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ADC Cart ID?

Jeff Branch

Jeff Branch

New Member
Hello. I have a 1974 Pioneer PL-10 manual turntable that my sister bought new and left with me in 1979. The cart says "ADC" but no other ID, stylus is K8E. The cart is a black plastic base and chromed metal body, is there any way to positively ID it? Secondly, how long do carts last? I believe this to be the original cart and the only one ever used.IMG_0677.jpegIMG_0678.jpegIMG_0679.jpeg
 
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malden said:
There were several ADC cartridges with that body style, the only way to differentiate between them is to measure either the DC resistance or inductance of the coils
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Thank you. I have a Fluke at work, this is one more reason I need to get it back from the guys in my group I loaned it to. LOL!
 
Considering this was part of an entry level system in 1974 (Pioneer SX-434 receiver and a pair of Ohm Model E speakers) what would have been an appropriate ADC cart in that time?
 
I still have an old ADC, and we used to sell them. But they were all black and gold. I've never seen the blue faceplate before. Probably an "entry level" unit, as your post eludes to.
 
Artie said:
I still have an old ADC, and we used to sell them. But they were all black and gold. I've never seen the blue faceplate before. Probably an "entry level" unit, as your post eludes to.
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The K8E stylus is blue, the body of the cart is shiny chrome with a black plastic base. Just "ADC" in the plastic molding, no other model identifiers or distinctive features that I can see.
 
How long does a cartridge last? Not just ADC, but in general? Do cartridges ever have to be replaced, or just the stylus periodically?
 
malden said:
There were several ADC cartridges with that body style, the only way to differentiate between them is to measure either the DC resistance or inductance of the coils
Click to expand...
With my cheapie $10 volt-ohm meter at home I measure 380 ohms on the left (L8 and L6) and 397 ohms on the right (R8 and R6).
 
The body you have is not an original K body-- the Ks were all blue plastic on silver body shells-- but it's not inferior or superior to a K body, and it has perfect ohmage for a K8 or any of the other K series styli. The 8s are a favorite for sampling the ADC sound inexpensively. The flat metal nameplate on your K8 stylus tells us it was made in Japan for ADC near the bitter end, when cost-cutting became apparent. US-made originals are all molded plastic, as you see below, and I recommend trying to find them.
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These turn out to be very good performers, as they should have been-- BSR had just bought ADC and were selling their changers/turntables with K cartridges installed.
 
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The K 8 model is from the mid 70's. It was just about the bottom of the ADC offerings, but ADC made very nice music so in this case the bottom is not equal to junk. The K 8 stylus was .4 x . 7 elliptical. The resistance puts the cartridge similar to the XLM Mk ii ( not improved ). You can still buy the conical version of that stylus from Gary at The Voice of Music. It will set you back 19 bucks. It is meant to track at 2-3 grams.
 
Wualta may be right that the K8es were on bodies with blue plastic. But if there is any difference, the black plastic body would be better since they were on the higher level models . It was one of ADC's entry level cartridges, with a large elliptical and a moderately high tracking force - 2-3 grams. I believe it had rather high output, which is often beneficial.
It would be worth checking for stylus wear, but it is quite possible that it is perfectly usable, and will probably please you. If it is worn, I would have no hesitation about getting the conical version - large ellipticals don't offer all that much advantage, if any, over conicals.
 
Thank you. I recently found out about VM, and will be a customer as I have 2 stereo consoles with VM record changers. I found out he's just across town from me, about 30 miles. I have no idea how old the stylus is. I replaced the belt in the early 2000's maybe, I may have replaced it then but I have no memory of that. Since I'm going to service the PL-10 I figured I'd simply replace the K8E stylus as the quickest/cheapest route. Once I have the turntable in use again I can play with other carts at that time. Is the sky the limit, or considering it's just a PL-10 is there a sensible range to stay within?
 
Jeff Branch said:
Thank you. I recently found out about VM, and will be a customer as I have 2 stereo consoles with VM record changers. I found out he's just across town from me, about 30 miles. I have no idea how old the stylus is. I replaced the belt in the early 2000's maybe, I may have replaced it then but I have no memory of that. Since I'm going to service the PL-10 I figured I'd simply replace the K8E stylus as the quickest/cheapest route. Once I have the turntable in use again I can play with other carts at that time. Is the sky the limit, or considering it's just a PL-10 is there a sensible range to stay within?
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VM is a great vendor and has always delivered in spades. Great to buy from.
 
PL 10 serviced should be a nice sounding turntable. There are threads here about servicing them. Vintage Electronics.net has the belt for it. ( Gary might too ) Replace the foam in the suspension springs and clean where the belt rides including the motor pully with alcohol and a old toothbrush. Lube the Motor and spindle bearing too. You may need to replace the signal wires. The K 8 conical stylus is worth an audition. At least it will give you a taste of the ADC sound.

The Ohm E is actually a nice sounding speaker. You should check the surrounds on the woofers though. It would not surprise me if you found the foam has turned to dust in the 49 years that speaker has been around.
 
revox-b77 said:
PL 10 serviced should be a nice sounding turntable. There are threads here about servicing them. Vintage Electronics.net has the belt for it. ( Gary might too ) Replace the foam in the suspension springs and clean where the belt rides including the motor pully with alcohol and a old toothbrush. Lube the Motor and spindle bearing too. You may need to replace the signal wires. The K 8 conical stylus is worth an audition. At least it will give you a taste of the ADC sound.

The Ohm E is actually a nice sounding speaker. You should check the surrounds on the woofers though. It would not surprise me if you found the foam has turned to dust in the 49 years that speaker has been around.
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Thank you. Yes, I've seen a video or two, not much on the PL-10 but PL-12D is very similar, and a manual turntable is a simple enough place to start before tackling the 4 speed automatic changers. LOL! I've always liked the sound of the Ohm speakers, and I have pair of 2-way Rectilinear Model XI. I'm thinking of adding a modest subwoofer, that should about do it, and a lot less expensive than investing in more speakers at this time.
 
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