Which Pickering Cartridge Is This?

[ADKBob]

Thanks for the information. When I saw the TT at the sale, I hooked it up and played a vinyl that was there. It played fine, but I only have a small pocket 25X magnifier to quickly check the diamond. After some ME to clean the crud, it looked ok. Any recommendations for a good microscope to check the stylus?

 

[jhtstone]

Here is another thread on the subject. Great up close shots...

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=547836

 

[Andyman]

And the aftermarket has not quite figured out how to make a good-sounding substitute stylus for anything close to a reasonable price, which is why I hope the D400 is in good shape.

Why is that? I know it's true, but why??
Why is is so hard to make a good stylus for Pickerings?
They can make good ones for other carts like Shures; why is Pickering so unfortunately unique?

 

[seminole54]

It's MI and not MM, plus the cantilever design is unique.

 

[KentTeffeteller]

The cantilever, the precision ground diamond tip, the precision engineering which make up the whole stylus assembly, the perfect balance of rugged and superb fidelity. All the above make a Pickering XV 15/Stanton 680/Stanton 681 stylus assembly. And the company was very secretive about their processes. Expert Stylus Company in England are the only other parties privy to this design as they were authorized to manufacture specialty styli for these cartridges. Expert's Paratrace tip is identical in performance to a NOS Stereohedron II stylus. And the best high performance current option. And Expert can make you any conical or elliptical tip you want in any dimension.

 

[specialone53]

It's MI and not MM, plus the cantilever design is unique.

Wait.
You just stated that the Pickering design is Moving IRON? (MI)

Wrong.

Moving Magnet, babe.

And, I've no issue with using a Stanton/Pickering product on MY records.

 

[boreas]

Wait.
You just stated that the Pickering design is Moving IRON? (MI)

Wrong.

Depends.

The XV-15, which is the one we're talking about, is moving iron. So is the V-15 Micro. The V-15, the XUV and the XSV are moving magnet...... babe.

John

 

[Andyman]

What is the XSV3000?? I know the D3000 replacements are about $160. The $25 generic I bought online is, as expected, unimpressive...

Are their other options besides the $80 ridgeline or fine line one I read about???

 

[seminole54]

You might want to read the other posts in a thread before you jump in with some smart comment. Doesn't make you look very bright....babe

 

[boreas]

What is the XSV3000?? I know the D3000 replacements are about $160. The $25 generic I bought online is, as expected, unimpressive...

Are their other options besides the $80 ridgeline or fine line one I read about???

The XSV/3000 is the Pickering equivalent of the Stanton 881. It's a moving magnet cartridge (which, unfortunately, looks just like the moving iron XV-15) and comes with the D3000 "Stereohedron" stylus.

The original styli are, if possible, the way to go..... and, if you can find one for $160.00, JUMP on it.

John

 

[wualta]

What is the XSV3000??

What boreas said. The XSV-3000 was the most famous cartridge of the line that announced Pickering's return to moving-magnet technology, which happened in 1975 with the quad XUV-4500Q. The XSV-3000 arrived in 1976.

However, I'd be a bad babe if I didn't point out that Pickering didn't change anything else. Everything (bodies, styli) looks exactly the same as the XV-15s. Which means an XV-15 stylus will fit an XSV body perfectly.. and produce almost perfect silence. Vendors don't always know this, or admit they're wrong when this is pointed out. So be careful out there.

I know the D3000 replacements are about $160. The $25 generic I bought online is, as expected, unimpressive...

The sad part is the XSV-3000 wasn't an expensive cartridge when it was introduced. That's why it was so popular-- high bang:buck ratio.

Are their other options besides the $80 ridgeline or fine line one I read about???

We're still waiting for JICO to make an SAS for MM Pickering/Stanton, so, aside from the Expert Stylus option, no, none that I'm aware of. Your best bet is to watch eBay and/or your local sources carefully for genuine NOS, imo.

 

[KentTeffeteller]

Jico can't make a proper one without very heavy duty reverse engineering. Pickering/Stanton cartridges are not easily copied by Generic makers. Expert Stylus retip will give you authentic performance and blessed by Walter Stanton himself.

 

[wualta]

I have the feeling JICO could probably have had a go at it, but that the mere attempt would produce a stylus so expensive to make that, because of the relatively small quantities they'd sell, the price would have to be so high that very few would buy it. That's my guess.