Vintage Cartridge Hunting - Episode 2: An Audio Technica AT132EP

[MCM_Fan]

As I mentioned in Episode 1, I picked up a couple of $10 "junker" turntables off my local craigslist today from the same seller. This one is a little (and I mean LITTLE) Technics SL-5 linear tracking direct drive automatic P-mount model. In spite of it's diminutive size and toy like appearance, I have read that this is actually a pretty decent table. I didn't even know what cartridge was on it, but thought it would make a nice, compact turntable for my office. I had been considering a vintage Dual 10" model (such as the 1228) for the vintage appearance, but a close and play automatic seems much more practical in an office environment where it will be exposed to curious co-workers and the nightly cleaning staff.

I didn't even bother to check what, if any, cartridge was on it until I got home. Low and behold:

An Audio Technica AT132EP with the original 0.2 x 0.7 mill nude elliptical stylus. I knew that model number rang a bell, but it took some quick googling to discover just how desirable this cartridge/stylus is. Certainly worth more than my $10 investment.

I don't have access to a microscope at home, but looking at the tip through an 8x Schneider Aspheric Loupe reveals that its really, really tiny. Much smaller than several other 0.2 x 0.7 ellipticals I have, until I compared it to my only other 0.2 x 0.7 mil nude elliptical, a Shure N91ED. Yep, it's tiny, too.

Of course, 8x magnification isn't sufficient to judge the condition of the diamond. That will have to wait. For now, I gave it a try and to my surprise, the turntable is 100% functional and it sounds great - so far. But, it was late and others were sleeping, so I had to keep the volume low. I'll give it some more critical listening tomorrow at normal volume levels and run it through its paces with my Shure Era IV test record. I've never owned a linear tracker (or any other P-mount turntable) before. So, I'm anxious to see how it does.

Assuming the stylus is in fine condition, what should I do with it? Just put it right back on the SL-5 and take it all into the office (my co-workers may be curious, but they are respectful, as is the cleaning crew). As mentioned the SL-5 is 100% functional (but missing 3 of its feet and has some scratches on the dust cover, which I can probably polish out). Is this too fine of a cartridge/stylus to relegate to casual background listening in an office environment. Is the SL-5 capable of showcasing the quality of this cartridge/stylus? Or, should I use a 1/2" to P-mount adapter to install it in a conventional headshell for use on one of my home tables, or is there a standard 1/2" cartridge that will accept this stylus? I feel like I have been blessed and want to take maximum advantage of my unexpected good fortune.

 

[wualta]

Assuming the stylus is in good shape, and knowing that it would be difficult to find another [affordable] ATN132EP, I'd keep it at home where presumably it will be safer and where it can be plugged into any of the series of cartridges represented by the AT120E without having to resort to any kind of adapter. I frequently use this type of stylus in my AT440MLa or AT140LC bodies.

This is a capable stylus and deserves to be heard in a good system in a quiet environment. In the SL-5, you could install an ATN112EP (still available NOS for reasonable $ if the worst should happen) in your AT132EP body.

Now, if your office is actually a safer/quieter environment than your home, or you don't already own a suitable standard-mount A-T body, or if the diamond is not in good shape...

 

[MCM_Fan]

Assuming the stylus is in good shape, and knowing that it would be difficult to find another [affordable] ATN132EP, I'd keep it at home where presumably it will be safer and where it can be plugged into any of the series of cartridges represented by the AT120E without having to resort to any kind of adapter. I frequently use this type of stylus in my AT440MLa or AT140LC bodies.

This is a capable stylus and deserves to be heard in a good system in a quiet environment. In the SL-5, you could install an ATN112EP (still available NOS for reasonable $ if the worst should happen) in your AT132EP body.

Now, if your office is actually a safer/quieter environment than your home, or you don't already own a suitable standard-mount A-T body, or if the diamond is not in good shape...

Thanks for the reply.

The home is 100% safe, and other than my music, very quiet. It's a very pleasant listening environment. Work is also safe and reasonably quiet, especially on Friday's when most people work from home, before 9:00am and after 5:00pm. It's also safe. It's a secured building without public access. Just me and my co-workers, who I like and trust. That said, most of the listening at work would be low volume background music, not really "critical listening".

The only other AT cartridges I have are several of the $11 AT3600L and an AT90 with a 0.7 mil conical stylus. The AT90 is the only other P-mount cartridge I own. It came on a Pioneer table with a standard 1/2" headshell and 1/2" to P-mount adapter. The Pioneer table is gone, but I kept the magnesium headshell, adapter and cartridge. I was planning on installing that cartridge on a JVC table I'll be selling, but I may be better served putting it on the SL-5. In fact, I could just swap the two P-mount cartridges (the AT90 on the SL-5 and the AT132EP in the 1/2" to P-mount adapter in the Pioneer magnesium headshell) and call it a day. That would give me a cheap cartridge for the office system and let me use the AT132EP in my home system.

