My Needle Store USA Amazon seller

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Ok, I've officially given up on the Normarh stylus. I've given it plenty of break in time and turned up the tracking force all the way to 3g and nothing tames the harsh highs. It's unlistenable to the point of actually hurting my ears. To me, this cartridge, even though it appears well made, is useless junk.

On the other hand, the NOS genuine Shure Ne95ED is a keeper. It's very musical and I can listen to it all day long without a hint of fatigue. I'm listening to it right now, and have been all afternoon and all evening yesterday. It continues to impress with deep rich bass, smooth, but detailed highs with a very nice imaging. In short, it just sounds good to me - very good. The Signet TK10ML with the original microline stylus still bests it, but the difference is not as great as expected. I could be very happy with the Ne95ED/R47XT combination as my only stylus/cartridge, but it's nice to now have two good stylus/cartridge combos running on two different turntables.

As mentioned, I did order the EVG 760-DED from Carole's Needles and will install it on the Shure 2215 (renamed M75) when it gets here. I want to save my good styli for known good vinyl, so I wanted something cheap (but hopefully listenable) for spinning vinyl in lesser/unknown condition. Once I've had a chance to give that one a listen, I'll report back with my impressions, specifically how it compares to the comparably priced Normarh.

I think you'll likely be happy with the EVG. The one I got from Carole's Needles sounds and tracks nice at 1.5 grams. No complaints for the money spent.
 
I think you'll likely be happy with the EVG. The one I got from Carole's Needles sounds and tracks nice at 1.5 grams. No complaints for the money spent.

I've read nothing but good things about that particular stylus. Just be sure to get the 760-DED with the black body, not the 760-DE with the brown body.
 
I think you'll likely be happy with the EVG. The one I got from Carole's Needles sounds and tracks nice at 1.5 grams. No complaints for the money spent.

After being temporarily distracted by this, I've been listening to the EVG 760-DED (black body) stylus from Carole's Needles today. It arrived Saturday, ahead of schedule. I mounted it up this morning, and after my bad experience with the bait and switch Normarh stylus from My Needle Store, have been very pleasantly surprised by this inexpensive stylus. It was exactly what I was looking for. It has the crisp, clean well defined highs the original 38-year old Shure 2225 stylus was lacking, but with absolutely none of the fatiguing harshness of the Normarh. Plus, it's tracking like a champ at 1.25g.

So, I now have three usable cartridges (all from Goodwill) with three usable styli (ranked in order):

Signet TK10ML with original Signet Microline stylus
Shure/Realistic R47XT with NOS Shure Ne95ED stylus
Shure 2215 (renaned M95) with new EVG 760-DED styus

The small Danish Modern Teak credenza I am currently using as a my equipment "rack" doesn't have enough room for a two turntable set up (not without putting the very hot running Yamaha A-1000 inside the cabinet - something I refuse to do. Since the Yamaha has two photo inputs, my goal is a two turntable set-up with the Realistic LAB-440/Signet TK10ML and MCS 6601/R47XT. For playing questionable vinyl, I will swap out the R47XT/Ne95ed for the 2215/760-DED. Since I have two headshells for the 6601, this is a snap and only takes a minute or two to adjust the VTF. I am currently tracking both at 1.25g, but I need to reset the VTF due to difference in weight between the two headshells/cartridges.

I;m still listening to the EVG 760-DED and amazed how good it actually sounds, even with very little break in time. For less than $13 delivered it's an amazing deal. The $11.37 Normarh isn't even remotely in the same league. The EVG is MUCH closer to the Shure Ne95ED than the Nornarh is to the EVG. I know that not all generic styli, and not even all EVG styli are created equally, but this particular model is a keeper and a tremendous deal. I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone as their primary/only styli, especially if they are on a limited budget. It's a really, truly pleasant sounding stylus.
 
If you like the EVG, you'll love the JICO...

I don't want to get into the whole Jico vs. EVG debate. The seller Carole's Needles clearly states this particular EVG is made in Japan by Jico for EVG. I have no way of verifying that claim. It's clearly not identical to the Jico branded ellipitcal stylus (no soldered tie wire), but it is possible Jico is the OEM and makes it to EVG's specs to sell at a lower price point. Regardless of who actually makes it, it's a great sounding stylus for 1/3 the price of a "real" Jico. Since this stylus is only intended to be used occasionally when trying new-to-me thrift store vinyl of dubious quality, I have zero desire to "upgrade" to anything more expensive for this purpose.
 
