Replacement Stylus for Stanton 881S Cartridge

[BroonsBane]

I recently found a beautiful JVC QL-A7 table out in the wild. Has a Stanton 881S cart mounted with the original Stanton D81S stylus. The stylus is pooched and needs replacing.
Short of finding a NOS D81S what would be the best replacement? I've read nothing but great things about this cart/stylus and would like to keep it as close as possible to the original sound and performance.

 

[warrjon]

The only way to keep the original performance is to re-tip it.

Send it to Joseph Long. He did an XSV3000 for me and I am just about to send him my Stanton D80 to put an FGS diamond in. He knows Stanton/{Pickering very well. I was talking to him the other day and he a few NOS 7/72 diamonds that are very similar to the Stereohedron.

 

[BroonsBane]

Thanks. Who is Joseph Long and where is he from?

 

[revox-b77]

cartridge_retipping-5 = Joseph Long.

 

[BroonsBane]

cartridge_retipping-5 = Joseph Long.

Cool, thank you!

 

[Studio_D]

If for whatever reason you decide to go with an aftermarket stylus instead of the retip, make sure to keep the brush. It's much better than the ones being supplied on the modern replacement styli.

 

[BroonsBane]

If for whatever reason you decide to go with an aftermarket stylus instead of the retip, make sure to keep the brush. It's much better than the ones being supplied on the modern replacement styli.

I may have to go this route, thanks for the tip.
I think the suspension is shot so a retip isn't going to do me much good.

 

[JFRACE]

I may have to go this route, thanks for the tip.
I think the suspension is shot so a retip isn't going to do me much good.

actually they can redo the suspension as well, so don't count it out. If Joseph can't do it, there's several others that can. But he should be able to handle it.

 

[warrjon]

I may have to go this route, thanks for the tip.
I think the suspension is shot so a retip isn't going to do me much good.

Joseph used to be on AK as Needlestein.

It's highly unlikely the suspension is shot, Stanton suspension is very robust. Do NOT throw the stylus away they are quite rare now.

email Joseph he is very helpful and will respond - cartridge_retipping at outlook dot com.

 

[Bob in WI]

FWIW, I'm quite fond of a Vividline stylus on a Stanton.
I have no idea if it approximates the original tho so if thats the goal, it may not be appropriate.
And another vote for Joseph. I have one of his retips & its wonderful.

 

[ear4audio]

Original Stantons can still be found on auction sites. Look for the Stereohedron II (D81S-II) model which more closely resembles the angle of the record groove. The Vividline has the same dimensions as the Stereohedron II tip.
Here are some pictures
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/stanton-styli-for-calibrated-cartridges.950011/

 

[ear4audio]

Gotta be careful with the D81-IIS. There are at least three versions. One version is what you say it. One version is a nude .3 x .7 “super high polish” elliptical and the last version from when Gibson ran the company and was just using up parts before shutting the Stanton cartridge division down is a bonded industrial .3 x .7 elliptical diamond, something like a moving magnet version of the Stanton 680.

They all sound good, but on the first version is the real deal.

 

[cafe latte]

Retip is the way to go.
Chris

 

[Mark 1234]

Original Stantons can still be found on auction sites. Look for the Stereohedron II (D81S-II) model which more closely resembles the angle of the record groove. The Vividline has the same dimensions as the Stereohedron II tip.
Here are some pictures
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/stanton-styli-for-calibrated-cartridges.950011/

Second that. He worked on my 981/D98S and does a great job.

 

[BroonsBane]

It's highly unlikely the suspension is shot, Stanton suspension is very robust.

So is this stylus typically a "low rider" then?

 

[triode]

FWIW, I'm quite fond of a Vividline stylus on a Stanton.
I have no idea if it approximates the original tho so if thats the goal, it may not be appropriate.
And another vote for Joseph. I have one of his retips & its wonderful.

I didn't have good luck with them. I did however like their D5000 Shibata that will work with the 881s as well.
What I have noticed is that their standard line (including vividline) is hit or miss. But their higher end (expensive) stuff like Shibata and HE are ok.

 

[Bob in WI]

I didn't have good luck with them. I did however like their D5000 Shibata that will work with the 881s as well.
What I have noticed is that their standard line (including vividline) is hit or miss. But their higher end (expensive) stuff like Shibata and HE are ok.

Thats too bad. VL is my go to when I want better than average sound on a budget. I've had them on a couple Shures & the Stanton.
I was putting SAS & Shibata on Shures for awhile but I don't think the run of the mill Shure carts warrant the expense.

 

[ear4audio]

So is this stylus typically a "low rider" then?

@ 1 gram tracking

There's a little over 2 mm clearance between the bottom of the stylus grip and the record surface.

 

[triode]

Thats too bad. VL is my go to when I want better than average sound on a budget. I've had them on a couple Shures & the Stanton.
I was putting SAS & Shibata on Shures for awhile but I don't think the run of the mill Shure carts warrant the expense.

The only (and most important for me at least) problem I have with all their vl styli for 881s (d81, d84) I tried is low trackability - results in sibilance. Otherwise build quality seems fine.

 

[warrjon]

So is this stylus typically a "low rider" then?

Yes it's a low rider. Mine also rides about 2mm above LP @1g.

A properly working and setup Stanton 881s is hard to beat at any price. This is the reason it was used by Mastering and Sheffield Labs to cut the lacquer. It is one of the truly great cartridges.