Replacement Stylus for Andante E; Sumiko Pearl; Grace F9-E

[SpinDr]

About 10 years ago, I bought a banged up turntable at a garage sale for a dollar. The headshell had a cartridge attached to it that was missing the cantilever/tip. I didn't recognize the cartridge but upon closer examination, I saw that it had "ANDANTE E" on it. I looked it up on google and found some helpful information on sources for a replacement stylus. In the process, I was reading on some Audiokarma pages that the Andante E was the same or similar to the Sumiko Pearl, the Grace F9-E as well ad the Adcom GFC-1E. The replacement styli were either rare or quite pricey and since the cantilever on this cartridge had been broken off long ago, I had no hope of getting it re-tipped. So I threw it into a shoebox and forgot that I had it. Recently, I dug it out and went back on line to see if I could find an affordable fix for this highly regarded cartridge.

I can't recall where I had read it but an Audiokarma member (I think) had posted a very helpful thread about comparable replacement styli for these cartridges. I went to ebay and found an aftermarket replacement stylus (duotone) for the Pioneer PC-400 cartridge- which was purported to be a good replacement stylus for the Sumiko Pearl/Andante E type cartridge. It cost $15, delivered.

I bought a new replacement for the Pioneer PC-400 and modified the cartridge body to accept this stylus. This involved cutting and layering tiny thin strips of masking tape - to build up and ever-so-carefully widen the cartridge body to snugly fit the plastic stylus mount. I got the stylus to fix onto the cartridge body snugly, then properly set up this combo on my tonearm.

To tell you the truth, I wasn't expecting much; $15 aftermarket replacement stylus for a pioneer cartridge, fitted on to a cartridge body that came mounted on a beat up turntable - missing the stylus (which had been broken off). So what would a rehab'd Andante E sound like? EXQUISITE... Unbelievably good. SUPERB. Balanced, slightly warm with an open sound stage. No sibilance or harshness in any part of the spectrum. I don't know how to describe but to say that I can listen to it for hours without any fatigue. In fact, it is now my favorite of 5 cartridges I have (includes a ADC XLM mkIII, Nagaoka MP110, AT95EX... etc). And I see no need to go out and get a proper replacement for it.
I hope that this is helpful to anyone with one of these cartridges, looking to replace the stylus, on a budget.

 

[MKG]

It is a wonderful sounding cart. I’ve got one in working order, but the cantilever has been tweaked and bent back at least two visible times (crimped). I’ve been trying to find a good replacement stylus for when it finally breaks off- I’m glad to learn about an affordable replacement.

 

[MRL_Audio]

@SpinDr - nice write up for your first post. Welcome to AK.

 

[jcolletteiii]

Awesome - glad you got some mileage out of those experiments! There were a lot of folks doing experimentation on that thread, but I did the testing on the Pioneer styli. Still looking for an NOS original PN-550/ii to try making a Grace F-9 titanium stylus assembly. Anyhow, anyone who reads this, just make sure it's the type ii Pioneer stylus that you get - the round shanked version. The PN-200 and 400 I know work - I think the 220, 330 etc will work also - as long as they are type ii.

Will be likely reviving that thread some time this summer when I do a DIY write up (hopefully) on building my own replacement styli (fingergrip holders, brass inserts, suspension, tie wire, magnet, etc). Trying to find a more economical source for bare cantilevers/styli right now, but with limited success. I've been using AT styli for retips, but at $130 a pop, there must me a more economical way! And I want to try more exotic cantilever materials with the Grace F-9 There is a group buy over on the Hoffman forums trying to get an order together from Namiki, but they are only at about 35 of the 100 minimum order for solid boron line contact styli for about $100 each.

 

[SpinDr]

Awesome - glad you got some mileage out of those experiments! There were a lot of folks doing experimentation on that thread, but I did the testing on the Pioneer styli. Still looking for an NOS original PN-550/ii to try making a Grace F-9 titanium stylus assembly. Anyhow, anyone who reads this, just make sure it's the type ii Pioneer stylus that you get - the round shanked version. The PN-200 and 400 I know work - I think the 220, 330 etc will work also - as long as they are type ii.

