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Stanton 881s cart

Hemi Ram

Hemi Ram

Member
I have a Stanton 881s cartridge with a stock Stanton D81S stilus. The stilus took a beating during shipping and is broken. I am deciding if I should buy a replacement stilus or not. Is the cart worth it? Ed Saunders makes a replacement for it that is around $50. This has a 2 x 7 eliptical on it. Is this worth it for this cart or do I buy something else?

Thanks...
 
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Hemi Ram said:
I have a Stanton 881s cartridge with a stock Stanton D81S stilus. The stilus took a beating during shipping and is broken. I am deciding if I should buy a replacement stilus or not. Is the cart worth it? Ed Saunders makes a replacement for it that is around $50. This has a 2 x 7 eliptical on it. Is this worth it for this cart or do I buy something else?

Thanks...
Click to expand...

The cartridge is a very good one and definitely worth a new stylus. The stylus that you have isn't an elliptical but a "Stereohedron" line contact stylus. (That's what the "S" stands for.) It's much more refined than a .2 x .7 mil elliptical. Too bad it's knackered.

As far as a replacement is concerned, i think it's deserving of a better stylus than the "Ed Saunders Stylus". Apart from anything else, it isn't the line contact type the 881S originally came with. Also, I have little to no confidence in those styli for reasons amply discussed here on AK.

If the cartridge were mine, I'd get a Shibata stylus from JICO in Japan. As far as I'm concerned, apart from a NOS D81, it's the only stylus available that is of quality comparable to the original.

John
 
John,

Ok... So I am about to ask this question and I understand the ramifications of what I am asking... Do you, in your opinion, believe that this cart is deserving of a $167 stylus? I am completely unfamiliar with this cart so all I have at this point is recommendations to go on.

Rich
 
Hemi Ram said:
John,

Ok... So I am about to ask this question and I understand the ramifications of what I am asking... Do you, in your opinion, believe that this cart is deserving of a $167 stylus? I am completely unfamiliar with this cart so all I have at this point is recommendations to go on.

Rich
Click to expand...

Well, you can get that same JICO stylus from some US vendors for less, just north of $100. As to whether it's worth it, that would depend on how affordable that is to you personally and also whether the turntable and system where it's to be used will do it justice.

So, it's really a personal decision, one that only you can make but I want to stress again that the Stanton 881 in its various forms is a really terrific cartridge.

John
 
Thanks John,

I will be using it on a Technics SL1600 MK2 that I rewired with Cardas from the cart to the tips of the RCA jacks. I also put a SL-1200 MK5 tonearm on it that I dampened as KAB suggests and externally with a silicone oil bath. I will be playing it through my old restored Pioneer SX-780 receiver and my not so old Martin Logan speakers. I built it to replace my SL-1800 (manual) which I did a similar rebuild to. I hope it performes as well as that table because I am very happy with the outcome of that rebuild.

Rich
SL1800.jpg
 
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Hemi Ram said:
Thanks John,

I will be using it on a Technics SL1600 MK2 that I rewired with Cardas from the cart to the tips of the RCA jacks. I also put a SL-1200 MK5 tonearm on it that I dampened as KAB suggests and externally with a silicone oil bath. I will be playing it through my old restored Pioneer SX-780 receiver and my not so old Martin Logan speakers. I built it to replace my SL-1800 (manual) which I did a similar rebuild to. I hope it performes as well as that table because I am very happy with the outcome of that rebuild.

Rich
Click to expand...

I'm quite familiar with everything you mentioned except the speakers which I know by reputation. You should like that cartridge a lot and the system will be revealing enough to allow it to shine.

Here's another option that I'd forgotten about. It's a bit of a crap shoot because we really don't know who's making these or what the detailed specs are but I don't think I've seen anything other than very positive opinions of the "Vivid Line" styli that LP Gear and their sibling LP Tunes are selling. It's $30.00 less than the JICO when purchased from TurntableNeedles too.

John
 
Well we will see what happens. I just purchased the JICO Shibata for Stanton 881S Cartridge from TurntableNeedles. I hope the cart is good! haha...

Rich
 
Hemi Ram said:
John,

Ok... So I am about to ask this question and I understand the ramifications of what I am asking... Do you, in your opinion, believe that this cart is deserving of a $167 stylus? I am completely unfamiliar with this cart so all I have at this point is recommendations to go on.

Rich
Click to expand...
I have a Pickering XSV3000, which is essentially the same cartridge. I would say it is worth the price of the SAS stylus.
 
Hemi Ram said:
Well we will see what happens. I just purchased the JICO Shibata for Stanton 881S Cartridge from TurntableNeedles. I hope the cart is good! haha...

Rich
Click to expand...

Make sure you save the old brush. You may prefer to use it on the new stylus as the JICO brush can tend to be a bit too stiff.
 
A great cartridge with great sound in every sense of the word! Go for the Jico on this one and you'll be amazed.
 
I'm still wondering where the LP Gear Vivid Line styli come from, and how they compare to the Jico Shibata. I'm happy with my D3000 Vivid Line, but don't know of the Jico would be a big step up or more of a sideways move.
 
Aerobat said:
I'm still wondering where the LP Gear Vivid Line styli come from, and how they compare to the Jico Shibata. I'm happy with my D3000 Vivid Line, but don't know of the Jico would be a big step up or more of a sideways move.
Click to expand...

It is a little frustrating, isn't it?

John
 
Cantabury Guy said:
Make sure you save the old brush. You may prefer to use it on the new stylus as the JICO brush can tend to be a bit too stiff.
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A good point. Some folks believe that aftermarket styli for Stanton and Pickering cartridge have brushes with bristles significantly different in compliance from the originals. It's not uncommon, therefore, for folks to replace the brush in their new aftermarket stylus with the one from the old original.

Of course, this doesn't really account for any change in the compliance of the original bristles after 30 years of use...........

John
 
Turbo Archie said:
Can you post a link. It says there is a waiting list??

Thanks!

.
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Oh, crap! I didn't notice that. It's possible that when TurntableNeedles' stock is replenished the price will go up to something approximating the price direct from JICO. TurntableNeedles' lower price may be the result of their having pre-increase stock on some JICO SAS styli.

John
 
Ok I'm gonna pry into your business. if the stylus was broken in shipping was it covered by insurance and what is the sellers response to it's arriving broken. I would think he and the shipping service should be responsible do to
1 bad packing and
2 careless handling during shipping.
 
The 881 is one of the more venerated cartridges in the history of MM cartridges. If I had one, I would not hesitate to pay for a good stylus for it. Although it is more than a few years old, you might want to read the article linked to below. It is by Robert E. Greene, one of the more respected audio reviewers in the profession. He holds the 881 in high esteem, indeed.

http://www.regonaudio.com/Stanton881AudioTechnicaATML70.html

-Bob
 
The 881S is one of my favorite vintage MM cartridges and as it will never be made again, yes it deserves a new stylus. Get the best you can find.
I've had several of these and all have gone to people who have begged me to let them go.
Mark my words, I will have another.

Late last year I was fortunate enough to acquire the 881S's big brother, the Stanton/Epoch LZ9s. It is NOS and I played it for two LP sides and put it away for now. The LZ9s is a very low output MM that requires either a capable phono preamp, or a step up transformer.

Al. Wise
 
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