Stylus for Shure SC35C Cartridge
- Thread starter Donal64
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- sc35c shure cartridge
MCM_Fan
AK Subscriber
For a medium mass arm, this is my first choice for the SC35C body...
http://www.jico-stylus.com/product_info.php?cPath=18&products_id=1428
It has a .6 mil tip rather than .7 mil of the Shure N44-7X.
Thanks for the "tip". LPTunes also lists this one as a 0.7 mil conical:
https://lptunes.com/products/jico-replacement-shure-n-44-7x-stylus
DETAILS
- • JICO replacement Shure N-44-7X stylus
- • 0.7 mil conical diamond tip for high fidelity
- • Made in Japan, genuine JICO® stylus with each stylus quality inspected & sound tested
- • Lightweight aluminum alloy cantilever
- • 3.5 - 4.5 g tracking force
This is why it drives me nuts when manufacturers refuse to actually publish specs for their products.
malden
Addicted Member
Reading thru my previous posts, before Shure announced their departure from the phono cartridge business, I recommended the N35X which is now long gone, so the JICO N44-7X is the way to go if you have a medium mass tone-arm and have one of the following cartridges...
SC35C
M35X
M35S
M25C
M44-7X
M44GX
M70BX
https://www.jico-stylus.com/product_info.php?cPath=18&products_id=1428
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MCM_Fan
AK Subscriber
Yeah, now that I have a couple brand new SC-35C cartridges, I wish I'd bought a couple N35X stylii back when they were cheap and available.
My local source still has a couple of the N35S stylii in stock at a good price. What's the basic difference between the N35X, the N35S and the N35C. Is it just the recommended tracking force? I seem to be able to find all kinds of glowing reports on the N35X, but not much on the N35S.
It's even hard to find specs on the N35S, but after a bit of googling, it looks like the following are the recommended tracking force ranges for the Shure N35* stylii:
N35X = 1.5 - 3g
N35S = 3 - 5g
N35C = 4.5 - 5g
If I'm unable to locate a reasonably priced N35X, would the N35S be a better replacement for the SC35C cartridge than the N35C. I'll be running these on an Elac Miracord 45.
malden
Addicted Member
Now that Shure is out of the game, in current production, there are only 4 styli that are worth considering for any of these fat-boy Shure cartridges.
SC35C
M35X
M35S
M25C
M44-7X
M44GX
M70BX
JICO SS35C...... .6 mil...... 4-5 grams tracking
https://www.jico-stylus.com/product_info.php?products_id=1040&osCsid=dq6790pak2vgm1rgeij6f7da95
JICO N44-7X...... .6 mil...... 1.5 to 3 grams tracking
https://www.jico-stylus.com/product...cts_id=1428&osCsid=dq6790pak2vgm1rgeij6f7da95
JICO N44GX...... .6 mil........75 to 1.5 grams tracking
https://www.jico-stylus.com/product_info.php?products_id=1427&osCsid=dq6790pak2vgm1rgeij6f7da95
JICO N78S........ for 78's.......1.5 to 3 grams tracking
https://www.jico-stylus.com/product...cts_id=1519&osCsid=dq6790pak2vgm1rgeij6f7da95
You can still find original Shure styli for them, but the Made In Mexico versions are all .7 mil tips which is fine for older mono recordings or "dusties" but I prefer the more refined sound of the .6 mil tip and as far as I know, JICO is the only manufacturer supplying them.
SC35C
M35X
M35S
M25C
M44-7X
M44GX
M70BX
JICO SS35C...... .6 mil...... 4-5 grams tracking
https://www.jico-stylus.com/product_info.php?products_id=1040&osCsid=dq6790pak2vgm1rgeij6f7da95
JICO N44-7X...... .6 mil...... 1.5 to 3 grams tracking
https://www.jico-stylus.com/product...cts_id=1428&osCsid=dq6790pak2vgm1rgeij6f7da95
JICO N44GX...... .6 mil........75 to 1.5 grams tracking
https://www.jico-stylus.com/product_info.php?products_id=1427&osCsid=dq6790pak2vgm1rgeij6f7da95
JICO N78S........ for 78's.......1.5 to 3 grams tracking
https://www.jico-stylus.com/product...cts_id=1519&osCsid=dq6790pak2vgm1rgeij6f7da95
You can still find original Shure styli for them, but the Made In Mexico versions are all .7 mil tips which is fine for older mono recordings or "dusties" but I prefer the more refined sound of the .6 mil tip and as far as I know, JICO is the only manufacturer supplying them.
malden
Addicted Member
The original Shure SS35C that was Made In USA had a .6 mil tip. The later Made In Mexico SS35C's were .7 mil.
