I'm a pretty big fan of these as well, and I've only just gotten into the game of playing around with Stanton. I overlooked them for years because, well, they were cheap, a bit long in the tooth looking, and I thought they'd always be around. Their reputation wasn't that great because people seemed to always be chasing the exotic. But now that they're gone, they are often heralded as "the best" and sorely missed by many.
I started looking for an L720EE just as the discontinued stocks dried up and so I haven't actually found a new one. Adding confusion is that the D71EE apparently, according to some information out there, came in an early .4 x .7 elliptical version and a later .3 x .7 elliptical version. KABUSA website has great information and Kevin is pleasure to email questions to. Just a couple days ago, I ordered one of his JICO D71EE to try out on my L700E that I was able to find NOS. I will let you know how it sounds.
I have no complaints on tracking or sound when these carts are installed in my Technics semi auto P mount table with original stylus. Beware, though: the Pfanstiehl stylii SUCK! I got two of them off of ebay brand new and they sibilate like hell. These are white plastic and marked with a navy or black dot on the top. I bought one and it sounded like sandpaper, so I emailed the seller and he promptly sent me another and, well, it sounded just as bad as the first. It's not defective; it's just junk.
If I install them on a standard 1/2" table, they will sound "normal" only if you crank the VTF up to about 2.5, so these will not work on a P-Mount table even if they are intended for P-Mount carts.
On the other hand, I received in the mail yesterday an aftermarket stylus that appears to be "TEI" brand--also from ebay, for a whopping $8.98 or $9.98, your choice--same seller, apparently same stylus, but two different BIN prices, and about $3 in shipping. Currently, it's on my Pro-Ject One set to 1.25g, the P-Mount standard, and it sounds GREAT! These are also white plastic and marked "DLC" on the side, almost like original Stanton, and sound to me as good as the original marked DE, and I'm not going from memory. I buy replacement stylii while the originals are still barely used so I can compare. Like all aftermarket Stanton/Pickering that I know of, the metal tube is shiny and smooth. Original Stanton/Pickering stylii have sort of a dull rough finish on the tube and clamp marks from manufacture.
The only problem with this TEI brand is that I don't know if it's conical or .4 x .7 elliptical. The description on both auctions reads .4 x .7 conical. What does that mean??? The actual product comes with no information except for a sticker that says "Made in Colombia." I emailed the seller, but I don't have a response yet as to what the diamond profile actually is. Maybe the $8.98 version is the conical and the $9.98 is elliptical? Can't say. The photo of the item on the two auctions, in any event, is the same as far as I can tell.
I also have an L727E that I got off ebay NOS for about $50 and it sounds fantastic. Doesn't come with a brush because it's for P Mount use, but if you install it in universal mode on a standard 1/2" arm, and you have an old Stanton brush from another cart, the brush will install no problem and work as it should. With the brush mounted, these Stanton carts track better than anything else I own. I mean, not that I like to play warped records, but I do have one warped record that I should replace that has an honest-to-goodness mogul on it. It will throw other carts such as Grado, 440 MLa, Ortofon 320U, etc, right off like a bronco will buck a rodeo contestant off its back after bouncing him a few times. The Stanton with a brush mounted just hugs it! It's unbelievable! Without the brush, it will wobble, but still hug and not skip. Other carts that won't skip will still register a knocking noise. The Stanton with or without the brush doesn't pick up anything but what's in the groove. It's really a testament to careful and robust suspension design meant for FM radio broadcast where, I'm sure, there were a lot of poor quality records to play and sloppy or rough handling by DJs.
Sounds great, too. I like the Stanton/Pickering sound and that's why these two brands in one interest me. It's a fat but detailed sound, bassy but clean with nice well-defined sparkly highs and an ample mid. They are neutral but not antiseptic like some of my newer carts can sound, which, I suppose, were developed in the CD age and can sound a bit, I don't know, too clean and too behaved maybe? I feel that Stanton/Pickering with original stylii just give a fuller image somehow and it ain't the hype. Even some of the Pfanstiehl stylii can render much of this quality in the lower ranges, but they fail miserably with the sandpaper sibilance at Stanton tracking forces of 1 to 1.2 grams. The Pfanstiehls really need 2.5 to 3 grams to kill the sibilance and that's a lot more weight than I want in my grooves.
