@lewm

@ghdprentice

I am convinced the Japanese vendor itsuwa-shop got confused about their Jico products. Their first response was "I checked with the supplier and they said it was correct ". I sent details gleaned from your posts plus screenshots. They wrote "Please open the return request". Nothing else!

Itsuwa-shop does have the correct part in stock. Its Jico list price is twice as much as the stylus they sent me. I will be pushing eBay to get the right stylus at the original price quoted, but don’t like my chances ...

@lewm 

Thanks for your help.

The more I think about this, the more I am convinced that 192-VN35E refers to the shape of the cartridge body and should specifically match the Shure V15 type III, which for me is correct.

The added complexity comes because Jico uses different materials for the cantilever (eg boron, sapphire, ruby), different shapes for the diamond tip (eg conical, elliptical, Shibata and SAS) and different bonding technologies (nude, bonded) to attach the diamond to the cantilever.

The suffix SAS/B means Super Analog Series with a boron cantilever.  Super Analog Series is a shape similar to Micro Ridge - could even be the same.

I am convinced that the seller got confused and priced incorrectly.  Now to convince him!

Cheers

@ghdprentice 

Thanks, that has been really helpful! 

Looks to me as if the NUDE styli are available in three variations: NUDE Conical, NUDE Elliptical, and NUDE Mono.  I am guessing the NUDE mono is for playing 78s and the other rwo have round and elliptical cross sections.  If so, they are quite different from the SAS shape, and are not what I ordered.

Emails will be going to Japan!

Is the alphanumeric code, 192-VN35E, correct for what you ordered?  If so, ND may just stand for nude, and they may figure the code is sufficient as a specific further identifier.

Did you see this. Looks like you could look at it and tell with a hand lens.

https://www.jico-stylus.com/nude/

The slow boat from Japan turned out to be a plane.  My Jico stylus arrived just a week after ordering, but I am not sure it is the one I ordered.  The order clearly states JICO 192-VN35E (SAS/B) but the packaging just says NUDE 192-VN35E and the inner cardboard sleeve says ND not SAS/B.

The seller says his supplier is certain it is correct.  Any idea how to check further?  I have not removed the stylus from its bubble-wrap.  I am protected by PayPal ...

@stereo5 

Can I ask what stylus shape you have on your AT VM540?  Thanks ...

@richardbrand , It is well worth the wait.  I have an AT VM540, the Shure is better.   

@stereo5 

I am not certain whether I found this site before or after I discovered the Jico stylus, but contributors on this site confirmed for me that it would be worth having.  First time I tried to buy one, it was the same price as a complete Audio Technica VM540ML. Just recently one turned up a fair bit cheaper so it is headed my way on a slow boat from Japan.

You will love the sound, I put the Jico stylus with the boron cantilever on my Shure V15 Type 4 cartridge.  It sounds amazing on my Rock collection. 

Shure MM Stylus are Very Easily Changed, they are entirely self-positioning:

you just hold the front with your fingers (no tools needed) and pull them straight out at the angle of the bottom of the cartridge body, (as shown in the photos above) and push them straight in, all the way,

no need to be gentle, you cannot push too hard or too far.

no need to squeeze to make anything happen, simply pull it out (no snap, no click, nothing, just pull out/push all the way in),

just squeeze tight enough so you don’t drop it when it slides out, that’s the only concern.

The cantilevers all go within a tube that only fits one way into the body, the shape prevents twisting, and the plastic front both stops and aids in the positioning

@wturkey 

Hopefully someone didn’t glue the stylus to the cartridge to eliminate “resonances.”

Could only have been my Dad!  Too late to ask him.

More likely there has been some corrosion - the pin connectors have suffered.

Enough, but no more!

Hopefully someone didn’t glue the stylus to the cartridge to eliminate “resonances.”

Thanks, I think I have been overly intimidated by the word "gently".

Worst case is I might damage the old stylus - the cartridge body looks robust enough ...

Here ya go! Easy peasy!

This harder to explain than to do.  Use thumb and forefinger of one hand to squeeze the stylus on the two stylus guard hinges, use thumb and forefinger of other hand to hold the cartridge body.  Now pull them apart, no need to be gentle.  The stylus comes straight out of the front of the cartridge body.