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Pickering and Stanton Users and Collectors.

Sometimes they just go away. I have a Pickering V15 with no pedigree label on it. OE stylus, absolutely no idea what it is. I want t say the stylus grip is gold color but I'd have to go dig it out.
 
EP-HIFI.jpg EP-HIFI-2.jpg EP-HIFI-3.jpg
I believe this is the last HiFi Pickering cartridge model. EP-HiFi. The literature says Stanton Magnetics LLC, Hollywood, FL. Specifications are rather sparse:
Frequency Response: 20-20kHz; output 3.5mV; Channel Sep 30dB; DC Resistance: 830 ohms; Inductance: 810mH; tracking: .75 - 1.5 grams; Stylus tip: 0.4x0.7mil elliptical. It's a bonded stylus, low grade diamond. Looks to be a twin of the Epoch cartridge, a high-end Stanton model fitted with a low-end stylus.
 
freQ(*)Oddio said:
this XV15 just popped on the auction , free shipping $49 bin, seemed reasonably priced compared to the Stanton 681, says works excellent, with dustamatic 750 stylus in good playing condition. seller has 100% rating with a few other carts for sale, so I went with it., dam I need another headshell!View attachment 1009436
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I think that particular shiny gold body came with the D750E stylus . The 1200E has a similar gold tone, but all the ones that I've seen have an XV-15 1200E sticker on the side (I own one). The 1800S body color is the same again, but the side sticker is clear with black writing, whereas the 750 sticker looks to be black with gold writing. They both just say "Pickering XV-15" like the lower models. I know that they're all the same internally, but hey it's the aesthetics! I picked up a D1800S stylus a couple years back for some decent scratch, but it's in my "reserved for special listening occasions" collection!
 
saunadog said:
I think that particular shiny gold body came with the D750E stylus . The 1200E has a similar gold tone, but all the ones that I've seen have an XV-15 1200E sticker on the side (I own one). The 1800S body color is the same again, but the side sticker is clear with black writing, whereas the 750 sticker looks to be black with gold writing. They both just say "Pickering XV-15" like the lower models. I know that they're all the same internally, but hey it's the aesthetics! I picked up a D1800S stylus a couple years back for some decent scratch, but it's in my "reserved for special listening occasions" collection!
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i am looking at a .2 x .7 special listening stylus for this cart to try also, i think the 1200 is ? i know the 1800s is , i think a 1800s from lp gear is $129. the 1200 is $79, i see some nos stylus for for $450? no way not in this guys budget,
 
starcopy said:
I currently have a Pickering DE stylus on my black Stanton 500-II mounted in a low mass straight tonearm -- it's a nice combination.
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i love a Pickering de on my 500, i wonder if lp gear will run out of the original pickering new ones, I think about picking up a few, even though its a .4 , it is a great sounding stylus
 

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OK -

a) Pickering XSV4000 with a Stereohedron D5000 stylus -

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b) Stanton 881S, with a Stereohedron D81S stylus -

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Some of the best carts and styli I've ever used, though not compatible with the Thorens TP16 (mod) tonearm I'm currently using, so they are in storage.
I'm using the 881S with a Pfanstiehl 4822-DEE, which is compatible with the tonearm, for "everyday use", and it lets some 80-85% (personal subjective estimate :) ) of the cart's amazing capabilities shine through, for just 40$.

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Considering that the cart can be had for 80-100$, IMHO, it's probably the best cost-effective quality to buy these days...
 
freQ(*)Oddio said:
i love a Pickering de on my 500, i wonder if lp gear will run out of the original pickering new ones, I think about picking up a few, even though its a .4 , it it a great sounding stylus
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I agree. I've never owned a .4 before. The .4 sort of scared me but somehow the DE manages to pull quite a bit of info from the grooves.
 
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ok my Dame 3 arrived this morning, along with a 2 gram head shell weight to help offset the extra brush gram thats needed, i also want to see how a little more mass might work by drawing the counter weight out, and adding a little head shell weight, i installed the new stylus on my oldest 500 with the decal under the very bottom, so i zero out, then added 2.5g on the counter that puts me at 1.5g on the stylus , I can immediately tell the brush must be doing something with stability of the stylus, for one thing the visual marantz scope i have is as stable as a cd playing, it would show more unpredictable lines with a turntable signal before, also with other carts and stylus on i have not had this complete perfectly stable, super high fidelity experience yet with larger sound stage and layers happening, my new parasound system and Kef r300s speakers are sounding like a new audio reference setup to me now, not just a new system. I have found my sound and will be ordering a few more of this stylus. the used xv 15 d750 coming in the mail has some large shoes to fill. Its great to have a sound now that lets me play my albums and enjoy them completely, the new carts i have from the other manuf are in a box now, I am not finished with the nagaoka mp110, i want to love that cart like everyone does, so i will spend some more time on setting it up right, but for now its Stanton and Pickering magic !
 

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Here is a 681 with a Stereohedron II stylus from Plainview NY. I have yet to see another one. It's individually calibrated but the numbers are very close to the Pickering XV-15 series. The stylus should work with the Pickering.

681II-1.jpg 681II-2.jpg 681II-A.jpg 681II-B.jpg 681II-3.jpg 681II-4.jpg
 
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I received the $49 xv -15/ 750 today, took some crude before and after closeups of the stylus cleaning i think the stylus it spent ,but cleaned it up anyhow and may give it a quick run , cart tested 1276/1280 on meter.
 

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freQ(*)Oddio said:
I received the $49 xv -15/ 750 today, took some crude before and after closeups of the stylus cleaning i think the stylus it spent ,but cleaned it up anyhow and may give it a quick run , cart tested 1276/1280 on meter.
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WOW, I'd send this out to Andy Kim and have him look at it and potentially clean it up. He did that for one of my XLZ-7500's when I bought 2 of them. 1 needed to be rebuilt with the cantilever and diamond, and the second was in great condition, so he cleaned it only. The 625 is where the xv-15 starts to get into "audiophile" status, all the way up to the D-1800 S. You could also get the Jico shibata for this and really open it up if the 750 is shot. Or throw on the Pfanstiehl 4822DEE stylus for under $40.00. You'll have to track it slightly heavier in the beginning until it breaks in, but it's a nice replacement as well. And I also use the 4822 on my 881S MKII. It's actually on my Dual 1019 right now as I'm typing this listening to some Doobie Brothers. The XV-15 is a really nice cart and is under priced versus it's Stanton cousin.
 
Rummaged through my box and found some OEM Pickerings. I believe these are unused but can't be sure.
D1200E 2.x.7mil elliptical. Nude mounted diamond. Recommended tracking force: 0.75 gram.
D750E .3x.7mil elliptical. Nude mounted diamond. Recommended tracking force: 1 gram.

D1200-A.jpg D750-A.jpg
 
Here is the D625
.3x.7mil elliptical bonded diamond. Recommended tracking force: 1 gram.
D625-A.jpg
Notice the shape of the D750 cantilever. It's different from the D1200 and D625
 
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