Raul, I hope I’m wrong but didn’t someone have a bad experience with Bluz Bros having to do with their selling non-original styli as “OEM”?
Showing 7 responses by lewm
Have you considered having your stylus assembly rebuilt? I know this is a course of action usually reserved for MC cartridges, but in this case if you are desperate to preserve the original sound, and if you cannot find or afford an NOS XSV5000 stylus assembly, a rebuild may get you closest to the OEM sound. The Stereohedron and Stereohedron II styli are no longer made, but Shibata is a close approximation. I have no experience with the LP Gear replacement but since the cost is modest, and since the tip is Shibata, you might also give that one a try. (I don't know the material used in the XSV cantilever, but you want to replicate that as well to preserve the SQ as much as possible.) Chakster will not or would not approve of either course of action. I also don't know if the LP Gear XSV5000 replacement is the same as or different from their XSV7500 stylus assembly, but an XSV7500 stylus will also fit your cartridge and can be regarded as an upgrade, assuming the LP Gear product is a good one. Simplest solution is to buy the LP Gear product and be on the lookout for an OEM stylus as you continue to enjoy your cartridge. |
Dear Chakster, Evidently you really do not understand the connotations of the word "fake" as we use it here. Or else it means something slightly different in Russian. LP Gear sell a stylus assembly as a replacement for the original Stereohedron that fits the Pickering cartridges and includes an aluminum cantilever terminated with a press-fitted Shibata stylus. Their ad copy very clearly describes what they are selling. Yes, it is not an OEM stylus; they tell you that. No, it is not fake in any way. It is up to the buyer to decide if he or she wants to settle for what LP Gear offers or to search on-line for a true OEM replacement stylus for much more money. Nothing wrong with either solution if your stylus is broken or worn out. We are lucky to have LP Gear and companies like them in this crazy hobby. I don't agree with Mijostyn that new is always better. Sometimes, maybe. And I certainly don't hold with Clearaudio MM cartridges as sterling examples of MM cartridges that can compete with the best of the oldies. |
Dear Chakster, I think you are getting a bit hysterical for nothing. What I am quibbling with is your use of the word “fake”. LP gear do not say that they are selling original Pickering or Stanton stylus assemblies. They admit they are selling substitutions for those items, because those items are long out of production. However, what they are selling does have some merit in that the stylus shape is Shibata. The correct StereoHedron falls into the category of “Shibata-like”, so at least close to ideal. If one cannot source an original replacement stylus assembly, the LP Gear product would seem to be a reasonable substitute that ought not to be much different in SQ from original. I lived through the history of Pickering and Stanton cartridges, and I even lived in New York City, and I have even been on Long Island many times. So I am well aware of the history. That has nothing to do with the present situation for owners of Pickering and Stanton cartridges. |
I say again, the LP Gear replacement styli are not “fake”. They are simply a slightly different but related shape (Shibata), compared to the correct original StereoHedron type. LP Gear discloses this fact in their ad copy. There is no attempt to deceive. Perhaps Chakster does not understand all the negative connotations of the word “fake”. As to the claims for shorter life span or enhanced record wear, where are the data? Could be true; could be BS. Could be one man’s opinion. I have no connection with LP Gear. Don’t think I ever did business with them. But if I needed a new stylus assembly for my Pickering cartridges, I would rather have a known NOS stylus from LP gear than a pig in a poke “original” stylus assembly which might or might not be NOS from a stranger. |
Raul, I yield to your superior knowledge on this subject, but with all due respect, your post does not contradict mine, unless you are saying that the Stereohedron does not have an extended treble response. I refer you to this article from the Sound Smith website: https://www.sound-smith.com/articles/stylus-shape-information Here, Ledermann discusses the Shibata and Shibata-like stylus shapes, of which the stereohedron is one. Other companies had their own pet names for their similar "hyper-elliptical" stylus shapes which had a response out to 45kHz. The side benefit of that was their ability to play 4 channels LPs. The fact that the Grace F9E (an elliptical) and the Technics cartridges you name may also be able to play "CD-4" does not negate my point about the Stereohedron. Nor does it speak to the question of what LP Gear is selling as a replacement for the Stereohedron to use with vintage Pickering or Stanton cartridges that were originally sold with Stereohedron styli. LP Gear say they are selling a Shibata-type replacement stylus, and it may perform very well on the Pickering and Stanton cartridges which originally were sold with the Stereohedron, but it is dimensionally slightly different from the Stereohedron, which may or may not alter the SQ. And that was my main point, in reference to Mijostyn's post. |
Mijo, I agree with you that what LPGEar sells are not fakes, in the sense that they are real diamonds, and real styluses. However what no one has reproduced in the modern era is the stereoHedron shape which was exclusive to Pickering and Stanton cartridges of that day. I think the stereoHedron stylus was originally designed in order to accommodate 4channel audio LPs which had a brief lifetime in the marketplace. Frequency response out to 50,000 Hz. And no, Chakster, I do not think that there is a hidden cache of stereoHedron styluses lying around somewhere in the USA. I would not doubt however that some private collectors are hoarding them. I have one that I keep as a spare for my Stanton 981LZS. I’ve got Pickering XSV series too. By all accounts, the Black is a great cartridge, and readily available. Clearaudio moving magnet cartridges are rebranded cartridges made by someone else, is what I was always led to believe. Further, there is a price markup associated with having the clearaudio brand name on them. |