¿Best cartridge for 78 rpm recordings?

[Jg014]

Best cartridge for 78 rpm recordings?

Hi forum friends, good afternoon. On this occasion, I come to consult the experts of the same, which is the model that is better cartridge for 78 rpm recordings, and I have several 78s, but I have to listen to the correct cartridge.

I wonder, according to your knowledge, what is the best cartridge for 78 rpm, and if that same cartridge used to play recordings on 33 rpm ​​LP, and that I would not be changing the cartridge every few minutes depending on recording is to listen.

From already thank you very much and greetings.

 

[guiller]

What is your budget? I use a Stanton 500 with 78 rpm stylus on the low budget segment and hope to get one day a Denon DL 102 SD.

PS: FWIW, http://www.lencoheaven.net/forum/index.php?topic=2927.0

 

[MRL_Audio]

Personally use a Shure N78S stylus in a couple of differing Shure bodies. Allows me to just change the stylus and not mess with the cartridge. Easy change to go from 33 to 78. Don't think you'll find a quality solution in a single stylus.

 

[bangsezmax]

Stanton 500s with the D5127 are very good. You can also fit the Pfanstiehl 4820-D3 or the 4604-D3 on those as well for a good budget solution.

The best I've heard so far is the Stanton 68x/Pickering XV-15 with a D-6827 stylus. The Stanton 881/Pickering XSV-15 with D-827 is excellent as well.

The problem with the Shure N78S is that they track too light. There is just no point in a 78 stylus that can't track ~ 5 grams. The physics of it just doesn't make any sense. You'd be better off getting an N44 stylus and having it re-tipped.

All the pro guys doing restorations use heavy-tracking styli, either the Stantons or something vintage.

 

[janikphoto]

The big problem that I've read while researching 78rpm styli is that early recordings prefer a different sized diamond than later recordings. You could really wind up with three carts or styli to play old 78's, newer 78's, and modern LP's.

 

[bangsezmax]

The big problem that I've read while researching 78rpm styli is that early recordings prefer a different sized diamond than later recordings. You could really wind up with three carts or styli to play old 78's, newer 78's, and modern LP's.

By older 78s, they're talking earlier acoustic recordings as in pre-1920. The truth is there's just not that much interesting music from that era (IMO).

I have close to 2000 78s in my collection, and maybe 100 of them are that old. The vast majority of the great music from the 78 era is playable with a 2.7 or 3.0 mil stylus.

 

[flavio81]

Don't mind the cartridge; first and foremost be sure you have a preamp with the suitable EQ curves for such records!

 

[jeffpaletz]

I use the Shure M78 as well and like it a lot. I track it at 3 grams and 78s sounds great.

 

[BillyBatts]

Lots of 78's from my Grandfather's collection. Don't know the number, but enough so that I have a dedicated 78 table with a Shure M78 on it. Sounds great to me.

I also have a dedicated 45 table for my Father's 45 collection, but that's another story.

 

[Olorin67]

Im a huge fan of the old GE VRII and rpx cartridges... Most have a flip around stylus to play 45s and l ps, but they cant do stereo. I have a shure wwith a 78 stylus, but its a stereo cart and it picks up much more noise.

 

[gadget73]

I have a GE RPX triple play on my old Garrard RC88 that is slated for 78 duty. It does do microgroove but its mono. Works quite well on early mono LPs and 45's though. One of the hitches with those is the flipper knob sticks up through the top. Unless you don't mind drilling a hole through the top of a headshell, its probably not what you're after. There were some single play models that don't have the flipper though.

 

[Jg014]

What is your budget? I use a Stanton 500 with 78 rpm stylus on the low budget segment and hope to get one day a Denon DL 102 SD.

PS: FWIW, http://www.lencoheaven.net/forum/index.php?topic=2927.0

Hello guiller. My budget is very alternative, is sometimes high, sometimes low and sometimes medium. But beyond my economic possibilities my interest is to know the best cartridge for 78 rpm recordings, as may also be suitable to play recordings of 33 rpm​​, either with the same needle or changes, Since before recommended exclusive cartridges for 78 rpm but the needle that brings not serves for 33 rpm as it is wider than is usually the case the needles for 33 rpm and that could damage my recordings of lp.

