this point?? Any good ?? A new stylus for my old AT cart. would cost the same or even a little more w/shipping fees, so I'm leaning towards getting the 97.:)

billbillw

gdb wrote: »

So how do you rate the Shure 97 at this point?? Any good ?? A new stylus for my old AT cart. would cost the same or even a little more w/shipping fees, so I'm leaning towards getting the 97.:)

Which AT cartridge are you currently using? There are some great old ATs that are worth keeping around, but most of them have styli that cost almost $100. If its a lower end AT, then I'd say go for the Shure. I was pretty happy with my Shure until I moved up to a much more expensive Moving Coil cartridge.

thsmith

gdb wrote: »

All I can say is the 97 I received from Amazon was sealed and came with all the same bits and packaging as Shure's web site.



So how do you rate the Shure 97 at this point?? Any good ?? A new stylus for my old AT cart. would cost the same or even a little more w/shipping fees, so I'm leaning towards getting the 97.:)

Still breaking in the SHure, probably about 30 hours now and it sounds great, I did do an A/B with the SIgnet. SIgnet is not bad just a differnt personality.
So far so good with the Shure. I have been lusting after the Denon DL-160 and If I find one closer to $100 I might have to get it. After that I will most likely look at upgrading TTs.

inspiredsports

thsmith wrote: »

I have not installed my Shure 97 yet but I agree at $54 from Amazon it is hard to beat, i think shipping is free is you can wait 7-10 days. I did get a recommendation from needledoctor for the Ortofon OM10 because you can upgrade stylis as your budget allows.

I've just broken in the $54 Shure (>25db separation at 1000 HZ [as most affordable cartidges are rated]) and it's a helluva deal at that price point. It compares very closely to a $130 Stanton 681 EEE Mk III I have that I think is a very good (>35db separation at 1000 hz) cartridge for the money. In comparison, the Shure is only slightly rolled off on the highest highs and lowest lows.

inspiredsports

inspiredsports wrote: »

I've just broken in the $54 Shure (>25db separation at 1000 HZ [as most affordable cartidges are rated]) and it's a helluva deal at that price point. It compares very closely to a $130 Stanton 681 EEE Mk III I have that I think is a very good (>35db separation at 1000 hz) cartridge for the money. In comparison, the Shure is only slightly rolled off on the highest highs and lowest lows.

I've been hearing great things about the Denon DL-160 cartridge, but am holding out for under $100 delivered which is ViperZ's budget (it's getting close).

Has anyone done a side by side comparison between the Stanton 681 EEE Mk III and the Denon DL-160? I just learned the Denon is a 25db separation cartridge, and it is known to have very low background noise. I know specs aren't everything, but I am really sold on the Stanton because that kind of separation is usually not found at anywhere near the $125 price range, and the Stanton's extremely quiet background noise makes the high separation ever more dramatic.