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RE: Stanton 681EEE

Posted by flood2 (A) on January 21, 2022 at 12:24:41

In Reply to: RE: Stanton 681EEE posted by Story on January 21, 2022 at 05:04:38:

"The separation spec is frequency dependent anyway and not a direct indicator of sound quality"

In general terms yes. Sound quality obviously depends on the stylus, user alignment and many other factors and the MI series does have limitations in both tracking ability and bandwidth as well as colouration related to the high inductance and low mechanical resonance frequency which is in the audible range. However, the channel separation will affect imaging and soundstaging directly.
The EEE was based on the (then) newly patented (US3,846,592) Stanton 4-coil design which was introduced with the 7804DQ, XUV and UV-15 series for discrete CD-4 playback - the design enabled channel separation to be maintained over a wider bandwidth than the original 2 coil 681EE and 500 series and would easily compete with modern 4 coil designs from AT and the like when aligned optimally. All the Stanton bodies in the 68x and 88x/98x from that point are all the same 4 coil configuration achieving outstanding channel separation up to at least 15kHz to meet the requirements for discrete CD-4 playback (at least 20dB in the audible range).

The high inductance has more to do with the electrical damping requirements (f and Q) to match the low mechanical resonance frequency of the moving system rather than simply to get a decent output. In fact much higher output is possible eg 680HP. The penalty is increased moving mass and an even lower mechanical resonance.
If the suspension has aged, then the mechanical damping will not be correct so the OP shouldn't expect that what he hears is representative of what a 681/XV15 can sound like - they sound very close to the 881 which has a warmish balance compared to the XSV4000.

Given that the OP is coming from an ART9, I can't see the 681EEE being anything more than a novelty for him and I doubt he will ever use it for serious listening. The only Stanton/Pickering cartridges I bother with are the low impedance series and my CS100 occasionally and fortunately I have still have original styli that meet specification.
Regards Anthony

"Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty.." Keats

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