Is a Ortofon Black a step down from a Pickering XSV 3000

so from reading the responses, I would say that the Ortofon Black is a downgrade for over 700 bucks. 

Maybe more like sideways tzh. 

@chakster , I would not call them fake, they are real just not made by Pickering. I would not bet on the performance or durability but they seem to review well and are $129 which is relatively inexpensive compared to buying a new cartridge. I do not see any NOS stock online for the XSV 5000. I owned several Pickerings and Stantons in the past and preferred them to Shures and Empires. But there are modern dual magnet and moving iron designs that are just as good if not better. Now that I think of it the Goldring 1042 sounds most like the Pickering XSV 5000 if my memory serves me correctly. It is a $600 with a Gyger S stylus, the same one used on the $16,000 Goldfinger.

the old stuff last longer too and better materials. black is really overpriced. nagaoka or goldring is better value. 

or... ol style. which I personally prefer.commonly 30- 35 db seperation on those old style cart is not a force to be reckon with. only challenge is the condition of stylus. it's a hit a miss and requires patience. I just buy one after another. I had ortofon before and not interested to own another one. but that's just me.

if I go expensive 1k above . I would simply pick soundsmith.. my kind of sound. but I had yet go there. there is still so much to hear.

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.

Dear @tzh21y  : Certainly not a downgrade and other than Ortofon exist other today cartridges that outperforms what you have on hand today:  Nagaoka, Audio Note series IQ, Audio Technica, Goldring, Garrot, et, etc.

@anthonya : ""  the old stuff last longer too and better materials  ""

please tell me why last longer. Which cartridges last longer than today ones? and which vintage cartridges came with better materials than today designs?

Btw, @lewm   """  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  ""

stereohedron is just a name as the analog6 in AKG, or microline, shibate, or other stylus shape designs or the one that comes in your Acutex or any vintage/today cartridge designs.

And or you are wrong or have a high misunderstood that was designed for CD4 
Look the Grace F9E came with no line contact stylus shape and worked truly fine with CD-4 as did it the Technics 205/EPC 100C that goes out to not 50khz but over 100khz and came with ellipthical stylus shapes as the Audio Technica models that worked fine with the CD-4.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.