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Seeking Cartridge Upgrade Recommendations

Isaac C. said:
This is a really difficult decision argh!! IDK what to get! I also have a Stanton 681eee body and the Sanyo MG26 cartridge that came with my Sanyo. I'm leaning towards the M20 Super Fine Line replacement that you mentioned as its the same price. But the Stanton stylus is also $80 for a Vivid Line. Thanks for the effort though @ctjetta. I'm familiar with the OEM specs. I have three different VMS compatible styli that are various compliances and all of them work well with either tonearm, but the one I broke was my favorite. It has the h shape and its white, which makes me think it was a F15E MKII replacement since the VMS20E has the hour glass shape.
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Well, this is available, though not necessarily a better option, it is at least Ortofon-
https://www.lpgear.com/product/ORTS014.html
And like twiiii said, all your options are good. And none of these are break-the-bank kinda money (in audio dallars, that is).
 
Well I figure the generic one I broke was about a $30 elliptical, so this Vivid line contact stylus should be at least the same if not better.
 
Isaac C. said:
Well I figure the generic one I broke was about a $30 elliptical, so this Vivid line contact stylus should be at least the same if not better.
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ANY one of the styli you're contemplating is gonna be better. Talk about your no lose . . . . :thumbsup:
 
Vivid line is just a marketing term, not a patented shape. LPG plays fast and loose with this term if you dig. Their styli also don't come with a tension wire like Jico, which means they are further away from the OEM stuff. To top if off, all the aftermarket Stanton stuff are bonded styli, so they will have some performance limitations.

I ran a Jico on my Stanton for awhile but since I am very picky it wasn't quite up to scratch for me. So I sent my Stanton out for a retip job and had a nude Ogura line contact put on it, and the internal rubber suspension replaced. That's about as good as you are going to get in today's market, but it will definitely cost more than $150.

Now, Ortofon still sells a couple of OEM VMS styli but I'm not sure if either will fit your VMS20. You'll have to look into that.

Personally I would probably lean toward finding a current production cartridge rather than spending too much on aftermarket styli. Aftermarket styli make sense when you can keep the cost down (e.g. $50 or less) and need something to get you going. For the long term I think a current production makes more sense...and this is coming from someone that went down the vintage cart path a little bit.

My 2 cents.
 
Isaac C. said:
@Ilikevinyl and @Bob in WI what about this? What shape is a 6/75µm anyway?
https://www.lpgear.com/product/ORTSM20FL.html
or this
https://www.lpgear.com/product/ORTSM20ES.html
or this
https://www.lpgear.com/product/ORTSM15ES.html

any of these would fit my cartridge body.
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The first two choices have the same rear tab sticking up on the stylus body. The third choice is different, like an hourglass shape. Make sure your stylus matches perfectly to the correct shape to fit!
 
Yeah, I've seen them discussed for this cartridge, but I haven't seen a definitive review of the Vivid Line.
 
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