Stanton 681EEE New Cartridge Equivalents

Anyone know what Pickering DTL-2S, DTL-3S styli will fit. Also, are these nude stereohedrons?
 
Anyone know what Pickering DTL-2S, DTL-3S styli will fit. Also, are these nude stereohedrons?

They're for the P-mount version of the XV-15 but will fit the 1/2" version as well. Both are Stereohedrons.

John
 
I have a couple 681's. One with a 680 mkIIs and another with an EEE... Would a 2s or 3s be an upgrade over the EEE?
 
Yes, over the EEE bot not the EEE-S. Also, you won't get a brush with those Pickerings and the Stanton brush won't work on them.
 
Which leads to the basic question. I really enjoy the sound of my 681 with the EEE but love the sound of my 6800 II-S and want the same or better for other TT setup. What would be an upgrade? Something NOS. Or at what dollar amount should i just look for a modern upgrade?

I know these have escalated rapidly lately but would still pay for quality if i can find a keeper. Especially since i love the sound.
 
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I ended up buying one of these, "Pickering Stereohedron DTL-3 stylus XL-35U P MOUNT" on the auction site for $50. It looks like it has never been touched. I will try the stylus in another 681 cart that I have. It seems there is a debate on whether the DTL-3 stylus is a stereohedron without the "S" stamped on it. According to this is would seem so... http://www.pickeringuk.com/styli.html#T4P
 
I ended up buying one of these, "Pickering Stereohedron DTL-3 stylus XL-35U P MOUNT" on the auction site for $50. It looks like it has never been touched. I will try the stylus in another 681 cart that I have. It seems there is a debate on whether the DTL-3 stylus is a stereohedron without the "S" stamped on it. According to this is would seem so... http://www.pickeringuk.com/styli.html#T4P
Interesting. Let us know.
 
Thank you. This gets confusing at times! Luckily there is so much info here on AK otherwise it would be quite difficult to sort it all out. So what is the holy grail NOS to look for? A nude, NY made Stereohedron cart and stylus.
 
As always, thank you. I also like the sounf of the 6800 EEE that I have on a 681. As for music, most is late 50's and early 60's jazz. Blakey, Morgan, Gordon, Donaldson, Green, Burrell, Sonny Clark etc. A bit more slam would be nice. The MkII S certainly does and amazing job with everything else, especially cymbals.
 
Well, I will say that the D6800EEE-IIS / 681 combination is the best I have heard on any system I have ever owned. My Stanton fixation started when trying to find out why a JVC JL A-40 sounded so good. The basically new stylus and cart on it was a Stanton 600EE that had punch, clarity and a nice high end. Then I did a search on AK and that was that.

So now, I carry my D6800EEE-IIS back and forth from our showroom PL-610 to my home Yamaha YP D-71 like I am smuggling jewels. ( I guess I am actually, one jewel) I suppose the goal is to find the perfect match for my home TT and leave it there whether it is the 681 / D6800EEE-IIS or something else. I would say right now the D6800EEE-IIS sounds better on the PL-610 in the showroom system for low end but that could be speakers and amp. I am not too educated about arm matching etc. I could go with one of the low output carts also since I have preamps with MC inputs.

I do have both 681 carts aligned well finally aside from perhaps best tonearm height if that matters at all. Arms are level now.
 
I'm looking at my TL Series guide and the DTL-3 stylus is listed as Stereohedron. In Plainview, and not Florida, Pickeringese, "Stereohedron" only means one thing, and it's not elliptical.

I think the confusion comes from people comparing the similar Stanton styli which are similarly marked, but not identically marked. The D72E, comes only in elliptical, the D73 comes in either "E" or "S" suffix and the D74S is only "S." But there is no D71 in the nomenclature, so there's no direct line up in the numbering to the DTL-1. The DTL-1 is a .4 x .7 elliptical like the D72E. The D73E is a finer elliptical, .3 x .7, like the DTL-2(E).

