Audio Technica LS580/LT Cartridge

[TnSquatch]

Been an audiophile since 1973. Bought an AT LS580/LT cartridge with stylus at a yard sale. It's a 1/2" mount .....
I've always used Shure, Pickering & ADC carts & know nothing about this one.
I've looked high & low & cannot find any info.
Any stats would be greatly appreciated.

 

[lini]

TnS: If I'm not mistaken, that should rather be a renamed AT102P family T4P/P-mount model (which might be iinstalled in a halfinch-mount adaptor, though...), but unfortunately I'm not quite sure, of which AT102P family model exactly. So you'd probably best post a pic - especially as it might not be equipped with the original needle anymore, anyway...

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

 

[TnSquatch]

TnS: If I'm not mistaken, that should rather be a renamed AT102P family T4P/P-mount model (which might be iinstalled in a halfinch-mount adaptor, though...), but unfortunately I'm not quite sure, of which AT102P family model exactly. So you'd probably best post a pic - especially as it might not be equipped with the original needle anymore, anyway...

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

Thank you, Manfred.....you may be onto something. I know it looks a bit odd to me. Like i said, this is the first AT cart i've ever owned. I used to have an old Yamaha tt, back in the 80's, that had an Ortofon p mount cart, this one kinda reminds me of it. ....i will shoot some photos a bit later today and post them...might help solve this mystery. Again thank you. I appreciate your help.

Bryan/ TnSquatch

 

[bigaltx24]

AT made a lot of cartridges that were very similar, or even exactly the same, that were sold under numerous model numbers. I have an AT1010E which is based on or the same as an ATS10. I've never been able to find info on my cartridge, but styli are available. I bought 629-DE .2x.7 elliptical for it, sounds real nice. It splits time with my ADC XLM II. Buy a stylus for yours and give it a try.

 

[TnSquatch]

This AT cartridge has a stylus on it. When i'm out looking @ yard sales & such, i keep my jeweler's loup in my pocket & I couldn't see anything wrong...the cantilever is nice & straight & the diamond looks good.
I have not mounted it, nor tried to listen to it....primarily because i have several carts. I have an ADC XLM II, also! Here are some photos that i shot this afternoon.
Late Entry....Made 4 attempts to upload photos of this cartridge, with no success. Will try again tomorrow.

 

[tubewade]

Been an audiophile since 1973. Bought an AT LS580/LT cartridge with stylus at a yard sale. It's a 1/2" mount .....
I've always used Shure, Pickering & ADC carts & know nothing about this one.
I've looked high & low & cannot find any info.
Any stats would be greatly appreciated.

I'll concur with Manfred/Lini that it is from the 102P family. AT list the ATN122LP stylus as original replacement, which is a bonded Linear Contact. Is the stylus handle a very pale yellow/cream colour? If so, and it is branded Audio Technica, then it is indeed the AT122LP with correct stylus. It is a pretty nice stylus but most would probably consider it not quite as good as a finer nude mounted one, including the ATN132EP 0.2mil elliptical stylus.

 

[TnSquatch]

Thank you tubewade & Manfred/Lini for your help & your expertise. I tried several times to upload some detailed photos of it, but no dice. Any of you have problems with uploading photos here?
Yes, the stylus body is a creame coloured/ light yellow. The cartridge body itself is metallic, a stainless steel colour. I believe it is a P mount cart installed on a black plastic 1/2" mount adapter.
I have an old Yamaha tt that has a P mount headshell, but never knew a P-mount adapter even existed.
So, an old dog can learn new tricks

 

[AdamAnt316]

My Technics SL-10 was equipped with an A-T LS580/LT cartridge when I got it. The sound was rather lacking, so I swapped it out in favor of an LS450/LT cartridge I had on another turntable, which brought things back in line. Guessing the stylus on the LS580/LT is worn, so I'll have to find a replacement at some point. Here's a picture of the SL-10 as acquired:

 

[ignoramustot]

Hi all. At risk of reanimating an oldish thread, I recently bought a NOS NIB AT LS580/LT recently. It has a bonded ML tip (original ATN122LP, unused). I've attached some pictures to help illustrate the discussion earlier in this thread.

On guidance of @flavio81 , I also invested in one of the recently superseded AT VMN40ML stylus as a backup to the original ATN122LP, which hasn't been available for years (decades, probably). That should be an interesting comparison, given the ATN122LP is bonded microline and the VMN40ML is nude microline. I bet my ears can't tell the difference!

I've included a pic of the spec sheet that was included in the box because I know some folks like to read those as well. It came with the original ½ inch universal mount adapter and leads as well, as you can see in the pic.