Will be likely reviving that thread some time this summer when I do a DIY write up (hopefully) on building my own replacement styli (fingergrip holders, brass inserts, suspension, tie wire, magnet, etc). Trying to find a more economical source for bare cantilevers/styli right now, but with limited success. I've been using AT styli for retips, but at $130 a pop, there must me a more economical way! And I want to try more exotic cantilever materials with the Grace F-9 There is a group buy over on the Hoffman forums trying to get an order together from Namiki, but they are only at about 35 of the 100 minimum order for solid boron line contact styli for about $100 each.

jcolletteiii !!! THANK YOU! So, it was YOU who posted and shared all of that really helpful info on replacement stylii for this cartridge! I went looking back to try and find that thread but couldn't. That's why I couldn't reference you properly but glad that the valuable thread remains. The tips on how to use strips of masking tape to build out the cartridge body were obviously very helpful. The PN400 replacement on the Andante E body works unbelievably well (and economically!).
I think that some of "elite" audiophiles might be a bit skeptical about the idea of $15 + masking tape solutions for their disabled Sumiko Pearls and Andante Es but your research and discoveries around replacement styli for these cartridges were quite a revelation for me. One of those rare bright moments in a hobby that can get stupidly expensive, stupidly fast. Thanks, Again!

 

[yonder]

I followed that thread and got a pn400 for my grace f9. Works great!

 

[Stanton681EEES]

About 10 years ago, I bought a banged up turntable at a garage sale for a dollar. The headshell had a cartridge attached to it that was missing the cantilever/tip. I didn't recognize the cartridge but upon closer examination, I saw that it had "ANDANTE E" on it. I looked it up on google and found some helpful information on sources for a replacement stylus. In the process, I was reading on some Audiokarma pages that the Andante E was the same or similar to the Sumiko Pearl, the Grace F9-E as well ad the Adcom GFC-1E. The replacement styli were either rare or quite pricey and since the cantilever on this cartridge had been broken off long ago, I had no hope of getting it re-tipped. So I threw it into a shoebox and forgot that I had it. Recently, I dug it out and went back on line to see if I could find an affordable fix for this highly regarded cartridge.

I can't recall where I had read it but an Audiokarma member (I think) had posted a very helpful thread about comparable replacement styli for these cartridges. I went to ebay and found an aftermarket replacement stylus (duotone) for the Pioneer PC-400 cartridge- which was purported to be a good replacement stylus for the Sumiko Pearl/Andante E type cartridge. It cost $15, delivered.

I bought a new replacement for the Pioneer PC-400 and modified the cartridge body to accept this stylus. This involved cutting and layering tiny thin strips of masking tape - to build up and ever-so-carefully widen the cartridge body to snugly fit the plastic stylus mount. I got the stylus to fix onto the cartridge body snugly, then properly set up this combo on my tonearm.

To tell you the truth, I wasn't expecting much; $15 aftermarket replacement stylus for a pioneer cartridge, fitted on to a cartridge body that came mounted on a beat up turntable - missing the stylus (which had been broken off). So what would a rehab'd Andante E sound like? EXQUISITE... Unbelievably good. SUPERB. Balanced, slightly warm with an open sound stage. No sibilance or harshness in any part of the spectrum. I don't know how to describe but to say that I can listen to it for hours without any fatigue. In fact, it is now my favorite of 5 cartridges I have (includes a ADC XLM mkIII, Nagaoka MP110, AT95EX... etc). And I see no need to go out and get a proper replacement for it.
I hope that this is helpful to anyone with one of these cartridges, looking to replace the stylus, on a budget.

I'm a bit confused I have an Andante S and that Pioneer stylus certainly doesn't look like it would fit my body even with modding the body as the shaft on the Andante is different that the round shaft of that Pioneer replacement stylus. I'm I missing something?

 

[jcolletteiii]

jcolletteiii !!! THANK YOU! So, it was YOU who posted and shared all of that really helpful info on replacement stylii for this cartridge! I went looking back to try and find that thread but couldn't. That's why I couldn't reference you properly but glad that the valuable thread remains. The tips on how to use strips of masking tape to build out the cartridge body were obviously very helpful. The PN400 replacement on the Andante E body works unbelievably well (and economically!).
I think that some of "elite" audiophiles might be a bit skeptical about the idea of $15 + masking tape solutions for their disabled Sumiko Pearls and Andante Es but your research and discoveries around replacement styli for these cartridges were quite a revelation for me. One of those rare bright moments in a hobby that can get stupidly expensive, stupidly fast. Thanks, Again!