A .6 mil Pfanstiehl may be an original that was repackaged.
MCM_Fan
AK Subscriber
The more I look into this, the more frustrated I become with the LPTunes web site. They are supposed to be the official North American distributor for JICO products, and I was thrilled when I saw specs for the JICO stylii showing up on their website. Unfortunately, the specs they list for the JICO stylii you recommended look nothing like those you listed above. And, when you inquire by email, all they do is reply with same incorrect specs listed on their web site.
I note the following differences between the specs you quoted and the specs on the LPTunes web site:
JICO SS35C...... .6 mil...... 4-5 grams tracking
https://lptunes.com/products/jico-replacement-shure-ss-35c-stylus
.7 mil...... 4.5 - 5g
JICO N44GX...... .6 mil........75 to 1.5 grams tracking
https://lptunes.com/products/jico-replacement-shure-n-44gx-stylus
.7 mil...... 3.5 - 4.5g
JICO N44-7X...... .6 mil...... 1.5 to 3 grams tracking
https://lptunes.com/products/jico-replacement-shure-n-44-7x-stylus
.7 mil...... 3.5 - 4.5g
It would seem the Official North American distributor doesn't know much about the products they are distributing and are doing JICO a huge disservice by listing grotesquely inaccurate information about their products.
malden
Addicted Member
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MCM_Fan
AK Subscriber
When in doubt, go with the original. This arrived in my mailbox on Saturday:
It's a NOS Made in the U.S.A. Shure SS35C for less than the price of a JICO. Shure lists the basic specs (tip profile and recommended tracking force) right there on the back of the box. Shure has always been very proud to publish the specs for their products. JICO, not so much.
The red foam inside of the presentation box is deteriorating, but the stylus is indeed unused and in perfect condition.
patient_ot
Super Member
Jico will give you specs if you ask directly. As others said, I wouldn't necessarily trust a third party seller to know what the specs of their products are, which may or may not be the same thing you can get from Jico directly.
I posted something related up thread, but I have now buried two sc35c carts in paradox pulse aluminum bodies and highly recommend them. They provide a very solid mounting/mating surface for the head shell, they allow for easy mounting because of the tapped threads in the body, and they open the cart up for use of a multitude of Shure styli. I have begun liquidation of other cartridges since arriving at this solution, and they also sound really good to my ears, which is also a good thing. Simple, inexpensive, great sound, easy to live with.
MCM_Fan
AK Subscriber
It was announced back in December that LPTunes is the official North American distributor for JICO products. They aren't just some random third party reseller, they are the official point of contact between JICO and their customers in North America.
To their credit, LPTunes has been adding basic specs to their web site for the JICO products they sell. Unfortunately, many of the spec they have added are blatantly incorrect. Hopefully, they will get this sorted out. It would be nice to have this information readily available when ordering JICO products. This is, after all, the information age. Most other companies figured this out two decades ago.
Shure, on the other hand, has always freely shared the specs for their products. They started doing it way back in the 1960s (perhaps sooner). They print the specs for their products on the product packaging, the instruction sheets, in catalogs and brochures, as well as more recently online. They have always done a great job of providing this basic information to their customers, even back when it cost real money to print and distribute brochures and catalogs.
patient_ot
Super Member
@MCM_Fan, I've never dealt with LPT before. Is that a subsidiary of LPGear? If so, I have dealt with them before and there is a history of that company not always providing accurate info on a whole host of things. I wouldn't trust them to provide 100% accurate info on Jico products nor would I trust them to sell you the same thing you'll get from Japan, because they have a history of selling things that are slightly different (read: inferior) to what Jico sells through their Japan site.
Now, while I agree that in a perfect world Jico would publish accurate specs on their own site, they don't, and the best way to get accurate info is to simply contact them about the particular stylus you're interested in.
Now, while I agree that in a perfect world Jico would publish accurate specs on their own site, they don't, and the best way to get accurate info is to simply contact them about the particular stylus you're interested in.
MCM_Fan
AK Subscriber
LPGear and LPTunes are "affiliated" whatever that means. I have bought from LPGear a couple times as their selection and prices were the same as LPGear, but their shipping costs were slightly lower. I have no idea why they maintain two separate web sites. I'd much rather they put their effort into maintaining one web site with accurate information.
