Who's done it besides me ?

This is Stanton/Pickering typical aluminum cantilever with press-fit nude Stereohedron stylus tip. This excellent profile has been used by Stanton/Pickering ONLY on upper high quality models such as 881 and higher models up to 981 in Stanton line, and on XSV3000 and higher up to 7500 in Pickering line.

In the late 1940’s Mr. Stanton’s slide-in stylus made it possible for users to replace a needle assembly when it wore out, instead of having to send it back to the factory. Audiophiles snapped them up for home use, and the invention became one of the basics in phonograph cartridge design.

Pickering was first founded in 1946 by Mr.Norman Pickering, noted violinist, instrument designer, and medical equipment designer. His factory manager was none other than Walter Stanton, who later went out on his own. By 1960, Mr.Stanton bought out Mr.Pickering.

I was on the phone, long and very important conversation. I was walking around my racks in the listening room while i was on the phone, and decided to clean some dust on my custom made teak wood plinth. A very expensive High-End cartridge was locked on my EPA-100 tonearm but stylus guard was removed. Cleaning the dust under tonearm wand cost me nearly $4k that day. Cantilever was snapped out and i could not even find it anywhere on the floor :( 

Even with very special discount from the distributor exchange of my broken MC to a brand new MC was way too much for me. it was a cartridge with sealed body and manufacturer in Japan never refurbish them, exchange to a new one is what they offering to their customers via distributors only. 

I realized how far we can go to buy things and to pay nearly 60% of retail price again to get new one instead of the broken one officially. 

It was a challenge for me to start looking for vintage High-End.

Prior to that i tried several vintage cartridges, i quickly realized that refurbished cartridges with aftermarket (third party) parts is the worst solution even for vintage cartridges, so i definitely wouldn't even try with that new ultra high-end MC, original cantilever was very special (but sadly fell off). 

Reading audiogon i realized how many audiophiles are happy with rare cartridges (MM, MI or MC) from the golden age of analog. I decided to try some of them. When i bought some rare ones i was so happy, it was better and cheaper than my ex ultra high-end LOMC. For the price i could pay just for 1 new cartridge i bought many vintage MM (and i was so impressed). Then i bought some vintage MC and now i know for sure where i can find my personal audio nirvana without breaking the bank. 

Because of that accident with my ultra high-end cartridge i discovered the whole world of exceptional vintage MM and MC from the 70's/80's (i prefer to buy NOS samples). 

Chakster to each his own. Only MM cartridges have removable styli. I know of no MM cartridge including the Ortofon 2M Black that can approach the performance of a modern MC cartridge, or a wood bodied Grado. I have owned all of them, Shure, Pickering, several Stantons, Empire, ADC, Goldring and I’m probably missing a few. Why?

I can recall some in random order ( i use some with 100k Ohm loading):

1) Grace LEVEL II (LC-OFC) BR/MR (Boron, Micro Ridge), orange plastic insert.

2) Grace F14 (LC-OFC) Beryllium / Line Contact, blue plastic insert.

3) Audio-Technica AT-ML180 OCC beryllium or Boron version, MicroLine stylus.

4) Glanz MFG-61 Boron cantilever, PH stylus tip.

5) Stanton SC-100 WOS, Sapphire coated cantilever, Stereohedron II tip.


I like MC cartridges too: Miyabi, Miyajima, FR-7fz just to name a few.