stanton 681 eee

[probedms]

hey i just won some carts on ebay. can anyone give me some info and experience with this cart.

[bauzace50]

Yes, I had one. It is a moving-iron design, with a vintage going all the way to the 1960s, and revisions to the present time. It is an excellent tracker, but the 881s (mm) is better. The sound is very clean and neutral, but the 881s is recognizably clearer on AB comparisons. In my mind, the 881s is recognizably better in all respects, including sound, and higher output...meaning lower noise ratio. I guess this model still sells because it has a strong following from about 40 years ago. The complete 680 series have the same internal design, and all the stylii in the 680 series are interchangeable with this body. Nice to know, if you want to interchange with a more rugged stylus for special purposes. Very good performance to cost ratio.

[redmini]

Funny, I got one of these famous cartridges for "free" not that long ago and was pleased to still be able to buy a genuine replacement stylus for it for peanuts.

This cartridge has a very high output and is also quite detailed, not one I would describe as sweet sounding, perhaps a bit bass heavy and overall a bit thumpy sounding but pleasing nonetheless, tracks at a low VTF.

[probedms]

what are the differences through out the years and different 680 models. 680 el, eee, etc. are the carts all the same and just the stylus changes?

[bauzace50]

I had one 681ee for about one month on loan, around year 1969. I remember the aluminum canilever was smaller than the present cantilever, probably meaning that today's version is slightly sturdier.
As far as internal construction so far back. I don't know. But it is easy to see that current specifications for internal inductance and resistance are identical in all the current 680 series...most probably meaning that they are indeed identical internally. Stanton themselves say that their stylii are interchangeable within the series.
The different stylii differ in the sturdiness of the cantilever and suspension, and diamond tip type. For me, they are a clear window to the program played, and a wonderful show at their price.

[Gerard]

cartridge mass....................................................5.5g
LF Rensonance in Standard arm (16g Eff mass)......8HZ
Induced hum level...............................................-68dB
Stylus type.........................................................naked elliptical
Finish and alignment of diamond...........................Good
HF Resonance.....................................................25kHz
Measure Dynamic Compliance at 10Hz...................20cu
Frequency response and separation
20Hz-20kHz........................................................+-2.5dB
100Hz-5kHz........................................................+-1.5dB
Trackability
300Hz Lateral +14dB...........................................1.25g
300Hz vertical +11dB..........................................0.9g
Recomended loading...........................................150-300pf(47 K ohms)
Price (1979) RRP................................................. £50.00

"The cartridge ranked signficantly below average on the listening tests, mainly due to its rather dull balance. Some hardness and nasality were also evident with only fair stereo imaging." (Martin Colloms, HiFi Choice 1979)

Gerard

[bauzace50]

Martin Collom's value judgement seems to be along the lines of my original comment comparing the 681 with the 881, both of which I owned. But he weighed his observations much more than I do. I stand by what I heard and commented. But the weight of the value judgement is the interesting part for each hobbyist.
Differences in the weight of a judgement can also be related with Mr. Collom's value judgement on the Halcro amplifier, in Hi Fi News, compared with John Atkinson's value judgement of the same model in Stereophile. The former found significant departures from perfection, while the latter found the model as close to perfection imaginable at the time of the review.
Also, one sometimes wonders about the way weather and venue affect perceptions, as well as singers' voices. Remember the Mediterranean bottled air marketed during Caruso's era, purported to benefit aspiring singers' throats. I don't know how the English Channel's air, and the London fog influence sound and perceptions...nor the effect of Sambuca, either...delicious liqueur which might have been quite favored by Sir John Falstaff...Verdi would have had a field-day composing comments about it on the throat of his delectable character after Shakespeare. Va, vecchio John...