Thanks! There were lots of folks trying things in that thread (it's over on Vinyl Engine, BTW...). I just tried the Pioneer PN series II styli and found them to work very well. I'm in the process of sourcing material to try building my own stylus assemblies right now on that same thread.

 

[ctjetta]

Now I haven't looked into this, but, I don't understand the purpose of all this. Is the Pioneer PN400 a superior stylus? Even the generic?
The Sumiko Pearl stylus is still available, albeit not as cheaply as a generic. So what's the point, other than an exercise in stylus adaptability?

 

[SpinDr]

I'm a bit confused I have an Andante S and that Pioneer stylus certainly doesn't look like it would fit my body even with modding the body as the shaft on the Andante is different that the round shaft of that Pioneer replacement stylus. I'm I missing something?

I hear you. When I first considered using the Pioneer PN-400 on my Andante E body, I could see right away that the shaft's didn't match; the hole on the cartridge body was square/diamond shaped, like the guide-shaft for the cantilever on the stylus, that inserts into the cartridge body. I, too was confused by the round/cylindrical shaped shaft on the PN400 stylus. However, when I went back to read the notes that I took from jcolleteiii's comments on the original thread (which is on Vinyl engine) that discussed this, I saw that this seeming mis-match of shaft shapes was noted and that the cylindrical Pioneer stylus would fit and work just fine with the Andante/Sumiko/Adcom/Grace body. I gave it a try because the PN-400 stylus was cheap and that if it didn't work, then it wouldn't be too painful. I have to say, though, that I'm glad that I took a chance and tried it, and found that the results were more than satisfactory.

 

[SpinDr]

Now I haven't looked into this, but, I don't understand the purpose of all this. Is the Pioneer PN400 a superior stylus? Even the generic?
The Sumiko Pearl stylus is still available, albeit not as cheaply as a generic. So what's the point, other than an exercise in stylus adaptability?

Years ago, when the original thread on Vinyl Engine appeared in response to Sumiko Pearl users looking for replacement styli, it seems that Pearl styli were either rare or very expensive to get. The point is that people like me who acquired a Andante E/Sumiko Pearl cartridge body with the stylus broken off (and didn't know whether the cartridge body was defective or not) are reluctant to shell out $150 for a Sumiko Pearl stylus- for a cartridge body that might turn out to be a dud. So yes, this is an exercise in stylus adaptability but the point is that one can shell out 1/10th the cost of a Pearl replacement stylus, with more than satisfying results. Now that I know that the broken cartridge that was thrown into a garage sale turntable find seems to work just fine, I have the choice to shell out $100+ and get a genuine Sumiko Pearl stylus. I won't be rushing out to do that, though; I am quite satisfied with this cheap mod.

 

[Van_Isle]

Just thought I'd revive this thread. Turntableneedles has replacement styli for these, made in Japan, either conical or elliptical, and reasonably priced. https://www.turntableneedles.com/Find_Turntable_Record_PLayer_Stylus_by_ANDANTE_Cartridge_Number

 

[Penn42]

I've owned a Grace F9 for years, but wasn't willing to spend the money on a sound Smith stylus. Even though I've looked several times it wasn't until just a couple weeks ago I found that thread on vinyl engine and found out about the pn400 stylus compatibility. I ordered both a pn400 and a Kenwood n49 (both .7 mil conical) to try on it and found that the Kenwood fit perfectly without any tape. $9 plus shipping from VM audio. I am very pleased with it and will be ordering some to have in stock at home soon. And thanks for the bump @Van_Isle it is nice to know another stylist that will fit that has more options than only conical.

 

[kels83]

Old thread, but I have been looking for a replacement stylus for my grace F9. I have a genuine pioneer pc-400 (0.5 mil conical) and it fits just a bit loose. Plays great with some blue putty. I have also tried the Pfanstiehl 712-D7 and it fits and plays well.

Today I received a vintage nagaoka 99-44 (broken cantilever unfortunately) and the stylus looks identical to the pioneer. I swapped the pioneer stylus on the nagaoka body and it fits like a glove, so I am thinking the 99-44 stylus might be a viable, elliptical alternative for the grace f9? None available currently, but I am quite good at hunting vintage needles down. I am posting as a reminder and will follow up when I receive one.