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Stanton 681eee stylus replacement

Try some stylus cleaner, deox your connections, from cart to amp/ receiver, to power outlet. Shine them all and give it another shot.
 
Balifly said:
So say I was to get a new cart to try...in the $100-$250ish range....what is a good choice for a ate hnics sl1200mkii ???

Try the Audio Technica AT 440 MLb.
https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Techni...UTF8&qid=1485882282&sr=8-1&keywords=AT+440mlb


what replacement stylus to get for my 681eee-s???? I've seen $38 - $169 ones

Try the VividLine stylus, cost may be heading up soon. :idea:
http://www.lpgear.com/product/STAD6800EEES.html
Click to expand...
I was looking at this exact stylus....so thanks for the vote of confidence...I just ordered it. I'll look into the Audio Technics cartridge too. I had just read so many good reviews of those Ortofon Red and Blue carts...but they don't seem to be well liked here.
 
mdrums said:
I was looking at this exact stylus....so thanks for the vote of confidence...I just ordered it. I'll look into the Audio Technics cartridge too. I had just read so many good reviews of those Ortofon Red and Blue carts...but they don't seem to be well liked here.
Click to expand...

I don't know why that is, it may be a mismatch between the Ortofon 2 M Red and Blue cartridges/stylus with some user's tone arms. :idea:

2 M Red
Compliance, dynamic, lateral - 20 µm/mN

2 M Blue
Compliance, dynamic, lateral - 20 µm/mN
 
Baffeling me on "compliance dynamic lateral" and what it has to do with tone arms.

I just have a Technics sl1200mkii which I've learned that people either love it or hate it. I bought it because I'm in the music industry in sales and had access to this turntable back in the late 80's at dealer cost.

I also never knew that the Stanton 681eee-s was such a highly respected cartridge. I bought mine as a 17 year old kid in 1981 because the local stereo store guy said it was a good one and I saw it advertised a lot in stereo mags...lol

So either the 681 is really good or people have built up the myth on it and like things they can't get anymore.
 
Huh. Just got a 2M Red for the Sansui SR-838 and I'm not disappointed at all. It replaced a Concorde 20 with original and replacement stylus, neither of which made this table sing. Nothing horrible, but the Red seems to have more honest highs though I'd like more bass, but that's a complaint I have always had about vinyl anyhow. The Concorde was too bright for me and the Red is much more forgiving and less taxing at the top for my ears. I chose it based on price, reviews and Ortofon's own site claiming this is a good all around cart which is something that suits my musical tastes. Sorry to hear about your experience. For me though, it's a very nice cart.
 
Just picked up a table that has the 681EEE cart. looked at the stone under scope, couldn't be more perfect. Played it yesterday for the wife and a couple of neighbors who are familiar with my system......pretty nice cart.
 
That's quite interesting and thanks for reporting! Very nice to know that there's a higher quality aftermarket that will work with both MI and MM (not to besmirch the 4822-DEE, which I'm quite fond of). Definitely makes the VividLine even more of a bargain if it "goes both ways".

needlestein said:
So I took my LPGear ViVidline XLZ-7500S stylus on a hunch and stuck it in an XV-15 body. Lo and behold, it works great! Should have known following my own theories that aftermarket producers know how to design a a single stylus to work with both types as evidenced over and over again.

I've since removed it and placed it in an old Pickering Phase IV and it sounds great!

Guess I don't need to buy the ViVidline for the 681 after all since it's likely the same but for the plastic.

View attachment 863551
Click to expand...
 
needlestein said:
So I took my LPGear ViVidline XLZ-7500S stylus on a hunch and stuck it in an XV-15 body. Lo and behold, it works great! Should have known following my own theories that aftermarket producers know how to design a a single stylus to work with both types as evidenced over and over again.

I've since removed it and placed it in an old Pickering Phase IV and it sounds grea

Guess I don't need to buy the ViVidline for the 681 after all since it's likely the same but for the plastic.

View attachment 863551
Click to expand...
Here's an interesting note: Stanton's first line contact stylus was the Stereohedron I. Pickering also used this stylus in their XSV3000, 5000S and XLZ7500S. Stanton then released the Stereohedron II stylus. It had a smaller tracing radius than the first generation and it was used in all the "s" model Stanton cartridges. However, Pickering continued to use the first generation stylus in their models. The LP Gear ViVidline stylus has the same dimensions as the original Stereohedron I stylus. From a listening standpoint, I don't know if the Stereohedron II can be considered an improvement over the Stereohedron I, perhaps an improvement in tracking? Or maybe just a marketing ploy to distinguish Stanton from Pickering. I heard the Pickering XSV3000 is the same as the Stanton 881S except for the Stereohedron versions. I have both and I can't say I prefer one over the other.
 
ear4audio said:
Here's an interesting note: Stanton's first line contact stylus was the Stereohedron I. Pickering also used this stylus in their XSV3000, 5000S and XLZ7500S. Stanton then released the Stereohedron II stylus. It had a smaller tracing radius than the first generation and it was used in all the "s" model Stanton cartridges.
Click to expand...

