Help me: I need turntable advice

[hottyson]

I just purchased a turntable from a thrift shop for $1. Its make is MCS, model 683-6210. I don’t have too many records but I will have a Marantz receiver delivered soon so I thought for $1 I might as well hook this old thing up to the phono input. Tonight I spent about twenty minutes cleaning the thing up. It was very dirty! It also needs a stylus!

Here is my dilemma: I don’t want to waste too much money on this thing because I will be replacing it with a $100 turntable in about a year. It has an Audio Technica AT3482P (P-mount) cartridge minus the stylus.

Last time when I bought my mom a Technics turntable, it also was missing a stylus. I think that I might have read somewhere that it is better to replace the whole cartridge/stylus at the same time to get better results??? Is this true or should I just buy a new stylus for the old cartridge? Should I get a cheap $10 cartridge/stylus combo from eBay or is there a better cartridge/stylus combo that would work well near that price?

What am I to do?

 

[visitor]

I might have read somewhere that it is better to replace the whole cartridge/stylus at the same time to get better results???

That's the only way would listen to records. Most replacement stylus you buy are nowhere near the quality of the original stylus. I've seen many salesmen trying to pass inferior stylus as originals but most of them aren't.

Sound quality would be inferior and if you care for your records you don't want to put them under a knife.

Spend money in a full cartridge, even if it is a cheap cartridge, the stylus is likely to be better than on one of those cheap stylus replacements.

 

[hottyson]

Thanks for the information visitor.


Are all cheap cartridge/needle created equal or is there such thing as a "good" model of the budget ones?
(BTW, it has a P-mount style connection.)

I am not sure if my turntable will only work with Audio Technica. If so, I am not sure if it will work with a different model of Audio Technica. Audio Technica AT3482P (P-mount) is the model that is on the turntable now. I did a search for the same cartridge “AT3482P” on eBay. I found some in the range of $10-$15 plus shipping.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3073725090
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3075456054
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3075456054

Are these what I am looking for or ??? Some of these are for P-mount / T4P turntables. What is T4P? Do I need this or one without T4P?

 

[ProAc_Fan]

Yikes $10-$15 is a little TOO cheap of a cart in my opinion. Visit the Venus Hi-Fi forum and russle up a Grado Black (p-mount) for $35. You'll still have a whopping $36 invested but the extra $20 you spend on the cart will be returned exponentially in your listening enjoyment.

Mike

 

[ProAc_Fan]

If you do decide to go with the AT cart ( and I wouldn't) don't get a universal mount or the one with the stylus for 78's. I'm fairly certain you don't have a stack of 78's laying around the house.

Mike

 

[RocknRoll]

I have this turntable and the stylus is the only best part on it! What is the deal with no 'on/off' switch? Some kind of challenge to change records while the plater is still spinning. Mine had the same cartridge (grey color) and I purchased a white color Audiotechnica needle from Rat Shack for $18. Sounds good except that BPS turntable belongs in the garbage!

 

[hottyson]

Thanks for the advice ProAc_Fan. You are awsome.

Originally posted by RocknRoll
I have this turntable and the stylus is the only best part on it!

I agree. It looks like someone cut the top record playing section off of a Sound Design stereo. This is exactly why I don't want to put too much money into it. I will be replacing it with another within a year so I will spend money on a better cartridge then.
I am going to look into the Grado Black (P-mount) as suggested by ProAc_Fan. I suppose I might even be able to use it in my next turntable if it has a P-mount too.

 

[RocknRoll]

That is a fine idea. This cartridge is used In much better turntables. example - some descent Technics models used this one. I have a linear tracking Sansui turntable uses this cartridge.

 

[WildWest]

I had a cheap turntable once that I needed a budget P mount cart for. There are a number of vendors on line for this and one I kinda like is Garage Records. Seems they always have things that might surprise you. Turned out they had a close out on a discontinued A/T P mount cart that was typically higher dollars. I snagged it for cheap, cheap, cheap.and it sure made that simple turntable play sweat.

(My two cents but I hate the sound of a Grado Black. I wouldn't even waste my money on one. But for what you need it likely will be ok I reckon. I found a nice Technics DD SL1600 TT in the Goodwill the other day. Clean dustcover and I paid all of 15 bucks for it. Slapped a Stanton 681EEE cart on and it works great. Keep your eye out at the thrifts. You may not have to wait to long for a MUCH better turntable)

 

[visitor]

You have received good advice. I have never had P mount myself. I feel that even if you buy a very cheap Audio Technica or any of the other suggestions you will get a much better quality needle and cantilever. Your records will be happier and your ears will be happier too. Good luck with your choice.

 

[GordonW]

I've had good luck with the Audio-Technica AT91 cartridge on those kind of tables. Pretty good balance. IMHO, a more open top-end than the Grado Black, while at the same time sounding a little less "grainy", somehow...

I would think you should be able to find an AT91 for $60 or less... the great thing is, it comes with a P-mount adapter, so if you change turntables, you can take it with you, no matter if the table uses P or standard mounts...

BTW: You guys might be on the lookout for the MCS 6202 or 6203 turntables (only difference, is that one is black, the other walnut woodgrain). Those are clones of the "legendary" Technics SL-23 belt-drive, and sound quite good. They don't have the removable head shell like the Technics; otherwise, they're pretty much the EXACT same thing, even down to the platter having "Technics" stamped into the bottom side on the last one I had apart...

Regards,
Gordon.
who still has an SL-23...