Plus, at some point, who knows why, Pickering either added the Es and Ss or stopped using them, which was probably meant to clear up confusion, but now only adds to it. My guide lists no Ss or Es. It only shows the DTL-1, DTL-2 and DTL-3 as replacement styli. My guide doesn't show a DTL-2S, but those were obviously made available at some point because with the recent release of the warehoused XL-33U, those are probably the most abundant right now.

A couple years ago a bunch of the XL-33U with DTL2S combos were available on ebay, and I seem to recall that a number of us bought them, if for no other reason than to get the DTL2S stylus. But my question to @needlestein is whether these XL-3_U P-mount cartridges are internally more like XV-15/680/681 series carts or more like XSV_000/880/881 series carts? If they weren't P-mounts, in other words, which of those families would they be part of --- and presumably share styli with?
 
I know this thread started on Christmas day , however , I am new to this forum and thought I would give my opinion since I once used to own the Stanton 681 EEE 38 years ago , WOW , how time flies by. Great cartridge and the sound was and is amazing and the tracking was very good. I just recently spent at least 1 full month researching today's modern cartridges to replace a 30 plus year old ADC Series 1 cartridge and after boggling my brain with information from various brands , features , specs , price , etc. I decided on Audio Technica's new VM line of MM cartridges. I chose the VM 740 ML cartridge with the " Micro line " stylus and at a price of $329 , was by far the best cartridge under $500 due to it's Aluminum Alloy cantilever and body allowing less distortion and much better performance. The Micro line stylus tracks superbly and the sound is amazing with crisp ( not too bright ) high's and deep rich smooth and warm bass. Since Stanton doesn't produce cartridges anymore ( I checked before purchasing ) I read reviews on the Shure , Ortofon , Denon ( they specialize in Moving Coil only ) , Sumiko Pearl , Grado just to let you know that I researched all the current name brands and found the Audio technical line to offer the most value and best sound and build quality under the $500-$600 price point. My Denon AVR 3300 A/V Receiver has a Moving Magnet phono input and so I was somewhat limited to the brands that I already mentioned. I would have tried perhaps the Denon or Dynavector line , however , they specialize in only Moving Coil. The 700 series from Audio Technica is their premium line of MM cartridges and there are 3 in this line up. 1. The VM 740 ML ( the one I chose ) with the Micro Line stylus and Aluminum Alloy cantilever and housing , $329 price tag 2. The VM 750 SH with the Shibata Stylus and Aluminum Alloy Cantilever and housing , $399 price tag 3. The VM 760 SLC with the Special Line Contact Stylus and Aluminum Alloy cantilever and housing , price tag $639. I hope this comment helps for those in the same predicament that I was in to get a high quality and great sounding cartridge without breaking the bank and causing a " Divorce " . BTW: These 700 Series Cartridges have interchangeable Stylus' and I find that to be a really valuable feature if you want to try another type of quality styli. Thanks for reading.
 
I know this thread started on Christmas day , however , I am new to this forum and thought I would give my opinion since I once used to own the Stanton 681 EEE 38 years ago , WOW , how time flies by. Great cartridge and the sound was and is amazing and the tracking was very good. I just recently spent at least 1 full month researching today's modern cartridges to replace a 30 plus year old ADC Series 1 cartridge and after boggling my brain with information from various brands , features , specs , price , etc. I decided on Audio Technica's new VM line of MM cartridges. I chose the VM 740 ML cartridge with the " Micro line " stylus and at a price of $329 , was by far the best cartridge under $500 due to it's Aluminum Alloy cantilever and body allowing less distortion and much better performance. The Micro line stylus tracks superbly and the sound is amazing with crisp ( not too bright ) high's and deep rich smooth and warm bass. Since Stanton doesn't produce cartridges anymore ( I checked before purchasing ) I read reviews on the Shure , Ortofon , Denon ( they specialize in Moving Coil only ) , Sumiko Pearl , Grado just to let you know that I researched all the current name brands and found the Audio technical line to offer the most value and best sound and build quality under the $500-$600 price point. My Denon AVR 3300 A/V Receiver has a Moving Magnet phono input and so I was somewhat limited to the brands that I already mentioned. I would have tried perhaps the Denon or Dynavector line , however , they specialize in only Moving Coil. The 700 series from Audio Technica is their premium line of MM cartridges and there are 3 in this line up. 1. The VM 740 ML ( the one I chose ) with the Micro Line stylus and Aluminum Alloy cantilever and housing , $329 price tag 2. The VM 750 SH with the Shibata Stylus and Aluminum Alloy Cantilever and housing , $399 price tag 3. The VM 760 SLC with the Special Line Contact Stylus and Aluminum Alloy cantilever and housing , price tag $639. I hope this comment helps for those in the same predicament that I was in to get a high quality and great sounding cartridge without breaking the bank and causing a " Divorce " . BTW: These 700 Series Cartridges have interchangeable Stylus' and I find that to be a really valuable feature if you want to try another type of quality styli. Thanks for reading.

