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RE: Warning to Stanton and Pickering collectors...

Posted by flood2 (A) on June 18, 2015 at 16:49:06

In Reply to: RE: Warning to Stanton and Pickering collectors... posted by Crazy Dave on June 18, 2015 at 11:36:17:

Good question! Anyone who has been using a Stanton/Pickering stylus that hasn't been damaged is better off retipping than risking buying a NOS stylus off eBay. The units I have been "using" still seem fine. It is only the "spares" and unused cartridges which are not what they should be.

It all depends on what your expectations on performance are. The styli "work" but they won't have the original frequency response or tracking ability. 70um is more than enough for typical LP playback, but if you expect to track the 1812 overture, you will be disappointed!
Similarly, the 881 I had claimed a response to 25kHz within 1.5dB. Although the response is flat to about 14kHz, it measures about 5dB down at 20kHz. Tonally it sounds OK so it works fine to play records. However, it isn't the same cartridge it was when I bought it (even in 2001).
The LPGear stylus I bought that claimed to be a D98S replacement was absolute rubbish!

My warning was more aimed at anyone tempted to purchase the apparently "mint" cartridges or NOS styli being offered such as an original 881S which I saw a few weeks ago. This must predate the MkIIS I have which was originally released in 1986. I bought mine from a dealer looking to clear out his old stock back in 2000. I have no idea how old it was prior to my purchase. However, given the degradation in mine, I would be reasonably confident that the 881S would not meet specifications now. Similarly the styli may not work very well at all - like my D98mkIIS.
Regards Anthony

"Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty.." Keats

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