I can definitely relate to the OP. When it comes to this hobby, I'm about as cheap as they come. Most of my gear comes from Goodwill, with a small smattering from craigslist. I just went through a similar exercise that started with two turntables and three cartridges I bought at Goodwill. Be patient, I'll get to the point eventually. If you want to skip ahead, I tie it all up in the last paragraph.
The first purchase was a Realistic LAB-440 I bought at Goodwill about three years ago. It was absolutely filthy. It came with the headshell detached, the metal body of the R47XT cartridge had come unglued from its plastic shroud and there was no stylus to be found. But, the price of $14.99 was right. So, I bought it, bought it home and kind of forgot about it until about a month ago when I finally got around to cleaning it up and getting it up and running with a cartridge that was included as a throw in with my second Goodwill turntable...
That one is an MCS 6601 that was another Goodwill find I bought about a month and a half ago. I almost didn't buy this one. It was pretty clean and everything was functional. It had the original Shure 2215 cartridge (renamed M75) with the original 2225 stylus. To keep this somewhat on topic, for the OP's sake, the MCS is a direct drive turntable made by Panasonic of the same approximate age as the OP's SL-Q3. I almost didn't buy this one, as I didn't really NEED another turntable, but as I was using my cell phone to do some research on this table and mulling over my decision, the guy who stocks the electronics section told me he had a spare needle for that turntable. He went in the back room and came out five minutes later with a Signet TK10ML cartridge. Well, at $24.99 for the turntable and two cartridges, including one very expensive one, how could I say no?
I brought that one home, dusted it off and immediately began spinning vinyl using the original cartridge and stylus. After a short while, it became apparent that the original 38-year old stylus needed replacing. My first instinct, as someone who is frugal (aka: cheap), was to get a cheap, generic replacement stylus. So, I ordered a Pfanstiehl 4760-DE from Amazon for $11.37 shipped, and thus began my stylus ordeal (documented in
this thread). Well, I didn't get the Pfanstiehl I ordered, I got an even cheaper Columbian made Normarh stylus, and while it looks well made, it's very harsh sounding. I've been playing around with it, mounted on the original 2215 cartridge for the past couple weeks. I've given it plenty of break in time and tried changing the tracking force, but nothing I've tried can tame those harsh highs. It actually hurts my ears to listen to this stylus. Since they shipped the wrong item, I did eventually get a refund of the purchase price. So, at least this lesson didn't cost me any money.
One thing I learned from this experience is that generic styli are hit and miss. Read as many reviews as you can, buy from a reputable seller and make sure you know EXACTLY what you're getting.
As I began hunting for a worthy table for the throw-in Signet TK10ML, I decided to dig out that old, filthy LAB-440, clean it up, and give it a try with the Signet. It's not the most expensive table around, but is generally well regarded and has a low mass arm that's a good match for the high compliance Signet cartridge. Plus, I had it already, so it wouldn't cost me anything to give it a try. Oh my, what a revelation. Of course, the Signet with it's original stylus just blows the 2215 with the generic stylus out of the water.
Getting the LAB-440 out also prompted me to do something with the R47XT cartridge that came with it, sans stylus. Thanks to the generous sharing of knowledge in this forum, I learned the R47XT was made by Shure for Radio Shack and would directly accept an Ne95ED stylus. I was able to track down a NOS genuine Shure stylus from LPGear for the same $60 price as the ATS13 recommended here by Manfred / lini. Keep in mind that $60 price is more than I have invested in my two Goodwill turntables and three cartridges combined. But, I will say, in this case, it was money well spent. I mounted it on the R47XT this morning, installed the cartridge on a spare headshell and have been listening to it on the MCS 6601 all day. Another revelation. It's not quite the equal of the Signet TK10ML, but it is still a VERY nice sounding cartridge/stylus combination. Compared to the generic Normarh stylus there really is no comparison. I can listen to this NOS genuine Shure stylus all day with no hint of listening fatigue. The Normarh hurts my ears and gives me a headache within 10 minutes.
So, now both my Goodwill tables are up and running with very nice sounding cartridge/stylus combinations: the LAB-440 with the Signet TK10ML with the original Signet microline stylus and the MCS 6601 with the R47XT cartridge and the NOS Shure Ne95ED styus.
But, I still want a decent sounding cheap generic stylus for spinning thrift store vinyl of dubious condition. This time I did more research and decided to order an EVG 760-DED for $12.95 shipped from Carole's Needles. The seller claims that particular stylus is made by Jico in Japan for EVG, and whether or not that's true, I cannot find a single bad review for that stylus. It should be here early next week and I will mount it on the 2215 cartridge as my low rent, second hand vinyl set up on the MCS 6601. It can be swapped out quickly with the R47XT/Ne95ED combo as desired. This will let me protect the Ne95ED from potential damage and premature wear when playing vinyl of lesser or unknown condition, but still allow me to enjoy the blissful sound of the Ne95ED when playing known-good albums.
In any case, my recommendation to the OP is to follow Manfred / lini's advice and snap up that genuine ATS13 stylus for 60 bucks while you can. A good stylus makes all the difference in the world. While you may (or may not) find a good generic stylus for less than 15 bucks, the ATS13 is a known quantity. You won't be disappointed. Get it while you can. There is little point in having a decent table and cartridge if you don't have an equally decent stylus. Get the real deal while you can. It's money well spent, and you can still experiment with cheap generic styli if, like me, you want something for spinning vinyl of questionable condition.