So this LP Gear version is supposed to be a Stereohedron II replacement?

http://www.lpgear.com/product/STAD6800EEES.html
 
ear4audio said:
Here's an interesting note: Stanton's first line contact stylus was the Stereohedron I. Pickering also used this stylus in their XSV3000, 5000S and XLZ7500S. Stanton then released the Stereohedron II stylus. It had a smaller tracing radius than the first generation and it was used in all the "s" model Stanton cartridges. However, Pickering continued to use the first generation stylus in their models. The LP Gear ViVidline stylus has the same dimensions as the original Stereohedron I stylus. From a listening standpoint, I don't know if the Stereohedron II can be considered an improvement over the Stereohedron I, perhaps an improvement in tracking? Or maybe just a marketing ploy to distinguish Stanton from Pickering. I heard the Pickering XSV3000 is the same as the Stanton 881S except for the Stereohedron versions. I have both and I can't say I prefer one over the other.
Click to expand...
My mistake!!! The Vividline tip has the same dimensions as the Stanton Stereohedron II. I was going my memory and I guess my memory isn't as sharp as it used to be. The Stereohedron II's tracing radius is 0.1mil smaller than the tracing radius of the Stereohedron I. I suppose it makes a difference it it sounds better to you.
 
needlestein said:
Good to know! Thanks! However, the cartridge that is supposed to be electrically identical to the 881S is the XSV/4000.

I do have a couple styli in both the Stereohedron and Stereohedron II versions, and I can't tell a difference by listening.

Another tidbit: later Florida Stanton 881S "Stereohedron" are not line contact at all according to packaging specs. Rather, they are .3 x .7 elliptical "special high polish." But the markings on the stylus are unchanged from what I can tell in auction photos from the true Stereohedron D81-IIS.

I don't have one to examine for any telltale characteristics that could be used to tell an elliptical D81-IIS from a true Stereohedron D81-IIS.
Click to expand...
I guess a can of worms has been opened. I checked my Stanton 881 mk.II-s specifications and sure enough..."Stanton Magnetics, LLC Hollywood, Fl". The specifications states it has a "Stereohedron II" stylus tip with Tip Dimensions of 0.3ml x 0.7 mil. Nothing about Contact Radii or Scanning Radii that are normally associated with line contact styli. So, I guess I was comparing "apples with oranges". Oh well...
 
needlestein said:
Good to know! Thanks! However, the cartridge that is supposed to be electrically identical to the 881S is the XSV/4000.

I do have a couple styli in both the Stereohedron and Stereohedron II versions, and I can't tell a difference by listening.

Another tidbit: later Florida Stanton 881S "Stereohedron" are not line contact at all according to packaging specs. Rather, they are .3 x .7 elliptical "special high polish." But the markings on the stylus are unchanged from what I can tell in auction photos from the true Stereohedron D81-IIS.

I don't have one to examine for any telltale characteristics that could be used to tell an elliptical D81-IIS from a true Stereohedron D81-IIS.
Click to expand...
Can of worms II. I have a Stanton 681EEE mk III from Hollywood Fl with a D6800EEE-III stylus with tip dimensions of 0.3x0.7mil compared to a D68000EEE pre Hollywood FL of 0.2x0.7mil. Maybe in Hollywood Stereohedron and Elliptical are the same thing.
 
needlestein said:
Can you do us a big favor and take a photo of the cantilever? I am interested in knowing if it has a cobra head profile or not. That might help distinguish between a true Stereohedron and an elliptical Hollywoodhedron.
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Here are the photos of a 881S and a 681, both from Hollywood. What is a cobra head profile?
881S:
881S-1.jpg
681:
681-1.jpg
 
needlestein said:
The cobra head is the narrow cantilever with the wide flat spatula.

I know these photos are blurry--best I can do right now with this crappy iPhone.

View attachment 864163

D-65 2 stylus, classic .3 x .7 elliptical shape


View attachment 864164

CS 100 stylus, with flared "Cobra Head" cantilever typical of Stereohedron cantilevers.
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Let me send some overhead shots of the same styli

Here's the Hollywood 881s
881S-2.jpg

Here's the Hollywood 681
681-2.jpg

The 681 is definitely not flared, but I'm not sure about the 881S. What do you think?

I know I have a Pickering XSV3000 and an old New York 881S. I'll get shots of their styli.
 
needlestein said:
Does it say elliptical special high polish? Any chance you could take a photo of those specs? I'm wondering if it could possibly be a typo. I guess the best thing to do would be to have someone scope it. @marcmorin

Also, could you compare it to another D81-IIS to see if there's anything different about it that might be used as a way to differentiate it from a Stereohedron version?
Click to expand...
I can look at the diamonds.........I do have a question.........how can one tell where the cart was made. I looked at this 681EEE and can find no mention of where it was made. Has a ser. no. etched in the side, and says it a "calibration standard". The cantilever doesn't look any where as fat as the ones in these photos.
 
Hey...GOOD NEWS! I got my LP Gear D6800EEE-S stylus replacement today. Installed it checked alignment with the Vinyl Engine print out everything was good. Started listening to Donal Fagen Night Fly and all the sibilance in the hi end was gone. Mid bass was a little fuller too...everything really smooth. Listened to some Police, ACDC, and some Jimmy Smith jazz organ...sounds great!

Next step is investing in either a new integrated amp or find some nice McIntosh integrated or pre amp and amp and better speakers. I took some photos but I don't store photos on a site so it seems ;ike this forum is not set up to down load a few from my computer
 
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