Good cartridge match for a Pioneer PL-518

[Rentz]

I have an Empire 2000E III with replacement LP Gear stylus on my 518. I like it. I've also had good luck with the AT carts of which the 440 is in the same series of. I'm not a fan of the modern Shure carts, but I do like the earlier M91 and 95, and the V15 II, I've had or heard all of those on 518's. I used to have the identical, but belt drive 516 and had an Ortofon FF15XE MKII on it that sounded nice also.

The Grado Black is nice as long as it doesn't hum, but I tend to favor cartridges with a built in stylus guard.

Did you get the lp gear vividline for the empire ? Just got that stylus yesterday

Also to add another option for the op. There is a super cheap at95e and you can get a shibata stylus for it on lp gear (for like twice the price of the cart haha)

 

[Conduitcore]

Pretty sure Im gonna go with that 2M Blue. Looks like I can keep the same headshell on to which is real nice. Too bad I cant listen to all the other recommendations!

 

[neevo]

The Ortofon head shell is also a fine bit of kit if you're interested in spending more money

 

[VfB Stefan]

I have had a lot of enjoyment with:
Ortofon 2M Blue, AT440MLa, and Denon DL-301 II (MC)

 

[Eric Lloyd]

Hey, Neevo! That is one fine lookin' recover job on that Turntable. Didn't you have a refurb thread on that? I got distracted and never came back to see the end product. Nice!

Oh, also, to the OP - I generally will have several carts pre-mounted on headshells that I can easily just swap out on one turntable. Ideally, all I have to adjust is tracking force. It's a little bit more investment, and I have to fiddle with it some when I swap out turntables if I need a different overhang, but overall it makes it pretty easy to use several carts for different purposes on one deck.

 

[DesertTwang]

The AT440 MLa sounds fantastic on my PL-540 (almost identical to the 518). Highly recommended. I run it at 1.63 grams of VTF. Yes, I would definitely recommend a tracking gauge/digital scale, given how cheap they are. That said, when I adjust my tonearm VTF by zeroing out the arm and adjusting the VTF using the dial on the counterweight, it is very accurate, too.

 

[neevo]

Hey, Neevo! That is one fine lookin' recover job on that Turntable. Didn't you have a refurb thread on that? I got distracted and never came back to see the end product. Nice!

Thanks very much. I'm very pleased with it, not only because it looks pretty but because it also sounds amazing too

 

[EngineerNate]

Are the tonearms on the pl-200/250/400 similar in mass to the older 518 design? I'm wondering if the recommendations here would apply to my turntable as well.

 

[hifitommy]

neevo, although that "ortofon" headshell looks good, it isn't particularly a great one. it is made of malleable metal unlike the other good ones (Technics) and the great (Jelco HS20@$55, LPGear Zupreme@$70, and the Sumiko HS12@$90, all pretty much the same product).

this is one area that i would not skimp on. the Jelco et al are machined magnesium alloy, have pins both up and down for retention, adjustable azimuth, and high quality copper Litz wires, where it matters at the lowest signal strength. i have used them all and the Jelco group works best for me.

 

[neevo]

That's interesting @hifitommy what are the benefits of the Jilco in performance over the Ortofon?

 

[hifitommy]

Neevo...
1. rigidty..retaining pins both up and dowm on the shaft that goes into the tonearm plus non-malleable metal construction.
2. Precision.. finely machined to tight tolerance.
3. Adjustable azimuth.
4. Superior very low oxygen copper Litz wires (ordinarily ~$25 or more) where t counts. If there is the best place for hih quality wire, it is with low signal strength such as phono cartridge output.

Try just one first, preferably with a cartridge you have heard on your old headshell so as to have only one variable. Please report your findings.

 

[neevo]

Balls, there's another thing I have in my head to upgrade

I have my eye on some new interconnects first for the table but will look to try one if these at some point.

 

[revox-b77]

the Jelco et al are machined magnesium alloy,

Who sells these hifitommy?

 

[neevo]

Given this is a PL-518/cartridge related thread. What alignment method are people using for their 518's?

I'm sure I used Stevenson but just read this works on 1 null point. Is there a better solution? I can't recall the pivot length I used for the Stevenson alignment print out off the top of my head.

