The talk of Jico and Shure tie wires got me thinking... I got screwed

beat_truck

Addicted Member
Several (5?) years back, I bought a stylus for the Realistic R27ED (Shure M75 Type 2) that came on a used 'table. I was told an N75EJ was the best match for the 'table it was going on and Jico was the brand to buy, so that's what I ordered (at least I thought I did). I ended up hardly using it because I had other cartridges.

The replacement was advertised in big print as a Jico, the box it came in was marked Jico, and it had the telltale black dot on the cantilever. But, I just checked it and no tie wire.:wtf:

Thanks a lot turntableneedles.com.:thumbsdown:

I basically bought a repackaged EVG for 3x what an EVG was going for.:mad:

I wondered why it sounded so similar to the EVG N75ED that I bought later on.:rolleyes:

People must have bitched (and rightly so), because they changed their listings between then and now.
 
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So far the only safe place to purchase a Jico is from Jico or EMJ Music. There may be other sources available in Japan as well.
 
Isn't LPGear / LPTunes now the "official North American supplier" of Jico styli? I remember reading the press release a few weeks ago.
 
Isn't LPGear / LPTunes now the "official North American supplier" of Jico styli? I remember reading the press release a few weeks ago.
I think I did read that here on AK recently, but unless it was widely confirmed, I'd just order straight from Jico if that's what I wanted. Too many places have claimed that's what they were selling when it clearly wasn't.
 
Isn't LPGear / LPTunes now the "official North American supplier" of Jico styli? I remember reading the press release a few weeks ago.

Yes, LP Tunes is but their web site is absolutely horrible. Just try looking for a specific stylus. Their search function will return about 1000 results. At least they are finally starting to list specs for some of their stylii - specifically the JICOs they are selling.
 
I think I did read that here on AK recently, but unless it was widely confirmed, I'd just order straight from Jico if that's what I wanted. Too many places have claimed that's what they were selling when it clearly wasn't.

If you go to the LP Tunes site and search for JICO, you will get several hundred hits. Most of them are simply duplicate listings for the same stylus (sometimes the same stylus with different prices). Many are also listed as "Sold Out" (it appears they haven't gotten their full stock of JICOs in yet).

The good news is they have basic specs for most of the JICO products and the photos clearly show JICO packaging, soldered tie wires and even the word JICO engraved on the side of the cantilevers.

SHURE_N-75ED_2_8792bb5f-fda7-4d06-94ba-338174df391f_large.jpg


Shure_N-75ED_4da4c60e-72ad-4d24-8892-2b01f06337cc_1024x1024.jpg
 
I stole these from the 'net. The tie wire is # 43. Someone with more experience on the technical end will need to tell you how and why they work.
tie-wire.jpg
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Here's a comparison of the JICO VN45HE and the LP Gear VN45VL

JICOLP-2.jpg
JICOLP-1.jpg

JICOLP-J1.jpg
Back of the shank Jico (Left) LP Gear (Right)

JICOLP-J2.jpg

Suspension block. Front of the shank. Jico (Left) LP Gear (Right)
 
The TTN Pickering "Jico Shibata" is nothing more and nothing less than the very same stylus LPGear sells as the ViVidline. It's definitely got the nice line contact stylus on the tip and the same decent cantilever. But the TTN "Jico Shibata" costs twice as much and has no tie wire. I can hear the difference. The LPGear ViVidline is a great sounding stylus, but blurred in the high end compared to one with the tie wire installed. YMMV. If someone chooses a TTN "Jico Shibata" over ordering directly from Jico, you have my condolences. It might be for reasons like this that Jico has taken their trademark back under their own control. They probably heard or read about people complaining about Jico styli and realized that they were defeating themselves by providing parts or complete cut corner bargain priced stylus assemblies to other distributors but not being diligent about branding.
Does Jico make a 68x/XV-15 clone with a tie-wire? And if so, have you heard it?

