Help Identifying Cartridge

[Rocks]

I bought a used Toshiba SR-210 turntable. It had a headshell and cartridge by no stylus. I couldn't identify the stylus so I replace cartridge and stylus.

This cart is probably still good so I don't want the throw it out. But without knowing what it is, it's unusable. It has "made in japan" and the number "631" on it but all searches come up with nothing that looks like this cartridge.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

 

[lini]

Any help would be appreciated.

That's an Audio Technica AT70 family body with missing top plate.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

 

[Nat]

Looks like one of the many cartridges AT made for turntable makers to mount on tables. It was quite likely badged Toshiba, but I believe it is an AT. There are various different styli you can use on it, so the exact sound quality depends on the stylus.
You have to type faster than I do to beat Lini at identification of cartridges and styli.

 

[Rocks]

That's an Audio Technica AT70 family body with missing top plate.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

Thanks for the quick reply. Not sure I follow about the missing top plate? Even more confusing, I search for AT-70 and the pictures look completely different. One on LP Gear looks like mine but I don’t see any “top plate”.

 

[Dswankey]

That's an Audio Technica AT70 family body with missing top plate.

.. Not sure I follow about the missing top plate? Even more confusing, I search for AT-70 and the pictures look completely different.

There are TONS of pictorial examples of this common cartridge, here's but one

One on LP Gear looks like mine but I don’t see any “top plate”.

That's because they didn't show a picture of the Top of the cartridge as seen above

Audio-Technica AT70 cartridge

Check out the deal on Audio-Technica AT70 cartridge at LP Gear

www.lpgear.com

 

[Rocks]

Thanks all for the replies.

Very useful

Thanks!

 

[lini]

(...) It was quite likely badged Toshiba, but I believe it is an AT. (...)

Toshiba indeed used a few AT70 family models as stock cartridges for certain turntable models - including the SR-210, which according to the American user manual came with the C-55M (with needle N-55D). Concluding from the specs, that would have been either a renamed AT71 (with needle ATN71) - or maybe just an AT70 (with needle ATN70), in case Toshiba was a bit optimistic with the tracking force.

Well, and maybe Toshiba didn't see a good reason for ordering a custom top plate and decided to go for no top plate at all instead - who knows...

(...) This cart is probably still good so I don't want the throw it out. (...)

Assuming, that this would mean, that you'd like to buy a needle for it (and that you're located in the US): Well, a few US vendors still offer original replacement needles for the AT70 family - typically in Pfanstiehl-repacked form. I.e., Thevoiceofmusic(.com) still offers the ATN70 (as 206-D6C) and the ATN71 (as 206-D6T) - both of which Jukeboxrecords(.org) also still offers for slightly higher prices. However Jukeboxrecords also still offers the elliptical variants ATN71E (as 206-DET) and ATN72E (as 206-DEM). Just like the ATN70 and ATN71, which both are 0.6 mil conical variants, merely differing in tracking force (2 to 3 g for the former, 1.5 to 2.5 g for the latter), the ATN71E and ATN72E also both are 0.4 x 0.7 mil ellipticals, merely differing in tracking force (1.5 to 2.5 g for the former, 1 to 2 g for the latter) - with the nominal/suggested tracking force for each of these needles being be the median value of the specified range. So if you'd like to use the cartridge on the SR-210, you'd probably best consider the ATN71 or ATN71E. Whereas for a lighter tonearm the ATN72E would be a better idea - and for a heavier arm the ATN70. And for a really heavy tonearm you'd better look somewhere else for an ATN70L.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

 

[KentTeffeteller]

This is definitely an Audio-Technica AT-70-AT71 cartridge. Also can accept AT-71 styli. Quite a few turntables came with them. A popular cartridge in the 1976-1979 era. Was quite good for the price.