Stanton Cartridge on JVC QL-F4?

[patient_ot]

Recently acquired the JVC as a second turntable, currently have a old Ortofon mounted (FF15E). It has a medium mass S-arm but the tonearm height is not adjustable (or doesn't appear to be). I know that Stanton 680 or 681 is a tall cartridge, last thing I want is for the cart to scrape the record. Has anyone tried this combo and is it compatible? Also, if I do get the Stanton I will need to a buy an extra headshell for the cartridge. Is a 10g headshell okay or should I aim or something lighter with these Stanton cartridges?

 

[boreas]

Scraping the record isn't going to be a problem. If it wants to scrape after swapping the cartridge (unlikely), the solution is to raise the cuing bar so that it's about 2mm below the arm while a record is playing.

There are a large number of different styli available for the 680/681. Which stylus you choose will largely determine the ideal weight for a headshell. 10 grams is fairly heavy for what you propose to do, given that the tonearm on a QL-F4 is medium mass and the better Stanton styli work best on lowish mass arms. If you haven't already, get the manuals for the turntable here.

https://www.vinylengine.com/library/jvc/ql-f4.shtml

John

 

[patient_ot]

Scraping the record isn't going to be a problem. If it wants to scrape after swapping the cartridge (unlikely), the solution is to raise the cuing bar so that it's about 2mm below the arm while a record is playing.

There are a large number of different styli available for the 680/681. Which stylus you choose will largely determine the ideal weight for a headshell. 10 grams is fairly heavy for what you propose to do, given that the tonearm on a QL-F4 is medium mass and the better Stanton styli work best on lowish mass arms. If you haven't already, get the manuals for the turntable here.

https://www.vinylengine.com/library/jvc/ql-f4.shtml

John

Thanks. I have the manual, just haven't had time to go over it. I was thinking of getting an NOS 680 EL, though I've heard the stock styli on these aren't good - usually suffer from dried out rubber suspensions which causes crooked cantilevers and such. So I would probably opt for something like an EVG aftermarket stylus or maybe even the LP Gear Vivid Line. For either of those, a lighter headshell would be best?

I also have another turntable, a Yamaha P-700 that has an 11g mass tonearm. But I already have a couple of nice cartridges for that turntable...

 

[Jeff449]

Tonearm should be level (parallel to the record) when in use. Hold the tonearm in position (I use a stack of cds between the record and the tonearm, at least they are good for something!) and measure from top of record to bottom of head shell. Then you need to find a cart that matches that measurement (to the nearest mm) from top of cart to tip of stylus. Vinyl Engine's Cartridge Database (and associated owner's manuals) may be helpful for used carts. Vinyl Engine also has a tool to match cart to tonearm using mass, compliance, and resonant frequency.

 

[patient_ot]

Tonearm should be level (parallel to the record) when in use. Hold the tonearm in position (I use a stack of cds between the record and the tonearm, at least they are good for something!) and measure from top of record to bottom of head shell. Then you need to find a cart that matches that measurement (to the nearest mm) from top of cart to tip of stylus. Vinyl Engine's Cartridge Database (and associated owner's manuals) may be helpful for used carts. Vinyl Engine also has a tool to match cart to tonearm using mass, compliance, and resonant frequency.

I've used the calculators at vinyl engine before. The tonearm effective mass isn't listed in the manual. Instead there is a weight range of 14.5 to 22g. The stock headshell is 10g according to the manual.

 

[Jeff449]

Since the manual for the table lists the specifications of the original cartridge, it might be a good idea to try to match the weight and compliance of that JVC cart.

 

[patient_ot]

Since the manual for the table lists the specifications of the original cartridge, it might be a good idea to try to match the weight and compliance of that JVC cart.

That is one way to approach it but the OEM cart was a basic, low compliance cart with a conical stylus. Not really the route I want to take.

The FF15E on the table right now is 5g and has 25um/mN dynamic compliance. Probably not the best match but it tracks and sounds alright. I'm guessing it might work better with a lighter headshell, if I could find one around 6-7g.

Not sure what the compliance is like for the .2 x .7 EVG or LPG Vivid Line styli for the Stanton 680.

 

[Stanton681EEES]

My friend use to own one of those and he used a Pickeing XVS3000 with no problems. Here is a picture of how his looked with the headshell he used. So you should be Ok. When I had the Table I really liked the Audio Technica 110E. I tried a few more but I'm a little foggy on the other cartridges .

 

[patient_ot]

My friend use to own one of those and he used a Pickeing XVS3000 with no problems. Here is a picture of how his looked with the headshell he used. So you should be Ok. When I had the Table I really liked the Audio Technica 110E. I tried a few more but I'm a little foggy on the other cartridges .

That looks like the stock 10g headshell. Is there a Stanton model that is equivalent to that Pickering? Also, do you know if there is a hyperelliptical or better aftermarket stylus for it?

 

[patient_ot]

Just an update. I ended up buying a NOS Stanton 680EL so I could put a Jico shibata stylus on it for this JVC turntable. The Jico styli have stiffer compliance than the old OEM Stanton hi-fi styli that are no longer made. While LPGear doesn't have compliance info for a lot of aftermarket styli they sell, Jico does and will gladly share it with you if you ask.

Here are the specs they gave me:

The specifications of our 'D2000Q' [e006002] are as follows,

Tip : shibata 5-8r x 65-75r (micro),

bonded diamond tip

Tracking force :1.0-3.0 g

Output Voltage : 2.5mV

Channel Balance : within 1.5dB at 1kHz

Compliance at100Hz: 10×10-6cm/dyne(lateral)

8×10-6cm/dyne(vertical)

Frequency range : 20 - 20,000 Hz