Thanks Brian, I happened to have a 681 fall into my lap and have been doing a ton of research to figure out what options I have for replacement styli or find a new equivalent. It makes me very sad to think once this stylus goes that's the end of my 681!

The feedback is all over the place, some saying you can spend $50 for a decent replacement and some saying the Jico Shibata is still not quite the same as the original. What worries me is there are enough people that love the 681 I would think if replacement styli were a good option to keep them going there would be many people saying 'just by the Jico (for example), it's as good as the original.'

Because I have a very low mass tonearm (JH Formula 4), I'm leaning towards spending $170 on the Jico as there are fewer high compliance new carts. Seems like a modern equivalent would be around $300-400, possibly OM 30, 2M Bronze, maybe Grado Gold, or as Brian said the VM750. Would favor detail and clarity across the range, a good punch, and not bright as I have Klipsch Forte IIs.

I was planning on spending up to $400 until I found the Stanton, but for that money I don't know if a new cart would be an improvement over the Jico Shibata and 681.
 
Nothing really sounds like a 680/681/XV-15. There are a lot of good carts out there but if you love the Stanton sound the best thing you can do outside of high priced OEM styli is buy the best Jico you can afford or do a custom retip job. I tried the Jico route and although I found it quite satisfying overall I crave more and will be getting a custom retip when funds allow.
 
Nothing really sounds like a 680/681/XV-15. There are a lot of good carts out there but if you love the Stanton sound the best thing you can do outside of high priced OEM styli is buy the best Jico you can afford or do a custom retip job. I tried the Jico route and although I found it quite satisfying overall I crave more and will be getting a custom retip when funds allow.

Was that Jico the shibata? If that's the case I'll do a retip, I'm worried about the suspension being so old but hey, it sounds great now so what's another few years on it? There's is a retip option that's the same price as the Jico and probably a slight upgrade to the .2x.7 elliptical I have.
 
Was that Jico the shibata? If that's the case I'll do a retip, I'm worried about the suspension being so old but hey, it sounds great now so what's another few years on it? There's is a retip option that's the same price as the Jico and probably a slight upgrade to the .2x.7 elliptical I have.

Yes, but I use the one with the Pickering style grip rather than the Stanton style plastic grip. I run it with no brush. It's a bonded Shibata but still quite good. It actually tracks better than my Goldring 1042 that has a nude Gyger-S stylus on it. Does not track as well as my AT microlines though. What I would like to do is get an ML or MR stylus on the Stanton. I have a nearly new EL stylus I can do that with, or just get a cheaper Jico elliptical and then have that retipped. Not sure yet. I've talked to a couple different retippers about it. Probably looking at next month or the month after that at the earliest before I can get it done.

I never messed with LPG or the cheap EVG/Pfan stuff because those have no tie wire in the suspension. The Jicos have a tie wire, but only if genuine Jico in the Jico box.
 
I have an Ortofon 2m black on my Clearaudio performance dc turntable. I love it to say the least.

On my secondary system, i have a stanton 681eee with a 68es stylus. It sounds good but nowhere near the detail of the Ortofon 2m black. This has made me wonder about the Jico "Shibata" styus as a relacement for my Stanton 681eee cart.
...i know that the differences in the cartridges and tables are fairly significant and that they wil also affect sound but if decide on the jico shibata stylus, i should get a sound that is more similar to my Ortofon 2m black than the 681eee with 680es styus.... is this correct?
 
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