I don't have any other cartridges the AT132EP stylus would fit. I wish I did, but don't even know what models to look for. Would the performance in one of the standard 1/2" bodies be noticeably better than in the original body + adapter?

 

[MCM_Fan]

Listening to the Sgt. Pepper's 50th anniversary re-issue right now. Man, it sounds great. That's just a wonderful sounding record - period. The AT has very crisp highs, but not harsh or fatiguing (always a concern when running "bright cartridges with my JBL L36 Decades). The bass is tight and impactful. It definitely sounds different (not necessarily better or worse) than the Pickering XV-15/625E I've been running. The Pickering isn't as bright, but has a fuller sounding lower midrange. Sometime this weekend, I'll have to hook up both tables and do a real A/B comparison. Of course, with the linear tracker, not a trace of inner groove distortion - very clean sounding right up to the deadwax.

Anyhow, my little $10 turntable/cartridge was a heck of a deal. Now, I just need to find or make some feet for it and polish the dust cover. I have definitely found my office turntable - SMALL, easy to use, inexpensive, decent sounding. I'll probably end up running it with my Sherwood S-7100A and JBL 4301B Control Monitors. Should make a sweet sounding little system for my office.

I'll spend a day, or two, running through an assortment of my favorite albums with the AT132EP on it, to get more familiar with the sound, and then switch over to the AT90 and run through the same albums to see how much sound quality I lose with the cheaper cartridge.

 

[wualta]

You're getting a taste of the capabilities of that era of A-T cartridges and styli, and why I recommended moving the ATN132EP stylus over to a system used for more critical listening. In my opinion, in addition to its rarity, it's overkill for a background-listening office system, good as yours is.

I don't have any other cartridges the AT132EP stylus would fit. I wish I did, but don't even know what models to look for. Would the performance in one of the standard 1/2" bodies be noticeably better than in the original body + adapter?

Adapters work well enough for noncritical situations, but are best avoided if you can help it, the reason being that they add mass and height, which can throw off a carefully planned VTA/SRA alignment and push the low-frequency resonance of the arm-cart system down into the warp region, depending on how light your arm is, how adjustable it is, and so on. Some would argue that adapters also add extra electrical connections, which is of course true, though not necessarily a problem, but complicates troubleshooting if, gott forbid, it should become necessary.

You can certainly use the adapter now and look for an inexpensive used post-1980 box-shaped A-T cartridge body.

There are many, many models to choose from, but the most popular ones are probably the AT120E and AT440MLa and b. This means putting the AT90 on the SL-5 and [ideally] getting a fresh stylus for it.

 

[revox-b77]

That is a nice combo. Enjoy!

 

[MCM_Fan]

You're getting a taste of the capabilities of that era of A-T cartridges and styli, and why I recommended moving the ATN132EP stylus over to a system used for more critical listening. In my opinion, in addition to its rarity, it's overkill for a background-listening office system, good as yours is.

Adapters work well enough for noncritical situations, but are best avoided if you can help it, the reason being that they add mass and height, which can throw off a carefully planned VTA/SRA alignment and push the low-frequency resonance of the arm-cart system down into the warp region, depending on how light your arm is, how adjustable it is, and so on. Some would argue that adapters also add extra electrical connections, which is of course true, though not necessarily a problem, but complicates troubleshooting if, gott forbid, it should become necessary.

You can certainly use the adapter now and look for an inexpensive used post-1980 box-shaped A-T cartridge body.
View attachment 1337076
There are many, many models to choose from, but the most popular ones are probably the AT120E and AT440MLa and b. This means putting the AT90 on the SL-5 and [ideally] getting a fresh stylus for it.

Thanks again for the detailed response. I'll have to keep my eyes open for a compatible standard mount cartridge for use with the ATN132EP stylus. It really is a nice sounding stylus, even on the Technics SL-5.

The AT90 came with a new stylus when I bought it. It's an ATN3482P 0.7 mil conical with carbon fiber cantilever. This one:

Or, were you suggesting an upgrading to an elliptical fr that body?

 

[wualta]

Either way. I like the ATN3482P and that was actually going to be my first recommendation. There are better-than-entry-level ellipticals out there as well, of course, but the better ones have become hard to find.

 

[MCM_Fan]

Either way. I like the ATN3482P and that was actually going to be my first recommendation. There are better-than-entry-level ellipticals out there as well, of course, but the better ones have become hard to find.

Right now, I'm enjoying the AT132EP in my home system too much to swap it out, but sometime in the next few days. I'll swap in the AT90 with the ATN3482 stylus and see if it sounds good enough for office use. If not, maybe give something like an ATN3472SE (0.3 x 0.7 mil elliptical) a try.

Thanks again for all the help.