Recent turntable acquisition. Help requested for stylus and/or headshell replacement.

[Jinxt]

I very recently acquired a new-to-me Sansui FR-5080 in good working condition and I need to make a decision. It came with an AT130E cart mounted to an AT Headshell (not sure which one, but looks exactly like the LS-12 but is missing the model number printed on top). The issue? The AT120E stylus attached to the cart had a partially busted cantilever that pulls hard to one side. I have a couple options and I wanted to get peoples' opinions and suggestions since there are so many here who have a wealth of experience and wisdom I shall never posses.

1) I could purchase a new headshell to replace the AT that's currently on it so that I am able to use my AT92E Cartridge with JICO Shibata stylus that only has a few hours of play time on it. Yes, it's a P-Mount cart, which is why I would need a different headshell as this one does not have mounting holes running completely through the headshell. With my 1/2" adapter I'm unable to properly mount it to this headshell.

2) I could purchase a replacement stylus for the AT130E. I believe LPGear currently has 120E styli in stock, as well as the ATN-440MLa (I wish I could get hold of a NOS 130E stylus though).

I'm running the TT into a Sony STR-7045 receiver and have a Sansui SE-9 EQ in the mix, outputting to a pair of Sansui SP-2500X speakers (not too shabby for a mancave setup in the garage if I do say so myself).

Now I'm by no means a full-on audiophile just yet, but I do enjoy music very much and I'm not too fond of a shrill high-end. I prefer tight bass to boomy, and while I tend to roll my mids down a bit due to sound preference I do need the mids I let through to have some grab and clarity. I listen mainly to modern metal music but also have a particular fondness for 90s grunge, industrial-adjacent music like Nine Inch Nails/Tool/Perfect Circle, and a wide smattering of classic 70s rock and 80s pop.

I enjoyed the 92E w/Shibata on my Sanyo TP-760 but have decided I'd rather make use of the Sony receiver and this fantastic Sansui Table vs the 80s plastic component setup I'm upgrading from (Good riddance).

Any input people are willing to share would help my indecisiveness immensely.

The FR-5080 ate into my play money quite a bit, but if a suggestion comes around that pushes my current budget (of maybe around $120 max at the moment) I would gladly pinch pennies and save up if there's something absolutely worth considering that would play into my musical preferences as listed above.

I appreciate the help if you have any to offer.

Thank you.

 

[danj]

The 5080 is a very good turntable. New headshells are cheap & abundant. You can buy them at a Guitar Center store or at any of the numerous sellers on the web, such as Amazon.com. A new stylus for the 130 would be a more expensive but even better choice, imo, as that would give you two good cartridges to use.

 

[boreas]

The LS-12 headshell would accept a T4P cartridge mounted to an adapter. You'd just need screws short enough not to bottom out in the holes. The issue would be alignment since the headshell isn't slotted and the two pairs of holes might not allow a correct alignment. Of course, that would be true for any cartridge.

John

 

[Jinxt]

I appreciate the responses. I actually decided to order an AT440MLa stylus to use on the 130E cart. It should arrive tomorrow along with an alignment protractor. I'm not sure if the 130E cart was ever properly aligned before (or how great alignment can get with only two sets of threaded holes in the headshell) so my new plan is to get things close enough tomorrow when the new stylus shows up and order a fully adjustable headshell to replace the Audio Technica next week.

So I guess new question... What headshells should I be looking at? Are the more expensive LP Gear shells worth the pricing?

I'm not very well educated on tonearms, can someone familiar with the Sansui FR-5080 educate me on what would be best to pair with its arm and the AT130E cart loaded with an ATN440MLa stylus?

 

[sanlanman]

Go to the web page for Esoteric Sound and buy the $55.00 headshell for their S320 arm. Its a good copy of the Jelco HS25 for less, and should fill your needs nicely. Web Page:

http://www.esotericsound.com/ArmsAndHeadshells.htm

 

[Jinxt]

Ok. I'm finally getting down into researching all the things I really should learned in the first place. Things such as the factory overhang (15mm which I CANNOT achieve with this AT headshell and 130E, the shortest pair of threaded holes still puts the overhang over by several mm) and the cartridge weight the tonearm was designed to take (4g to 10g). My AT130E is spec'd at 6.2g according to VinylEngine. I know the original Sansui headshell was aluminum (that's long gone though), is a 12g headshell going to be in the correct weight range for this setup? If so I found a genuine Jelco HS25 for not much more than the Esoteric clone.

*Edit*
On impulse I went ahead and snatched the last of these in stock: http://www.cryo-parts.com/product/jelco-hs-30-magnesium-headshell/ (Link text says HS-30, actual part is HS-25). Fingers crossed that it was the right thing to do, lol.

 

[reydelaplaya]

Ok. I'm finally getting down into researching all the things I really should learned in the first place. Things such as the factory overhang (15mm which I CANNOT achieve with this AT headshell and 130E, the shortest pair of threaded holes still puts the overhang over by several mm) and the cartridge weight the tonearm was designed to take (4g to 10g). My AT130E is spec'd at 6.2g according to VinylEngine. I know the original Sansui headshell was aluminum (that's long gone though), is a 12g headshell going to be in the correct weight range for this setup? If so I found a genuine Jelco HS25 for not much more than the Esoteric clone.

*Edit*
On impulse I went ahead and snatched the last of these in stock: http://www.cryo-parts.com/product/jelco-hs-30-magnesium-headshell/ (Link text says HS-30, actual part is HS-25). Fingers crossed that it was the right thing to do, lol.

You may find that the factory recommended overhang isn't necessarily the best setting. It was there for regular folks who just wanted a record player to use without much fuss to set up so they could get it in the general ballpark.

The protractors were made by enthusiasts and people who studied and calculated looking for the optimum place to have the stylus ride on the record with the least amount of distortion across it. There are a few different versions, mostly determining where the highest degree of distortion would take place on the record.

When you get the protractor, take your time and set it to the null points properly. It'll take a little while to get it perfect. The result of your patience will pay off in having it sound even better than the factory recommended overhang.

 

[Jinxt]

When you get the protractor, take your time and set it to the null points properly.

This is the reason I jumped on the HS-25 headshell. My current headshell doesn't allow for aligning the cartridge as it only has two sets of threaded holes instead of slots. Not being able to start at factory overhang paired with non adjustable cart angle wasn't sitting right with me. I'll admit that the cryogenic treatment played a part. I've used cryo-treated guitar parts in the past and while some may feel it's a gimmick, the placebo effect is real.

 

[boreas]

You may find that the factory recommended overhang isn't necessarily the best setting. It was there for regular folks who just wanted a record player to use without much fuss to set up so they could get it in the general ballpark.

The protractors were made by enthusiasts and people who studied and calculated looking for the optimum place to have the stylus ride on the record with the least amount of distortion across it. There are a few different versions, mostly determining where the highest degree of distortion would take place on the record.

When you get the protractor, take your time and set it to the null points properly. It'll take a little while to get it perfect. The result of your patience will pay off in having it sound even better than the factory recommended overhang.

Also, in as much as there is no one "correct" alignment but several very workable ones, it might be that, for instance, the Stevenson alignment can't be set due to the placement of the holes but, say, Baerwald or Loefgren B can. It'll take some fiddling and several different alignment protractors. The fiddling is unavoidable but all the protractors for the above alignments can be downloaded for free (after free registration) at the VinylEngine.

John