 

[Jg014]

Personally use a Shure N78S stylus in a couple of differing Shure bodies. Allows me to just change he stylus and not mess with the cartridge. Easy change to go from 33 to 78. Don't think you'll find a quality solution in a single stylus.

Hi Mrl Audio. Of course not, each cartridge has a different sound and each album sounds different depending on the cartridge, but I think no one has enough money to buy a cartridge that sounds optimal for each disk, so you have to find the balance on a single cartridge and to get along with any recording.

 

[Doug G.]

I disagree with the whole "you need a cartridge which tracks at at least 5 grams for 78s.

If a cartridge is capable of tracking at 2.5 gram, it's capable of tracking at 2.5 grams regardless of the rotational speed of the records.

My M78S does it just fine.

Doug

 

[MRL_Audio]

Thanks Doug G. That's been my experience. Frankly want to track at that level which is why I went with the Shure. I found the comment, "There is just no point in a 78 stylus that can't track ~ 5 grams.", to be an opinion and not a fact. I guess the guys at Shure think the same way.

 

[guiller]

Hello guiller. My budget is very alternative, is sometimes high, sometimes low and sometimes medium. But beyond my economic possibilities my interest is to know the best cartridge for 78 rpm recordings, as may also be suitable to play recordings of 33 rpm​​, either with the same needle or changes, Since before recommended exclusive cartridges for 78 rpm but the needle that brings not serves for 33 rpm as it is wider than is usually the case the needles for 33 rpm and that could damage my recordings of lp.

A Stanton 500 will cover your needs, with interchable stylii.

 

[sberger]

I use an aftermarket stylus designed by Esoteric Sounds that I use with my Shure M44C cart. 3 mil stylus and can track between 2 and 7 grams. http://www.esotericsound.com/CartStyli.htm

 

[sberger]

I also recommend Esoteric's wonderful Re-Equalizer for dialing in(or close to it) the various curves. Makes a big difference.

Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk

 

[bangsezmax]

Thanks Doug G. That's been my experience. Frankly want to track at that level which is why I went with the Shure. I found the comment, "There is just no point in a 78 stylus that can't track ~ 5 grams.", to be an opinion and not a fact. I guess the guys at Shure think the same way.

Fact 1 -- Physics are against lighter tracking at 78 RPM. This should be obvious. Any off-center pressing or slight warping is going to be less adversely affected by a heavier tracking stylus. Like, really obvious.
Fact 2 -- "The guys at Shure" are NOT authorities on 78 playback. In fact, "the guys at Shure" were all about marketing the lightest tracking possible. There's a white paper around somewhere for the V15 Type IV that some otherwise knowledgeable audiophiles use as "proof" that light tracking is better, apparently oblivious to the fact that it's Shure marketing propaganda. They're stuff tracked the lightest, ergo they were "the best." It's in the white paper! :sigh:
Fact 3 -- The N78S -- along with the N44-3, the N91-3 and all other flavors of Shure 78 styli were developed with one type of customer in mind: those who already had Shure cartridges and were looking for the simplest route to 78 playback. All of the serious restorers use something besides Shures. Ask yourself why.

Trust me, I've been doing this 78 thing for a long time and have done a ton of homework on the subject. You calling it my "opinion" doesn't make it not true.

 

[bangsezmax]

And as if I need to provide more proof -- from the Esoteric Sound page linked above:

The Shure SC35 is designed for the heavy tracking requirements of the DJ and broadcast industry. Both the spherical tip Lp and"78" track up to 4 - 6 grams. We make this SS78 especially for this higher tracking force. This makes it ideal for 78's & transcriptions.

So there you have it. Want to use a Shure? You're better off with a custom-made stylus that tracks heavier.

Now compare that to the M78S description:

The Shure M78S cartridge is a mono 78 rpm cartridge fitted with a 2.5 mil spherical diamond tip. The body is actually a stereo cartridge, but Shure has strapped right to left pins together to achieve a dual mono output. These can be removed if desired. The N78S stylus tracking force is from 1 - 3 grams.

Look at them -- it's essentially the same cart body with two different styli.

Which one gets the stronger recommendation for 78 playback?