My observation -- it's not so much that the aftermarket Stanton/Pickering 68x/XV-15 offerings sound bad. They can be okay, especially if you don't mind tracking them a little heavy. The problem is that the originals sound so damn good.

The other day I was tuning a TD-150 with a 681 and the oval-marked stylus. Looked old as dirt. Typical elliptical wear pattern visible on the scope, not awful but obviously used. Customer had asked me to put on a new cartidge/stylus. After I heard it, I told him no -- the thing still sounds fantastic; that magical rich sound, just ride it into the sunset. But I'd like to tell him what his options are for the future. Heck, I snatched up on NOS D625 on that auction site the other day for $70 because quality OEM styli are well worth it. The price isn't going to go down on those!

Didn't mean to hijack the thread, but I swear it's all about that tie-wire!
 
I stole these from the 'net. The tie wire is # 43. Someone with more experience on the technical end will need to tell you how and why they work.

It's just designed to stop the stylus moving backwards and forwards (in and out) as it plays the record. However, not all cartridge designers used them - I saw an old interview recently where a prominent cartridge designer (possibly Peter Pritchard, ex-GE, and founder of ADC and Sonus, but it may have been someone else) said he didn't use them because he thought they resonated like a guitar string, colouring the sound! So there were several theories as to whether they were necessary.
 
The Jico from Jico Pickering D1200 which also fits the 680/681 is fantastic. Yes, it has the tie wire. Sure, it’s “just” a .3 x .7 elliptical, but the level of polish is excellent and it sounds head and shoulders above the cheaper ones (which aren’t cheap anymore). It sounds darn close to Stereohedron. The brush is nicer, too, as a bonus.
Does this one have the tie wire? https://www.jico-stylus.com/product_info.php?cPath=91&products_id=1538

I would assume given the price that this other one does:
https://www.jico-stylus.com/product_info.php?cPath=91&products_id=788
 
This thread has been very educational. Thanks to all who have contributed!

I just have one minor caveat to add:

Don't assume the presence of a soldered tie wire guarantees a high quality stylus. The worst stylus I have ever owned was an N75E replacement manufactured by Normarh in Columbia. It had the soldered tie wire and LOOKED like a high quality replacement. In actual use, it was the worst stylus I have ever owned, in term of both sound quality and tracking. I compared it to the original 38-year old Shure stylus, a Pfanstiehl 0.3 x 0.7 mil ellipitcal and a JICO made EVG 0.3 x 0.7 mil elliptical. The JICO made EVG was the clear winner, by a substantial margin, followed by the Pfanstiehl and the 38-year old Shure (with unknown hours on it) and then the Normarh, a very distant last.

All testing was done using the same cartridge, same tonearm, same turntable, same records in the same system. The only variables were the stylii and the VTF (which I varied over the recommended range for each stylus). My conclusion was that the JICO made EVG, even though it lacks a tie wire, is an excellent sounding, excellent tracking stylus. The Pfanstiehl was neither great nor offensive, but given the comparable prices, I definitely prefer the EVG. The original Shure stylus was definitely a victim of worn diamond tip. I knew this going in (that's why I ordered a replacement in the first place).

The Normarh, in spite of the quality appearance, was absolute junk. It constantly mistracked across it's entire recommended VTF range (2 - 4g) and had harsh, distorted highs (actually painful to listen to for any length of time). The EVG tracked like a champ in the 1 - 1.5g range (recommended range 0.75 - 1.5). I finally settled on 1.25g.

Second caveat: JICO is no longer an OEM supplier for EVG. Current EVG production is coming from Switzerland (presumably from Pfanstiehl). There are still some of the JICO made EVGs in existing inventory at a few dealers, but if that's what you want, know your dealer and confirm the EVG stylus you will receive was made in Japan, not Switzerland.
 
I remember reading that Pritchard did not like tie wires because they pick up vibrations from the stylus and then transfer them back to the stylus as a reflection after hitting where the wire is soldered.
 
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