 

[LAB3]

Given this is a PL-518/cartridge related thread. What alignment method are people using for their 518's?

I'm sure I used Stevenson but just read this works on 1 null point. Is there a better solution? I can't recall the pivot length I used for the Stevenson alignment print out off the top of my head.

I went to Vinylengine years ago and everyone posted Stevenson. I have a Stevenson printed Mirror so I can SEE the cantilever on some carts I have tried over the last decade. I have a my Dad's PL-518X (Black Plinth) and use a Denon DL-103R as most of my LP are not NM and this cart is not so touchy on tics etc. Dad's old Pickering XUV 4500 with a Shibata tylus was a bit more detailed but if there was a pop on a LP it would find it LOL https://www.vinylengine.com/library/pioneer/pl-518.shtml

 

[revox-b77]

I use Stevenson as well.

 

[DustyOldPile]

I've always used Baerwald on my Pioneers, to great success. Some will call this blasphemy, but I don't know that it matters a ton which geometry you use - Baerwald, Stevenson or Lofgren, as long as you use *something*.

I can't recall the exact figure, but there's a measurement that can be made from the bayonet 'seating point' on the headshell, where it would meet up with the arm when fully inserted, and the diamond stylus that effectively sets the alignment and overhang in theory, if your cantilever is straight and true with the cartridge body. I believe Technics used one measurement for their arms and Pioneer used a shorter one on theirs, throughout production during the bayonet headshell years. Maybe someone else can pipe in with the figures and what geometry they were, though IIRC, Technics was Stevenson. I want to say 52mm, but don't count on my memory.

 

[DustyOldPile]

Ok, I googled it. Technics is 52mm, most Pioneers are 49mm. You can buy handy dandy gauges online, or hit up a hardware or tool type of store that would have those little metal rulers that fit in a person's pocket. usually with english measurement on one edge and metric on the other. They're perfect for this sort of thing.

Still, I like to use a protractor. I got mine from turntablebasics.com, but the seller has been known to be a little iffy on follow-thru. It's a dandy protractor, though.

Here's a whole thread on this:

http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/pioneer-s-arm-49mm-overhang-setting.543434/

 

[LAB3]

We have tried it both ways over the years when I swapped out the ADC XLM to AT-OC9ML/I . I asked help(second opinion) from a member here (Autobot) he owned the AT cart and used a Baerwald protractor with 49 MM over hang and we played a few LP then he used my Stevenson (Mirror) and same 49 MM over hang and there was no difference in sound. Other then I liked the AT-OC9ML/I MC carts detail on a NM/M LP better then ADC XLM. IMHO I don't think the 4 MM difference in the two different S tone arms matter that much. I too think any protractor with correct over hang etc and just square up the cantilever with the mark will sound great on a PL-518. My DL-103R stylus is not so picky as my AT Line Stylus or Pop's old Shibata. I never tried a Arc Protractor I guess it's time to find one like my hard plastic mirror Stevenson 2 point null and give a LP a listen this winter when I am bored.

 

[DetFjorsvafi]

Hey everyone, new member to this site(though Ive been on and read alot of great stuff through the years!) and new owner of a pl-518. I have never gotten into or learned much about different carts for various reasons, but I'm ready and have been doing my best. My question is the same as the original post here, but just thought Id fine tune it a bit for myself if anyones interested in helping out. If not theres a great chunk of info for the Pl-518 cart matches here already so thanks to those who have posted. Anyways I'm playing the table through a Sx-780 and HPM 100s. The cart on the PL seems to be a GT red. According to google its complete junk. I am playing records from extreme metal/punk to jazz trios and hip hop and every other genre you can think of. I'm looking to upgrade for sure so I'll spend up to a 100 or 200$ like the original poster. Is there a good site to buy carts/styli or straight from the manufacturer? Thanks guys!

I recently got a Pioneer PL-518 and upgraded to a Shure M97xE cartridge. I'm a big fan of it so far, and am very happy with my choice. I purchased mine through https://www.kabusa.com/frameset.htm?/ and if you send him your headshell he can set up whatever cartridge you purchase through him for you. Prices are very reasonable in my experience with him. I can't recommend KAB more, very solid company.