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Stanton 505-3 cartridge

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Posted on October 16, 2014 at 13:43:50
akolegov
Audiophile

Posts: 979
Location: Russia
Joined: July 1, 2010
 A seller of Lenco L75 turntable offers to include a Stanton 505-3 cartridge. I made a search and it appears to be a DJ "scratching" cartridge...

According to Internet, "scratching" is a technique used by DJs to make a DJ turntable make a "scratching" sound. I wonder what is it for? For fun? For me, the idea is plain ugly. what it means in practice and is this cartridge suitable for home audition?

 

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RE: Stanton 505-3 cartridge, posted on October 16, 2014 at 13:54:52
flood2
Audiophile

Posts: 2558
Joined: January 11, 2011
 It has a spherical stylus combined with a very stiff suspension. DJ cartridges are optimised for robustness not neutrality. The other requirement is high output (much higher than HiFi cartridges) so the moving mass of the system is very high.
Net result - poor HF response, higher record wear due to the higher tracking force required for the compliance (DJ carts typically need 3g or higher nominally).

DJs will spin the record backwards to find a start point. Scratching is to create different sounds from spinning the record backwards and forwards over the same part of the groove. As you can imagine the scratch cartridge is not really required to produce "music" with fidelity!

It is not an expensive cartridge so I would ditch it and put something else on it.
Regards Anthony

"Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty.." Keats

 

Stanton "Scratching" cartridge = Heavy Duty "Broadcasting/Production Studio types..., posted on October 16, 2014 at 14:15:45
Interstage Tranny
Audiophile

Posts: 3063
Location: Eastern
Joined: October 4, 2006
 DJ Scratching requires a heavy duty cantilever; which may not be considered the best from an audiophile standpoint. The 505-3 can probably fit many styli.

Stanton 500s started soon after the Pickering V-15 was introduced to the public. They shared the same body and any styli for one was/is interchangeable with the other. Some of the Pickering V-15 models actually share internals with Stanton 500 types. The recognizable body was also found on the Stanton 581; a "studio calibration" model. For audiophile record collectors, it is awesome that all their styli are interchangeable.

Yes, any 500 series is worth a listen. While they tend to be "brighter" than typical Pickering V-15s, the 500 was a widespread broadcasting studio and production studio workhorse from the early '70s through the new millenium. Transcription studios of today favor this cartridge as styli of any size can be found easily; as well as for their classic sonics. I prefer the earlier, late '50s/early '60s Pickering Stanton 380 for sound quality. The 380 might be a great classic candidate for your new Lenco...ENJOY !

 

RE: Stanton 505-3 cartridge, posted on October 18, 2014 at 05:19:16
Bry
Manufacturer

Posts: 5610
Location: S. Florida
Joined: July 21, 2005
 Search "scratching" on YouTube and you can watch for days.

A felt "slip-mat" is used on a high-torque (almost always direct drive) turntable to allow the record to be moved with the fingers while the platter continues to spin. This allows sounds on the record to played forwards and backwards rapidly and is a popular hip-hop and rap effect.

 

From an audiophile's point of view...junk. Sorry...nt., posted on October 18, 2014 at 07:24:01
EdAInWestOC
Audiophile

Posts: 6828
Location: Glen Burnie, MD USA
Joined: December 18, 2003
 nt
Life is analog...digital is just samples thereof

 

To those who say "Junk" and "Ditch It"...., posted on October 18, 2014 at 09:29:02
cactuscowboy@bresnan.net
Audiophile

Posts: 7738
Location: Powell, Wyoming
Joined: July 23, 2007
 Have you ever used this cartridge? Or are the negative comments simply based on it being a "DJ cartridge" and/or inexpensive?

I own several Stanton 500 bodies and eight different styli. I've played thousands of 78s with it and a fair number of LPs & 45s as well. It is excellent for 78 playback, and with a quality conical or elliptical stylus, gives nice results with microgroove discs. I also own an Audio Technica AT-MONO3-SPMC (high output MC cartridge with 3.0 mil stylus) that cost 5x more than the Stanton. Guess what? The Stanton sounds better! So much for inexpensive being grounds for labeling something junk.

To the Original Poster: If you don't want that cartridge, I will gladly give it a good home and pay postage to get it here.

 

I owned many different Stantons and Pickerings..., posted on October 18, 2014 at 10:33:05
EdAInWestOC
Audiophile

Posts: 6828
Location: Glen Burnie, MD USA
Joined: December 18, 2003
 None of them were offensive but neither did they distinguish themselves. I gave up on Stantons and Pickerings many years ago when I got into Shure V-15s and ADCs.

To be completely fair my comments are based on memory. My reaction to these cartridges was pretty black and white. In my memory they are mediocre at best.

Stanton/Pickering did make a very low inductance and low output version of a their top cartridge. The Stanton was a LZ something and the Pickering was a XLZ something or the other (IIRC). Each came with a high end stylus and decent cantilever.

Stanton also made a better series of cartridges than the 500 series. I think their 681 series had a following. I also owned one of these. It was an improvement but left me wanting more.

Ed
Life is analog...digital is just samples thereof

 

RE: To those who say "Junk" and "Ditch It"...., posted on October 20, 2014 at 13:10:49
flood2
Audiophile

Posts: 2558
Joined: January 11, 2011
 I'm not knocking the 500 specifically; the issue isn't the 500 body, it is the stylus included with the package the OP was being offered.
Given that scratch DJs are even harder on the cantilever than mix DJs, the suspension of the 505 is even stiffer which is fine since it is not intended primarily for music replay, but let's not pretend that it's going to be as good as the hifi alternatives in the same price range.
The (spherical) stylus is in an unknown condition and the cantilever is not optimised for music replay.

Personally, I don't think it is worth investing more money on purchasing a suitable replacement stylus; given the cost of purchasing a high compliance (original) replacment, he might as well look at the options.
I have a large collection of Stanton and Pickering cartridges/styli. In my experience, most of the "NOS" styli on offer are a gamble - Stanton had shocking quality control and many of the NOS styli and cartridges being sold now have defects of one kind or another (or aren't NOS but a used item that could pass off as new visually!) Given my experience with generic replacements, those are also simply not worth the money.

In comparison, a new Ortofon OM10 can be bought from Ebay for around USD50 to 60.

Regards Anthony

"Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty.." Keats

 

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