In the past, LPGear/LPTunes sold products made by JICO, that were not JICO branded - a similar arrangement to what EVG had with JICO, where JICO manufactured products under contract built to the reseller's specifications and price points.
That changed back on December 8, 2017 when LPTunes announced on their web site that they are now the exclusive North American distributor for JICO products. The JICO products they sell are no longer private label OEM products,but actual JICO branded products that come in JICO packaging complete with JICO stamped on the cantilevers. This was a complete about face for a company that spent years denying any connection to JICO to suddenly start bragging about their long relationship with JICO ("LP TUNES with its parent Starbrands Networks, LLC have had a long business relationship with JICO.").
It also meant the end of JICO supplying product to EVG and other resellers.
So, the JICO products LPTunes are now selling are the real deal, genuine JICO products in genuine JICO factory packaging.
I have been happy with the products I have purchased from LPTunes, and will continue to use them in the future, probably more so now that they actually sell JICO branded products. I'm just frustrated by the incorrect information on their web site. It seems unnecessarily obtuse in this day and age that I need to contact the manufacturer by email to get the basic specs on products sold through their distributor who sells their products in my country. When I pointed out to LPTunes by email that some of their specs are wrong, they basically responded - no, they're not (that's not a direct quote, that's me paraphrasing, their wording was more diplomatic).
I think it's great that we now have a US distributor for JICO products that eliminates the high cost of international shipping ($22 minimum for a single stylus if ordered directly from JICO), and while I am currently frustrated with the lack of published specs from JICO and the incorrect specs on the LPTunes web site, I am cautiously optimistic that given enough time, it will all get sorted out, I will be able to go to the LPTunes web site, find the products I am interested in, see the specs and place my order.
In the meantime, I will continue to stock up on genuine Shure products whenever and wherever I can find them at reasonable prices.
patient_ot
Super Member
I hope they get it sorted. My concern is that if I try to order Jico from LPT, that it would show up as the undbranded stuff, styli missing tie wires, and so on. $22 for shipping is high, but not that bad when you're ordering a stylus that costs over $100 - all considering. I'd rather pay a little more for that shipping until I have 100% assurance from LPT that I'd be getting the same thing. I just don't trust them enough at this point.
MCM_Fan
AK Subscriber
All the photos on the LPTunes web site clearly show both JICO packaging and JICO.US stamped on the cantilevers:
In the first photo, you can also see the soldered tie wire that is characteristic of genuine JICO products.
For the product listing (bold added by me for emphasis - they managed to get the specs right for this one):
DETAILS
- JICO replacement Shure N-91ED stylus
- 0.3 x 0.7 elliptical diamond tip for high fidelity
- Made in Japan, genuine JICO® stylus with each stylus quality inspected & sound tested
- Lightweight aluminum alloy cantilever
- 0.75 - 1.5 g tracking force
They also make a BIG deal about being the ONLY authorized US reseller of JICO products. This ominous "warning" is posted at the bottom of every JICO product page om their site:
"Beware of counterfeits! There is only one Jico distributor in the US, Canada and all of the Americas: LP Tunes. A Jico stylus comes in Jico packaging or with Jico US engraved on the stylus. All others are selling styli of unknown origin and quality. Contact us to verify the authenticity of the claimed Jico stylus before buying."
I feel perfectly comfortable that if I order JICO stylus from them, a JICO stylus is what I will receive. In the past I have ordered genuine Shure NOS stylii from them and received exactly what I ordered.
patient_ot
Super Member
If they are doing the right thing I applaud them, but for reasons mentioned and their reputation for being very squirrelly about returns, even when they make a mistake, gives me pause. When I visited the LPT site yesterday there were still a number of listings that didn't show the plastic boxes, but rather the same pics that were on the LPG site with similar, if not identical prices. I'm glad you feel so confident about this retailer but some of us aren't quite there yet.
MCM_Fan
AK Subscriber
Were these specifically advertised as JICO branded products, or were they LPGear/LPTunes generic products? Every JICO branded product I have seen on the LPTunes site shows a photo of the product in JICO packaging.
However, I have noticed they still have some of their old stock house branded products listed on both sites. Probably existing inventory they haven't sold through yet since the transition to becoming the official JICO North American distributor. As long as they don't advertise these as genuine JICO branded products, I don't have a problem with that. If I want genuine JICO, I will only order what they advertise as genuine JICO, complete with photos of the product in JICO packaging. I'll just have to email JICO first, to get the correct specs.
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