• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

Signet stylus replacement

b brian

b brian

Well-Known Member
46ac5942.jpg

From an earlier post the consensus of AK'er thought that I have a Signet TK3E, and I have not taken it off to confirm, but I am thinking of a Holiday gift for myself. Replacing the stylus. I had purchased the turntable with the Cartridge and have no idea the time on the stylus, so a replacement can only be and improvement (?)
But would my money be better spent looking for a replacement cart?
Searching, I found the likely replacement stylus are the TKN1 TKN6 or TKN22
at adcon.com (http://www.adelcom.net/SignetStylus1.htm) the TKN22 is going for $184
and at lp gear its $99
http://www.lpgear.com/product/TK7E.html

The question is, could I get a better Cartridge for the same money? Is the TKN22 the best replacement stylus? In my previous post someone stated that the TK7E is the bigger better brother of the TK3E and the difference is in the stylus.
Are there other part numbers/replacement styles that my searches have not turned up?
 
Register to hide this ad
I have not been able to find and reference to replacement stylus using new designation
only the TKN.
Is there something somewhere that states "no longer producing TKN please use XYZ"
 
b brian said:
I have not been able to find and reference to replacement stylus using new designation
only the TKN.
Is there something somewhere that states "no longer producing TKN please use XYZ"
Click to expand...
Doubtful -- AT has nothing to gain by pointing you to replacement styli for 40-year-old cartridges.

I own the cartridge body, along with an original stylus, an ATN12S, an ATN12XE, and an ATS10. They all work on that body.
 
My stylus is the TKN6, which is a 0.3 mil. x 0.7 mil. nude elliptical as opposed to the TKN22 which is a 0.2 mil. x 0.7 mil elliptical.

Comparing now (in real time!) to an ATN12XE.

The TKN6 has less output and a mellower sound than the ATN12XE. The ATN12XE has more high-end detail and a punchier overall presentation.

In a taste test, I'd probabaly prefer the AT unless my system was bright to begin with. The Signet is maybe a touch too laid back.
 
bangsezmax said:
It's NOT group K -- the TK3E is an older cart body. Not to be confused with the later TK3Ea (that one would use the group K).

I have that cart. The A and B groups should work.
Click to expand...

I have a TK7E body and use the ATN20SS from Group E. One of my best carts/stylus combos! I was fortunate to purchase the stylus before prices doubled.

The ATN15XE at $90 over at LPGear sports the same tip specs as the TKN22.
 
Last edited:
The ATN12S splits the difference -- not as punchy as the ATN12XE and not as rolled off as the TKN6. Sounds better than either of them. Unfortunately, it's also hard to find at a reasonable price.
 
So I went to the local shop to have the stylus looked at and as I expected, it is worn and needs to be replaced. An AK'er has offered me an NOS replacement stylus but the proprietor at the shop says that it would be like putting Perelli's on a car with 400,000 miles.
They offered me a replacement cart in the $90-$110 range. (the offered cart was the Grado prestige blue1)
My question is a NOS $75 stylus on an old cart going to give me more bang for the buck then a brand new $100 cart? Does an old cart go bad?
 
Last edited:
b brian said:
So I went to the local shop to have the stylus looked at and as I expected, it is worn and needs to be replaced. An AK'er has offered me an NOS replacement stylus but the proprietor at the shop says that it would be like putting Perelli's on a car with 400,000 miles.
They offered me a replacement cart in the $90-$110 range. (the offered cart was the Grado prestige blue1)
My question is a NOS $75 stylus on an old cart going to give me more bang for the buck then a brand new $100 cart? Does an old cart go bad?
Click to expand...

Total BS. The guy just sees a potential sale. Cars wear out. Cartridges don't. They sometimes fail but they don't lose performance as they age. If the cartridge works, it works.

Here's a link to some NOS styli for the TK#E cartridges which also shows some lower cost alternatives. They're the "Group B" styli but "Group A" works too.

John
 
Last edited:
b brian said:
So I went to the local shop to have the stylus looked at and as I expected, it is worn and needs to be replaced. An AK'er has offered me an NOS replacement stylus but the proprietor at the shop says that it would be like putting Perelli's on a car with 400,000 miles.
They offered me a replacement cart in the $90-$110 range. (the offered cart was the Grado prestige blue1)
My question is a NOS $75 stylus on an old cart going to give me more bang for the buck then a brand new $100 cart? Does an old cart go bad?
Click to expand...

Run, do not walk, away from that guy. Echoing the previous post, that's just ridiculous. If the cart works, it works. Think of it as wine that's aged, not an old car. Not that there's anything grievously wrong with a Prestige, but the Signet is hands-down better. IMHO, of course - YMMV.

If you've got the bucks, and it fits, a 15XE stylus would be dandy. (Says the man enjoying his AT15E these days...)
 
I like the old Signets. The TK3 is excellent and less brash on top than many AT cartridges. Why not a new stylus? It's worth one I think.
 
Go for the TKN-22 stylus from LP Gear. That plus your TK3E will be far better than Grado's bottom-of-the-line Black1.
 
Maybe it's too much to expect a salesman at a hi-fi store to know about old stuff. That's why AK is more trustworthy than most hi-fi salesmen. But it still really ticks me off to know these guys do this. Lazy, uninformed or greedy -- it has to one of those or a combination.
 
bangsezmax said:
Maybe it's too much to expect a salesman at a hi-fi store to know about old stuff.
Click to expand...

No, it isn't. When I was selling audio, I'd frequently talk someone out of doing something they thought they should, when there was an easier, cheaper solution. Especially with TTs, people would give up over something simple, wanting to sell their turntable when all it needed was a new stylus or belt. Same thing with cassette decks or reel-to-reels. I never did this when the owner was around, but I couldn't help but steer people in the proper direction, regardless of whether I made a sale.
 
Keep in mind the we AKers have accumulated collectively thousands of years of experience. First cart I aligned was around 45 years ago and, no, it wasn't a steel needle screwed into a tonearm (but we did have one of those in the 50's).
 
Still, any time a salesman or some other sort of "expert" offers you an analogy instead of an explanation, it's wise to maintain a fair degree of skepticism.

John
 
So I believe that going from a worn out TKN1 to a new TKN22 is 22 times better.
And I understand that it will get better sounding.
Thanks AK'er Bruce RPA

I just saw a TK5E on eBay listed for $274.99
Is it that highly regarded as a cart?
 
Last edited:
b brian said:
I just saw a TK5E on eBay listed for $274.99
Is it that highly regarded as a cart?
Click to expand...

It is a highly regarded cartridge, just not that high. I bet that is a buy it now price. Why do I suspect that? Because the seller knows he could not get anywhere near his asking price it it was just put up for bid and let the market decide its true value.
Regards,
Don
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom