I have not heard the JICO's myself but I've been told they are very good. My biggest problem with the 500, outside of the difficulty finding good styli these days, is the stereo imaging. Once you hear something like the Ortofon 2M Red or the Audio-Technica AT120E, it's hard to go back to the 500 because it sounds like the channels have been mixed together compared to the wide sound of the modern carts. If that's not an issue for you than stay with the 500.
Joe, I've been subscribed to your channel for a good while now and I really enjoy all of reviews and information in which you've given all of us here on RU-vid! I posted this on Facebook tonight and thought you might appreciate this. So here it goes: "The joy that an LP (record) collector such as myself experiences when he inserts a fresh, brand-spanking-new stylus (needle) into his 1980 MCS Linear Tracking Turntable, equipped with a Stanton L720EE Cartridge CAN NEVER BE EXPRESSED IN WORDS! Other than "OH MY GOSH! What a difference in clarity with little to ZERO inner grove distortion. I had completely forgotten what a difference a new stylus makes! Crisp, clean highs, and rich warm lows and mids, ahhhhhhhh, shear bliss! The old stylus I replaced had well over 200 hours of play time. I bought that Stanton cartridge in 2004, I was still fresh out of high school. Stanton doesn't even make the L720EE anymore. The styli is still available though. What a testimony to the quality of that little p-mount cartridge and the styli in which it houses! In 2010, I forked over WAY to much dough for a Grado "Green" Cartridge installed it and I really have never been terribly pleased with it. It's overpriced and hums the closer it gets to the motor. A known problem in which Grado has YET to do something about. Tonight, I got fed up and I put my old reliable Stanton back in along with it's new stylus, and as I said earlier, WOW! Just because something cost a great deal of money doesn't mean it's good!!! I'll take my little $50 Stanton over that $$$ Grado any day!" Thanks for taking the time to read this!
Got my hands on a Stanton L747S and I'm beyond amazed by it. Original stylus in good shape. These old Stereohedron styli are probably THE BEST option for a P mount turntable.
Thank you for this! I have the Stanton L720 with the new production stylus. I run it on a linear tracker so I really don't have issues with inner groove distortion. Sibilance is somewhat troublesome on some records. I bookmarked the JICO stylus. Thanks for the heads up.
I love Dual! I had the chance to use them several years ago... I still have MD's I recorded straight off a Duel with a Stanton 680SE into a Sony MD recorder with 20 bit A/D converters and they are amazing to hear. I'd love to find a Dual changer in good shape someday. For now thogh, I'm really enjoying my Sony and saving for a Pro-Ject Carbon. :)
Thanks again, Joe. 2 grams is what I use on my Stanton 500. I have a couple Stanton spherical needles, as well as the original needle that came with a RS500Dj, Radio Shack cartridge, I found a couple years ago. Setting up a Dual, I found, is really tricky. But, when set up properly... ohhhh, how they sound so good with a cartridge like the AT120E. The Ortofon Red, when I can buy one, will be tested on my Dual.
I got lucky finding this Dual tt. Original manual, 45 adapter, cover, and really gorgeous plinth. Not to mention, the price was so tempting. Just under $100 plus s&h, on eBay. Luckily, I had the money at that moment, and didn't hesitate in buying it. I'm certain, if I'd waited a day or 2, I wouldn't have it now. I'll be looking forward to seeing your video, when you buy the Pro-Ject. :)
Many stations used Stanton spherical styli that tracked very nicely at 2 grams back in the day. As long as the turntables were setup right there was little wear to the studio copies. Modern Stanton carts are hard on records, though. I found that a .3 x .7 elliptical is a good compromise for both LP's and 45's as long as it is tracked at around 1.7 grams and you use proper anti-skate. I'm running a linear tracking table right now so it's a non-issue. Tight setup is the key to fight record wear.
Thanks! I've heard that JICO are quite good. It seems that Pickering jacked around with the weight on this cart on purpose. Bumping it up to 1.5 grams just about eliminated the mistracking problem and I've been playing LP's all day and it's gotten much better after a few hours so I think the suspension is OK here... I swapped back to an AT just to compare and the Pickering really is very clean now. :)
Ah, this is good news! The older(Stanton/Pickering produced) styli of just a few years ago were well made & seemed to be interchangeable in either make of cartridge. I have three of the 1527s & a single 1507(clear orange color) in my AV cabinet, all bought between 2005-2009. Still, I intend to explore JICO for replacements. I want to try the various 78rpm styli sold by Nauck's at some point, leaning towards a 2.8 mil TE. I have several turntables & each one of them has a carts you made demos of.
Hey Joe. I just stumbled across your youtube video this morning. I have a Pickering p mount cartridge XL-3OU and the original stylus was a Pickering TLC plug in cartridge with the capital letters of DLC on the side. I could not find any original needles but I did find the replacement 'vintage' Pfanstiehl needle made by Pickering with the capital letters DLE on the side. The part number is *609-D7C. This needle has the same metal tube with the indentation in the middle for contact points as the needle in your video. Unfortunately I cannot find any information on this cartridge on the internet which leads me to believe it may be rare also. Luckily I still have the original box, literature, spec sheets and hardware. It was a pleasure checking out your video.
