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Kenwood KD-5070 Cartridge recommendation

B

Bob Risser

Member
I just acquired a mint KD-5070 TT that plays flawlessly. The cartridge is an R1000XT with a Shure X8 stylis. I found that the cartridge is apparently an radio Shack model made by Shure, but I can't find any info as to how good a cart it is. It sounds nice.
Anyone have any experience with this cart?
I would be interested in other cartridge recommendations for this turntable.

Thanks, Bob
 
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I'm fairly certain that is the equivalent of the Shure M75 cartridge. So whatever fits an M75 should fit your cartridge. I'm not a big Shure fan myself, but, many are and still use Shures of that vintage. Replacement styli, not necessarily Shure, are readily available.
Do an AK search on the M75. Hopefully others will jump in with support for you, as well.
 
And as far as recommendations, no one will give you a good answer until you provide-
your budget
rough outline of what you listen to (and dear God, don't say "everything")
associated equipment
do you think you lean towards a more analytical sound or a more warmer sound- no wrong answer here; think about this one

Your Shure M75 clone with an appropriate stylus may be a great option for you.
 
Thanks ctjetta. My favorite music is classical. after that blues and 70's rock and roll. Budget would be $200.00. As to sound?? not warmer. I guessI like bright clean sound not to heavy on the bass. I like it too be there but not overwhelming. Not sure that makes sense. I have a Ortofon 2m red on my u-turn orbit and I like the way it sounds.
 
Equipment: Onkyo RX810 with Polk Audio T50s, and a Sony 250 watt sub. Have the polk t series center and surrounds but I only listen to vinyl in stereo
 
As I'm reading I'm thinking "Ortofon" and then you said that's what you have.
I'm not familiar with the current Ortofon line but from what I've read here on AK it's the sound you're looking for.
You say you have the Red and I don't know if you plan to keep it or not but easiest upgrade is just purchasing the Blue stylus.
If you're looking to purchase an additional cartridge, and not a second Red, in your budget I'm guessing an Audio Technica would be a good alternative.
I haven't heard a Nagaoka, but it's highly regarded.
Denon's HOMC's could be an option if you can find one with low hours in your budget.

For your purposes Grado bad! No Grado's for you.
More experienced Shure users can probably suggest which stylus options might work for your Shure clone.

And I'm sure there are options that other AKers will recommend.
 
I would look at Audio Technica cartridges in your price range. They have the sound you describe. You should also be able to get a pretty nice model with the budget you have stated.
 
Yes, the AT cartridges do have a bit of a high end peak that can be tamed, if needed, with cartridge loading (a resistor across and RCA plug on a y-adapter to the phono input). They have a new line up out but the older 440 is a nice cartridge, too.
 
If your cartridge is a Shure M75 clone, buy a new stylus for it. TheM75 sounds really good on my KD5070.
 
Strictly for nitpicks and niggles, the R1000XT isn't an M75; it's a derivative of the Era III/IV M95/M97. Because of the restrictive plastic mounting cap, it takes the same styli as the Me95ED. It also accepts the Radio Shack RS8X and Shure's NDC styli, which include the Hyperelliptical NDC-HE (likely very hard to find).
Shure R1000XT front, no stylus.jpg Shure R1000XT playing attitude.jpg
I call this style of Shure body the V-bottom.
Now, having said that, if you can find a good M75-family stylus, it will fit and work in the R1000XT body if the little side wings are clipped off. Caveat: Because the V-bottoms are magnetically different from the earlier flat-bottom M75/M91 bodies, there are increases in the treble compared to the same stylus in an M75 body.
Since Shure has left the building, so to speak, I think an Ortofon or Audio-Technica cartridge would be a splendid idea.
 
Last edited:
Bob Risser said:
I just acquired a mint KD-5070 TT that plays flawlessly. The cartridge is an R1000XT with a Shure X8 stylis. I found that the cartridge is apparently an radio Shack model made by Shure, but I can't find any info as to how good a cart it is. It sounds nice.
Anyone have any experience with this cart?
I would be interested in other cartridge recommendations for this turntable.

Thanks, Bob
Click to expand...

There is a VividLine upgrade / replacement stylus available for the Shure 8X stylus - $79.00. :music:.
https://www.lpgear.com/product/SHR8XHE.html
 
Strictly for nitpicks and niggles, the R1000XT isn't an M75; it's a derivative of the Era III/IV M95/M97. It takes the same styli as the Me95ED.

Wualta,
Thank you for the correction. Not so much a nitpick or niggle, to me. I'd much rather get the proper replacement than alter a "usable" one unnecessarily.
 
And, given your experience Wualta, as the Ortofon Red falls at the bottom of his budget (and he already has one) and the Blue too far above, aren't there AT's that would be the best options?
Looking at one vendor, there are very attractive AT's between $100 and $200; the 440MLb is now just under $240.
 
Being an irredeemable cheapskate, I'd try to grab a Stylus 20 from Ortofon's OM series if I could find an affordable one (they fit the Red and look really hilarious in that apparently huge body)-- I have a Digitrac 20 rough-equivalent in an old lightweight Concorde and it's very capable. This could be the more expensive of the two strategies I'm sketching here.

Alternatively, I'd get an AT95E and try to jazz it up with a high-performance aftermarket stylus (I have a hyperelliptical stylus for mine that I'm very impressed with). But if there are new A-Ts in their new lineup that are within the budget, my standard advice is to buy the best that can be comfortably bought.
 
I been listening to this table non-stop through my main system for a couple of days. I have to say the R1000XT sounds pretty good to me. I looked at the Vividline upgrade at LP Gear and that is very tempting. I can always spend the rest of my budget on records :)

Thanks again everyone
 
It's been widely posted, but so we don't leave an unturned stone, the original Shure Ne95ED stylus (just right for the R1000XT) is still available from Amazon and other online sellers.
 
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Bob Risser said:
I been listening to this table non-stop through my main system for a couple of days. I have to say the R1000XT sounds pretty good to me. I looked at the Vividline upgrade at LP Gear and that is very tempting. I can always spend the rest of my budget on records :)

Thanks again everyone
Click to expand...

If you are happy with the sound, using the budget to put new in place of worn stylus and the rest of the funds to more records is a fine way to go.
 
Since you like the sound you have now I would just replace the stylus for now. When you get around to experimenting check out the Audio Technica line. My favorite for the money is the AT-7V detailed but not bright. Under $200 at LP Gear.
 
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