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Suggestions for best stylus replacements for some P-mount carts

ChicagoTom

ChicagoTom

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
I have several P-mount bodies that need styluses, and original styli can be very hard to find and expensive.. Does anybody have suggestions for the best aftermarket stylus replacements for these?

Empire 195LT
AT216EP (I see Thakker has a stylus for 35 Euro)
AT LS450/LT
Ortofon TM-14
 
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Okay, did some research, found that TTN is a great resource for finding the product names for styli. I have found a $22 stylus for the AT LS450/LT and a $66 OM30-euivalent so far.
 
For your 195 LT, get the red 246-DEX from Gary. This is one of my favorite p-mounts.

A shockingly good-for-the-money stylus for your TM-14 is indexed as Pfanstiehl 4541-DE. Do a search on eBay for the 541-DE and get one cheap. I bought both Pfan-Swiss and EVG-Japan versions and they were both good. Something that will never happen again! Got one from Carole's Needles, one from Andydeals and one from Gary.

Those are both good deals for cheapskates, but your LS450/LT has a body very close to the AT440MLb's, so why not go nuts and stick an ATN440MLb on it? The deal going at B&H Photo is a good'un. There are other, cheaper alternatives, of course.
#195LT
 
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wualta said:
For your 195LT, get the red 246-DEX from Gary. This is one of my favorite p-mounts.
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I agree. I also have one of the red Empire S485 replacement stylus on my 195LT cartridge, and it is also one of my favorites out of my p-mount cartridge collection.

Also consider the 215-DET and 212-DEC from Gary @ TVOM.
 
wualta said:
For your 195LT, get the red 246-DEX from Gary. This is one of my favorite p-mounts.

A shockingly good-for-the-money stylus for your TM-14 is indexed as Pfanstiehl 4541-DE. I bought both Pfan-Swiss and EVG-Japan versions and they were both good.

Those are both good deals for cheapskates, but your LS450/LT has a body very close to the AT440MLb's, so why not go nuts and stick an ATN440MLb on it? The deal going at B&H Photo is a good'un. There are other, cheaper alternatives, of course.
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I will definitely get that 246-DEX from Gary for my Empire 195LT, thank you!

And thanks for the suggestion for the cheap and very good Pfanstiehl 4541-DE. TTN sells a $30 aftermarket sylus that gets 12 excellent reviews, I wonder if it is that much better than the Pfanstiehl? https://www.turntableneedles.com/St...artridges--our-Needle-541-DE-copy_p_3796.html

Re: the LS450/LT, I love your suggestion of the 440mlb stylus, but I would rather not spend that much on it. But JICO has a $22 option http://www.jico-stylus.com/product_info.php?products_id=98
 
SA-708 said:
I agree. I also have one of the red Empire S485 replacement stylus on my 195LT cartridge, and it is also one of my favorites out of my p-mount cartridge collection.

Also consider the 215-DET and 212-DEC from Gary @ TVOM.
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Good to hear another kudo for the Empire 195LT, thank you! Which cartridges would the 215-DET and 212-DEC go with? I can find the 212-DEC on Garys site, it's for AT carts but neither of the ATs I have listed. I can't find the 215-DEC on the VoM site at all, fyi. Please tell me more. :-)
 
KentTeffeteller said:
With the Ortofon TM-14, any genuine Stylus 10-40 are suitable choices.
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Thanks Kent, I was pretty sure that was the case. OEM Ortofon styluses sell for more than I wish to spend, since my intention is to get styluses for these and then decide which I want to keep for my rotation. If I had intended to use just one, then maybe I'd pop for an original Ortofon, but my needs are different. I fell pretty good about my cheap aftermarket options for the TM-14.

(FWIW, I already have a Grado Black Prestige I may get an 8MZ stylus for, a terrific Stanton L720E with D71E stylus that I love, and an AT-95VL that I like very much - but I'll probably only keep one AT in my collection.)
 
ChicagoTom said:
...I can find the 212-DEC on Garys site [but] it's for AT carts but neither of the ATs I have listed. I can't find the 215-DEC on the VoM site at all, fyi. Please tell me more. :)
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I think I can speak for SA-708 this time, at least wrt the 212-DEC: Good news-- the 212s are the styli originally intended for your LS450/LT. The 212-DEC SA-708 recommended is in fact the LS450/LT's original stylus.

AT LS450-LT (2).JPGLab Series P-Mount specs- does not include the 580 line-contact model-aE.jpg

SA-708 can speak for himself about the 215-DEC, but I suspect he typo'd intending to recommend the 215-DET .
 
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No typo, I had 215-DET in my post. Thanks for providing the links though as those are helpful; I was posting on my iPad late last night and didn't manage to, and also didn't explain my recommendations well.

The 215-DET is the Pfansteihl code name for the ATN-216EP stylus that came with the AT-216EP cartridge. These carts and styli are all grey, with the color coding being the big "dot" on each side that is also the hinge pin for the flip-down stylus guide. The color code for the 216EP is brown.
 
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I’ve checked out JICO, LP Gear, Turntableneedles (TTN) and TheVoiceOfMusic. Gary at TVOM has by far the best prices and was very responsive to my questions. Most of the recommended styli were in stock at TVOM, so I ordered everything through Gary. Here’s what I’ve ended up with:


Stanton L727E: EVG 4606-DEX for $17

Empire 195LT - 246-DEX for $28

AT216EP –4215-DE for $18.50

Ortofon TM-14 - $14 EVG 4541-DEL

Audio Technica LS450/LT – 4212-DEC by EVG for $21


In addition to these cartridges, I’ll also roll a Grado Black (hope to upgrade to the 8MZ at some point), the AT-95VL (might upgrade to the AT-95SA later) and my lush and lovely Stanton L720E). After I try all of these out, I might sell off a few it they don’t offer anything unique or special. If I get ambitious, I might even have a “shootout” and write up my impressions.

THANK YOU to all who gave their advice and wisdom. I am ETERNALLY grateful to the generosity of this community.
 
Yay 4606-DEX! One of Gary's aftermarket easter-eggs. The first aftermarket stylus I actually enjoyed using. We have AKer bangsezmax to thank for that one.
 
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