Ok first and last warning - this is a posting from a p-mount fanboy....
1) P-mounts are mostly low end (myth)
This is complete mythology, it was originally designed and released by Technics who defined the T4P standard, and all of their initial released T4P tables and cartridges were distinctly high end....
The ease of use, and simplicity made them a logical step for all the tables intended to be sold to people who know nothing about TT's and want something that just plugs-and-plays.... so they came to dominate the low end.
At the high end there were quite a few entrants in the competition - but lots of audiophiles are geeks who like to fiddle with stuff - and the T4P standard was designed to eliminate a lot of the fuffing about.... so it never achieved the same domination in mid and high end that it achieved at the low end.
2) High quality p-mounts
First thing to keep in mind is that there are very few current manufacturers of p-mount cartridges, so we are mostly talking about vintage cartridges - for some of which styli are still available - for others you have to scrounge for NOS or use a retipper.
Current production p-mounts:
Grado - the grado p-mounts use the fitting, but do not comply with the T4P standard, the versions available in the 80's and early 90's had styli that allowed them to be T4P compliant (VTF=1.25g) whereas all the current styli run best at around 1.7g - way outside the T4P standard.
If your arm has adjustable VTF - these can be nice, can also be upgraded with the 8MZ, MCZ, TLZ styli. (which takes them well into the levels of performance provided by the Grado 1/2" woodies)
Audio Technica - the AT92 (and its relatives) are the last surviving AT p-mount, they use the same core body as the AT95, in a p-mount fitting and with styli correctly adjusted for T4P tracking requirements. They are surprisingly good and huge value for money. - can also be upgraded with aftermarket styli including HE, VL and Shibata.
Shure - M92e - the house of Shure also used to have quite a number of p-mount models, the M92e is the only surviving one, the body is electrically identical to the M97xe - and in fact you can fit the N97xE stylus to the M92e.
The N92e stylus is... disappointing, the N97xE is much much better, economical stylus options exist from Jico, and fitted with the top of the line Jico SAS stylus turns this very cheap cartridge into an economy high end contender.
Sanyo / RedEd p-mount - this is a very basic and very economical cartridge, the p-mount version suffers from the same problem as the Grado's - the styli need higher VTF than allowed for in the T4P standard - so they are OK for an adjustable arm, but not for a fixed one. only two styli available - basic conical and basic eliptical.
For those who want something more high end.... I have the following cartridges myself:
Shure V15Vp
The p-mount version of the legendary V15V family - original styli are still available new - and yes they have the ultralight beryllium tube cantilever and the MR stylus.
More economically and also at a very very high performance level - the Jico SAS stylus is available for this body.
Ortofon OMP20/30/40, 520/530/540p
Ortofon no longer make the P-mount version of the OM and 5xx families - but styli for both families are still available - they are just as good as their 1/2" relatives.... an OMP30 or 530P is a high end performer by any measure. (I have not tried the 40's...)
Ortofon MC100/200 - these were very highly regarded in the early 80's when they were considered a reference cartridge by a number of well known reviewers. very low output moving coil, with fine boron cantilever and fineline stylus. - Only option with these now is retipping, but NOS ones do continue to crop up periodically. (was also rebadged by Empire)
Audio Technica AT102 family (102/112/122/132/142/152 and sold under many alternate brands and codes eg: SLT96, TK6Ep, TK4p, Realistic RX1500)
This body is of the same family as the 1/2" AT120/440/150 which are still current - and they can take the styli from the 1/2" cousins.
Original styli are getting rare, and the 1/2" styli usually track at a higher VTF than required for T4P. - but these are every bit as good as the 1/2" cousins - an AT1x2 with an ATN150MLx stylus is definitely not to be sneezed at!! (the slightly heavier stylus of the 1/2" mount gives it the additional VTF it needs to work well in a standard T4P setting)
Good to very good styli are available aftermarket - but nothing in the top end exotic category (other than the ATN150MLx)
Technics EPCP100 and EPCP205
These legendary cartridges are considered some of the best ever made regardless of format - I have a 205, unfortunately without stylus, and the styli are now completely unobtainable, and there are no aftermarket options for the p-mount versions. (Yes the Jico SAS is available for the 1/2" version but not for the p-mount versions)
Retipping is the ONLY alternative - so don't lose those broken styli, as without that stylus/holder there is nothing to retip! (a quandary in which I find myself!)
There are many more examples - Sumiko had a legendary MC in p-mount format, which was considered better than the then available 1/2" mount exemplar... I have never seen one or heard it.
To get the best from p-mount sort of requires digging into the vintage cartridges.... best (easy) options are the AT1x2 family, Shure M92 with SAS, and the Ortofon OMP's - readily easily found on ebay/craigslist etc... and with new styli of good quality readily available.
bye for now
David
