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Stylus suggestions needed for Pickering XV-15 Cartridge

Treker

Treker

Super Member
Hi All,

I recently picked up a Pickering XV-15 cartridge that was originally my dad's, and was wondering what Pickering and Stanton styli will fit this cartridge. I did a quick search on that auction site, and came up with several hits for generic styli. I also found one on the LP Gear web site. BTW, this cartridge currently has an OEM D400 stylus installed, but I'm not sure if this is original or a replacement. Do you have any other suggestions for a replacement stylus for this cartridge?
 
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Any Pickering XV-15 or Stanton 681 stylus will fit and work fine. Depends on what you want out of it and what you want to spend.
 
Well, I was actually hoping that this cartridge would be compatible with the Vivid Line stylus from LP Gear for the Stanton 681EEE cartridge. That was one of the cartridge/stylus combinations that I really liked in the cartridge comparison that Beatcomber posted a while back, and I was hoping to be able to replicate that sound.
 
Treker, it is. Any Stanton 680 or 681 stylus option also fits the Pickering XV 15 series. Buy one, install and set stylus force and enjoy the music.
 
Agreed it is, I just always recommend OEM stylus if they are available at a fair price. I figured that someone else would recommended the VL before long.
 
What table do you want to fit it to? There are a pile of different stylii out there to make one of these suitable for just about anything you could ever want to bolt it to. I would try to go with OEM Stanton or Pickering where possible, or the Vividline. Basically avoid the $20 generics. They do not sound wonderful.
 
Truth be told, my $20 generic sounds worlds better than the OEM Stanton DJ stylus I picked up for $9. Don't get me wrong, the generic is crap, but the DJ stylus was so bad I was truly in fear for my records. I may as well have been playing them with a sewing needle.
 
Went thru all that myself recently when the stylus on my XV15 went south. Explored a bunch of alternatives, and finally went with ...

<drumroll please>

... A Pickering stylus. <G>

You can still find the one and only 625E if you're patient and willing to spend some bux.

Here's a thread that's got purty much everything you ever wanted to know about stylus options.

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=405437&highlight=PICKERING
 
gadget73 said:
What table do you want to fit it to? There are a pile of different stylii out there to make one of these suitable for just about anything you could ever want to bolt it to. I would try to go with OEM Stanton or Pickering where possible, or the Vividline. Basically avoid the $20 generics. They do not sound wonderful.
Click to expand...

This would primarily go on my Denon DP-1200 turntable. I have several other carts currently set up for this turntable. I just had heard a lot of good things about the Pickering XV-15/Stanton 681 series of cartridges, and wanted to add one to my collection, with the appropriate replacement stylus of course.
 
sKiZo said:
Went thru all that myself recently when the stylus on my XV15 went south. Explored a bunch of alternatives, and finally went with ...

<drumroll please>

... A Pickering stylus. <G>

You can still find the one and only 625E if you're patient and willing to spend some bux.

Here's a thread that's got purty much everything you ever wanted to know about stylus options.

[/QUOTE] Which Pickering...t are available that will fit this cartridge.
Click to expand...
 
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My day to day workhorse stylus for general use is the Stanton D 6807 A light tracking conical (1 1/2-3 gram tracking force). I keep a dozen or more of these styli ready as a rule. When they get worn, they are placed in a box marked "retip"
 
gadget73 said:
Basically avoid the $20 generics. They do not sound wonderful.
Click to expand...

While I totally believe you regarding the $20 generics for this cartridge, I am wondering why this is the case. I have a $15.00 generic EVG replacement stylus on my Shure M91ED, and it sounds great. What could be so different about the generics for the Pickering that make them sound so bad? Just curious...
 
The cantilever design is completely different. The EVG/Jico styli for Shure and AT are good, the Pfanstiehls less so, but neither company is even close on the Pickering/Stanton ones. I have four different examples here and they all have upper register siblance IMO. If you want to try one YMMV. If you have access to a Stanton/Pickering stylus, good or not, look at the difference.
 
Treker said:
While I totally believe you regarding the $20 generics for this cartridge, I am wondering why this is the case. I have a $15.00 generic EVG replacement stylus on my Shure M91ED, and it sounds great. What could be so different about the generics for the Pickering that make them sound so bad? Just curious...
Click to expand...

If someone could convince EVG to make a good, cheap Stanton 68x stylus, I have a feeling the universe would come to a screeching halt. :D

seminole54 said:
The cantilever design is completely different. The EVG/Jico styli for Shure and AT are good, the Pfanstiehls less so, but neither company is even close on the Pickering/Stanton ones. I have four different examples here and they all have upper register siblance IMO. If you want to try one YMMV. If you have access to a Stanton/Pickering stylus, good or not, look at the difference.
Click to expand...

EVG =/= JICO.
 
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