I agree with finding decent replacements for either. But, I'll try to remember to let you know how the Jico sounds.I've researched a lot about the needles, there are many good reviews from people, who have used Jico. I've also taken in consideration, your review on the Ortofon Red. I intend to try one out, when I can afford it. Thanks for taking time to reply.
Just a follow-up, Joe. I received my Jico stylus for my Stanton 680EE cart. It sounds just as good, or better, than my original needle. Granted, my cartridge came with just the .3x.7 elliptical, not the stereohedron stylus. It definitely is worth the price of just under $45. Far better than any generic that I found on eBay. Anyone with the 680/681 looking for a suitable replacement, can't go wrong with this needle.
Yeah, that's how it was when I came across the Sony linear tracker. I just could not pass it up. The way things are going around here, it may be a good while before I can get the carbon but it's on my wish list for Christmas, for sure. :)
I enjoy your videos immensely. Excellent presentations & voiceovers. I have a Pickering TLE P-mount bought in 1999 from KABUSA. It has the added weight on top bringing tracking up to 3.75 grams. I have used it with the 1527 2.7 mil stylus for 78s & also the 1507 .07 mil stylus for playing early(1948-1960) Lps & beat up 45s, Lps. Neither styli are in production anymore & my spares are c.2005. Wonder how long the rubber mounts will last? I am aware of JICO, & will explore their replacement styli.
In service I have: two Stanton 500AL, three Audio Technica 3482C, one Audio Technica CN5625AL. Also the Pickering TLE previously mentioned & two Realistic/Shure R47 carts which are on Realistic LAB50 & LAB24A turntables I've had since high school. I have the .4X.7 mil stylus in one of the 3482s, which sounds very nice on Lps in good to excellent condition. No exotic or premium carts in my gear, & I'm pleased with the sound. I have c.3,000 78s, equal # of Lps-80% used from thrifts, etc.
I have one but I don't have that stylus. If I did, I'd probably be running it instead of the Ortofon. . I also had a Pickering V-15 that came with the D5E stylus. It's easy to seee why there was nothing but Stanton in every radio station I worked for. :)
First off, Joe, thanks for your informative videos. Now, considering my collection of 45s and LPs, I'm kind of leaning towards my Stanton 500 w/conical stylus. My question is: have you or anyone else used a Jico elliptical for a Stanton 680/681 cartridge? I just ordered the elliptical, not Shibata. I use a MCS 6720 quartz tt, and a Dual 1009sk tt. The Dual is a real beaut, but the MCS, I can switch headshells, thus, switching carts, real easily. Thoughts, comments, suggestions?
I failed to mention, that I'm unsure which cartridge I'll use for which tt, until I receive the Jico, and try it out. I also have a Ortofon OM Super 10, AT 120E. In one of your videos, you stated 45s acquire a certain amount of damage from ellipticals, over time. I've come across many radio station copies of 45s, that play as well, or better, than my own records.
Cool video, I'm not familiar with the Picering TE. In my experience after decades the rubber suspension parts can get hard and dry, and no amount of break in will fix that. I've never tried a JICO stylus for a Stanton or Pickering, but their Shure sylii are excellent. Their top of the line SAS (Super Analog Stylus) profile for the V-15 series might even be better then the Shure originals, but they are pretty pricey at $130-170.
Thanks for this video. It was very informative. I am relatively new to vinyl, having picked up a basic Technics belt drive P-mount table a few years ago and used it very little. The "illness" going around has given me more time at home, and I decided to delve into vinyl once again. When I got my turntable, I went ahead and ordered an AT3482P cartridge, figuring the one it came with was the original Technics one that was probable beat up (bought the whole table for $40 with a new belt). When I went to swap it out, I realized that the cartridge had previously been replaced with a "TLE Pickering" with the DLE stylus. I understand that this cartridge is different from the TE cartridge that you have, but I wanted to know your thoughts since there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of info out there about these. Do you think the AT cartridge might be a downgrade? Thanks is advance!
I have one that i just replaced with a Audio-Technica the pckering distorts on high frequencies in my opinion so ill list the one i have on ebay i see its a sought after cartridge for some reason.
Nice video. Unfortunately, Stanton is totally out of the cartridge and styus market. Stanton is not producing the Stanton 500 today and hasn't been for at least a year. Every thing that you see for sale now is new old stock. I picked up the last one of these Pickering TE's for sale about a month ago and I agree with you that it is an excellent cart. I also got a couple of Stanton 500E Mkii's which are also phenomenal. Keep up the good work.
Hey Joe :) I want to get in to vinyls. Id like to buy a vintage turntable. I thought about buying the denon dp-23f for around 85 dollars. Or maybe the thorens td 166 for 170. Would these be viable first turntables. Or do you have any other recommendations? Any response would be greatly appreciated
Have you ever tried an Acutex cart? I have an Acutex cart that came with my Technics SL-5300 bought off of E-Bay. I was thinking of putting it back in to service
I recently bought a Technics SL-BD35 turntable that came with a Pickering cartridge. Not sure which model, but it's got the DTL-2S Stereohedron Stylus on it. It looks a little different than what you're showing, but any info I can find is appreciated. Trying to figure out if I want to replace the Stylus or go with a different cartridge. Any advice on what direction I should go?