I don't want to get into the whole Jico vs. EVG debate. The seller Carole's Needles clearly states this particular EVG is made in Japan by Jico for EVG. I have no way of verifying that claim. It's clearly not identical to the Jico branded ellipitcal stylus (no soldered tie wire), but it is possible Jico is the OEM and makes it to EVG's specs to sell at a lower price point. Regardless of who actually makes it, it's a great sounding stylus for 1/3 the price of a "real" Jico. Since this stylus is only intended to be used occasionally when trying new-to-me thrift store vinyl of dubious quality, I have zero desire to "upgrade" to anything more expensive for this purpose.

It's been verified by the JICO rep here on AK that there is no connection between JICO and EVG.
 
It's been verified by the JICO rep here on AK that there is no connection between JICO and EVG.

As I said, for my intended use, it makes zero difference to me who makes this particular EVG stylus. It sounds great, tracks like a champ and cost me less than 13 bucks delivered to my door.
 
It does to me.

Then we'll have to agree to disagree on this one. You edited my quote to leave out the part where I said "for my intended use". I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who is qualified to make that call. I see no reason to spend 3x as much on a Jico stylus when the EVG 760-DED gives me EXACTLY what I was looking for.
 
There are several reasons to spend more on a stylus, but they probably don't apply to you.
 
There are several reasons to spend more on a stylus, but they probably don't apply to you.

Ok, so now you're going to make this personal? Really? Seriously?

Read the thread. I did spend more. I bought a NOS genuine Shure Ne95ED that cost 2x as much as the Jico you are pushing. I've stated it repeatedly in this thread that the EVG is for temporary use for testing used vinyl of dubious quality, to help preserve my more expensive styli. I have no idea why you have a problem with that, but based on your snide comment, you clearly do. My money, I spend it how I want.

Thanks for participating. Now kindly move on.
 
You've made it clear you like to spend as little as possible. You're buying junk from amazon but then you start crying about it. Then you find a cheap $13.00 needle and it floats your boat.

We get it, so now you can move on.
 
You've made it clear you like to spend as little as possible. You're buying junk from amazon but then you start crying about it. Then you find a cheap $13.00 needle and it floats your boat.

We get it, so now you can move on.

Again, how I spend my money is none of your business.

I came here to share a negative experience I had with a particular Amazon seller. I am not the only one that has had a similar problem with that seller. I did not start this thread. I didn't cry about anything. I even gave the cheap bait-and-switch Normarh stylus a fair try. But that's me. I actually try something before I dismiss it out of hand.

I have no idea why you chose to make this personal, but you did and I find your attitude offensive. It goes against the very purpose of this forum. I kindly suggest you read the tag line that appears at the top of every page: All Audio - No Attitude.
 
Again, how I spend my money is none of your business.

I came here to share a negative experience I had with a particular Amazon seller. I am not the only one that has had a similar problem with that seller. I did not start this thread. I didn't cry about anything. I even gave the cheap bait-and-switch Normarh stylus a fair try. But that's me. I actually try something before I dismiss it out of hand.

I have no idea why you chose to make this personal, but you did and I find your attitude offensive. It goes against the very purpose of this forum. I kindly suggest you read the tag line that appears at the top of every page: All Audio - No Attitude.

You've made it every ones business.
 
You've made it every ones business.

And that somehow gives you the right to make disparaging comments about me? How exactly is that appropriate behavior in a forum whose tag line is All Audio - No Attitude?

I came here to share a negative experience with a particular Amazon seller. I did so to, hopefully, save others from a similar negative experience.

I also had a positive experience with another seller. I chose to share that as well.

For whatever reason, you chose to attack me personally after the situation had been resolved to my satisfaction. You mischaracterized the sharing of my experiences as "crying".

This situation has been resolved to my satisfaction. I received a full refund from Amazon seller My Needle Store for the incorrect stylus they sent me and I am very happy with the EVG 760-DED stylus I purchased from Carole's Needles.
 
I'm glad that you found a needle that works. So as you suggested, let's move on....:beerchug:
 
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