Buying new stylus for untested cartridge?

[Sci525]

I've just gotten a table with a Shure M95ED cart without stylus. I know nothing about its history. I'm interested in getting a new JICO stylus for it, but I'm worried about investing $70+ in a new needle without knowing if the cart is OK.

From your experience, is this a concern? Is it worth buying a cheap $20 needle to check that its working before investing in something better?

Thanks!

 

[gary7]

You can use a DMM to test that ether channel are open. Any Aker that knows how please give a how to on this.

 

[Sci525]

Great. I think I found a good description of the testing in this thread.

https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/testing-a-cartridge-with-a-multimeter.375188/

 

[ETI_5000]

Also see this handy video (credit to the poster)

.

The industry standard colour coding for the connector pins for each channel are white and blue for the left channel, and red and green for the right channel. Red for Right is a handy way of remembering the colour coding for the right channel, which also usually applies to RCA connectors for the right channel, with the left channel usually being white, but that isn’t as easy to remember.

 

[MRL_Audio]

Yep. Do that on every used cartridge I buy. Nothing worse then mounting and doing some setup only to find... it's shot.

 

[gadget73]

Agreed. If the ohm check is good, it will work. Not really much to mag cartridges, its a coil of wire in a box. If the coil is good, waving a magnet in front of it will produce output.

 

[Wolfie62]

A good, cheap needle can be gotten from TTN, $31. Elliptical, but great performer, no sibilance like the real cheap ones. If from Jico, Id go for the N95HE. Its more expensive, but VERY good.

 

[Sci525]

Thanks all. Just getting around to testing them today. I've got an M91ED in a drawer that I totally forgot about too.

If from Jico, Id go for the N95HE. Its more expensive, but VERY good.

Yeah! That's what I was planning. Good to hear you like it.

 

[Crab33]

The M95ED is one of my favourite cartridges - had one in the late 70s and now I've got another couple. I use it with a NOS original stylus but I found the Jico N95ED stylus I got from William Thakker in Europe to be fairly close to the original (think they're branded as Thakker Japan now). No doubt the HE would be better though. I had an EVG stylus when I first re-bought the cartridge, which was truly awful, although I have had decent EVG styli for other cartridges.

 

[Wolfie62]

The M95ED is one of my favourite cartridges - had one in the late 70s and now I've got another couple. I use it with a NOS original stylus but I found the Jico N95ED stylus I got from William Thakker in Europe to be fairly close to the original (think they're branded as Thakker Japan now). No doubt the HE would be better though. I had an EVG stylus when I first re-bought the cartridge, which was truly awful, although I have had decent EVG styli for other cartridges.

EVG Japan is quite decent. Other EVG suppliers are not so good. EVG Japan is the same as I bought from Turntable Needles, Bliss brand. Identical in every way.

 

[Joel66]

EVG Japan is quite decent. Other EVG suppliers are not so good. EVG Japan is the same as I bought from Turntable Needles, Bliss brand. Identical in every way.

This is good to know. I need to pick up a new stylus for my M75EJ.

 

[polypetalous]

The M95ED is one of my favourite cartridges - had one in the late 70s and now I've got another couple. I use it with a NOS original stylus but I found the Jico N95ED stylus I got from William Thakker in Europe to be fairly close to the original (think they're branded as Thakker Japan now). No doubt the HE would be better though. I had an EVG stylus when I first re-bought the cartridge, which was truly awful, although I have had decent EVG styli for other cartridges.

Ive had mixed results with the EVG N95ED stylus', but really never truly "happy" with them... but they are (IMO) WAYYYY better than the Pfanstiel (sp?) N95ED.
I have NOT heard the Jico HE... but can also recommend the LP Gear N95HE (@ ~$80, less shipping).
I have been very pleased with it.

Ben

 

[Trekkie4]

A good, cheap needle can be gotten from TTN, $31. Elliptical, but great performer, no sibilance like the real cheap ones. If from Jico, Id go for the N95HE. Its more expensive, but VERY good.

Thanks all. Just getting around to testing them today. I've got an M91ED in a drawer that I totally forgot about too.


Yeah! That's what I was planning. Good to hear you like it.

Depending on your location, you can get one of these:


These sell for as low as $15 & sound amazing! It's a conical, but from what I can tell it was made up to specs in terms of output voltage & stereo separation!

The M95ED is one of my favourite cartridges - had one in the late 70s and now I've got another couple. I use it with a NOS original stylus but I found the Jico N95ED stylus I got from William Thakker in Europe to be fairly close to the original (think they're branded as Thakker Japan now). No doubt the HE would be better though. I had an EVG stylus when I first re-bought the cartridge, which was truly awful, although I have had decent EVG styli for other cartridges.

This is good to know. I need to pick up a new stylus for my M75EJ.

Wouldn't know about EVG, but Jico sounds very, VERY good. I got mine through Thakker, it was marketed as "Thakker Japan", but it arrived labeled as "Jico"

 

[Crab33]

Wouldn't know about EVG, but Jico sounds very, VERY good. I got mine through Thakker, it was marketed as "Thakker Japan", but it arrived labeled as "Jico"

I think that confirms the already strong suspicion that Thakker Japan are Jico-sourced. When I got my N95ED stylus from Thakker, they were advertised as Jico on the Thakker site, but then they changed the branding to Thakker Japan.

With EVG, I think it depends on where they were sourced from. It used to be rumoured that some came from Jico, but I'm pretty confident that my N95ED didn't. On the other hand, I bought EVG-branded N95EJ and N91ED styli that could well be Jicos.

 

[Trekkie4]

I think that confirms the already strong suspicion that Thakker Japan are Jico-sourced. When I got my N95ED stylus from Thakker, they were advertised as Jico on the Thakker site, but then they changed the branding to Thakker Japan.

With EVG, I think it depends on where they were sourced from. It used to be rumoured that some came from Jico, but I'm pretty confident that my N95ED didn't. On the other hand, I bought EVG-branded N95EJ and N91ED styli that could well be Jicos.

Right... This actually isn't related to Thakker, but I picked up a generic N 92E replacement a while ago, which seems to actually be N 99E, or at least some sort of hybrid between the two.


There wasn't any information available, but it had a black dot on the cantilever, which made me believe that it was Jico-made. Further investigation (and posting the pic here on AK) additionally confirmed this theory, as most folks agreed that it looks like a Jico. I suppose that without official (and legal) confirmation, or at least looking through the microscope it would be impossible to confirm the origin.

 

[Sci525]

The M91ED has a dead channel. That's how it ended up forgotten in a drawer, but the M95 looks good and I just purchased the JICO HE. Not cheap, but the cart was free so I imagine it will be a good deal over buying a new cart in that price range.