Stanton 500: How Good Can It Sound?

[dbxdx5]

I have an old Stanton 500 that I use mostly for 78 playback (using a D5120EJ stylus from Esoteric Sound). Now I'm thinking of picking up a stylus for LP playback. I know that the 500 is considered a good workhorse cartridge, but is there any stylus that would take it to a higher level? The flexibility of being able to quickly switch back and forth between the D5120EJ for 78s and another stylus for LPs is appealing.

[flavio81]

I have an old Stanton 500 that I use mostly for 78 playback (using a D5120EJ stylus from Esoteric Sound). Now I'm thinking of picking up a stylus for LP playback. I know that the 500 is considered a good workhorse cartridge, but is there any stylus that would take it to a higher level? The flexibility of being able to quickly switch back and forth between the D5120EJ for 78s and another stylus for LPs is appealing.

Can sound fairly good depending on the stylus... Get a light tracking elliptical to see if you like it.

[dbxdx5]

[/quote] Can sound fairly good depending on the stylus... Get a light tracking elliptical to see if you like it.[/quote]

Good idea, Flavio. I will. I should have mentioned that I have one of the old Stanton 500s with the gold body. What elliptical would you recommend? Something from Jico or KAB?

http://stylus.export-japan.com/product_ ... ts_id=1360

[bauzace50]

Hi,

The genuine Stanton D50 series of styli are your best bet, IF YOU CAN GET ONE. I just got one on eBay around March 2011, it is the "D50E Mk II"...pretty good for "audiophile" listening.

The only concern is being able to get one. eBay sellers come up with one of the genuine D50 series once in a rare while. My suspicion is that there is no longer one remaining in the world...and I tried three "after market" imitations with very poor results (poor tracking ability, and poor sound quality).

One alternative is getting one worn-out from the D50 series, provided the suspension and cantilever are fully functional. THEN, retip it with a Paratrace, or similar tip. I actually have one in new condition which is now fitted with a Paratrace...very good sound and tracking specimen.

Another alternative is a genuine Pickering replacement from http://www.pickeringuk.com (you know Pickering and Stanton are brand names under the same umbrella corporation...sort of). I have one "DE" stylus with fine sound and good tracking ability. This is, also, a good candidate for tip replacement with a Paratrace from Expert Stylus and Cartridge Company...for a definitely obvious improvement on the sound.

My experience with a CANTILEVER replacement with a ruby was not succesful. A slight top treble resonance cropped up, which was mostly audible and not "natural" at all.

Good luck (you'll need it),
bauzace50

PS- I have one "after market" imitation from LP Gear (their name "DATE4"), which I don't like, and you can have for free (gratis, no charge whatsoever, NO strings attached) postpaid. Just write a Private Message, and I will get back to you.

[flavio81]

Yes, something from Jico if you can't get the original.

To be honest i think the Stanton 681 cartridge is better, and the 881 better than both the 681 and 500.

[KentT]

D71EE is the accepted replacement for the 500 EE. Similar specs. KABUSA has this stylus. The P mount version of the 500 is still made which is why you can easily get a D71EE which is it's stylus. And inexpensive.

[bauzace50]

Hi,
the D71EE styus, which is the one issued with the P-mount "500" is a step down in performance from the D50 series, as personally played by me in my own system. This particular D71EE was packaged in fully recognizable Stanton fashion, no doubt about its authenticity. But it did not perform as well as older genuine D50 styli I had on hand at the time.

My take on the "500" model is that the manufacturer's support of that model is only for DJ use, with only a barely-passing "audiophile" version (D71 EE stylus). It is strictly for the Stanton adherent, and not very good at it.

As a matter of fact, a brief search on the Internet for the cartridge using this stylus ( the L720 EE p-mount cartridge) is not currently listed as available from Needle Doctor, and is listed as "Presently Unavailable" from Amazon.

So, it seems that Stanton is no longer giving attention to the "audiophile" market, except for the few remaining D71 EE stlyli on the market.

To be frank about this, the Stanton company was unduly decent with an audiohile market which was fickle and treacherous to the top-quality units they marketed once. Idem. with Shure, which are hanging on with the M97xE...at a possible monetary loss (?).

Good luck,
bauzace50

[bauzace50]

TO: member DavidMiller:

Your Private Message to me is being answered on this thread, here, because the message forum did not allow me to post a direct reply.

I did NOT offer a gift of a free cartridge, at all. My offer was for one sub-par aftermarket stylus which is suitable for use on the Stanton 500.

My offer of this aftermarket stylus imitation was explicit, and I am surprised that it was misinterpreted to mean a cartridge of a different brand.

Good luck,
bauzace50

[dbxdx5]

I just one the Pickering site, and it's a bit confusing. bauzace50: Can you or anyone else tell me which specific Pickering stylii will work well with the old gold-bodied Stanton 500? What's the best elliptical they offer for this cart?

Thanks
Matt

[Whitneyville]

Matt, try the LPGear.com site and look under replacement stylii by cartridge. Under Stanton 500E, 500EE, 500EEE you'll find your choices of "generic" stylii for under $33 which are .3mil x .7 mil. I didn't check every single one, but I saw no mention of where they were made (ie; Japan most likely being JICO, Switzerland, most likely Pfansteihl and reported to be inferior to the Japanese stylii). I think a good 680/681 or 881 cartridge gives you more, better options, including Shibata tipped stylii made in Japan, or the Vivid Line stylii, parabolic and hyperellipticals, and perhaps better sound reproduction from a generator point of view. All of this becomes very subjective, of course, and it's your money, in any case. I've become quite fond of the warm, mellow sound of my Pickering XV-15/750E on a Dual 1226, and it also makes quite a Rock-n-Roll combo too. The cheap "generic" stylii make listening to used LP's less stressful with a $30 stylus instead of a $100+ stylus too, when I hear the "POP!" or "Grrrt!".

[bauzace50]

To: dbxdx5:

yes, their website contains LOTS of information, and it can be confusing.
You may want to do the following:
go to http://www.pickeringuk.com

On the first page, look towards the Yellow wording: Pickering Cartridges", and then Click to the right of this on the Dark Blue word "Styli".

When you have the styli page on your screen, look down to the middle of the page, the Dark Blue title "V15 Diamond Styli".

Below this you will find "DE 1.25 grams". THAT is the Pickering stylus I have used quite satisfactorily on my Stanton "500" body. Note that the US price is $32. ( to the right of the British 19.90 Pounds price).

To clarify: all Stanton 500 bodies have identical inner components, regardless of the outside coloring, be it the Gold body, or any other color. The same goes for the "Pickering V15" body, which houses the same identical inner components as the "Stanton 500" body.

And, in any case, the "500" is rapidly ending its "audiophile" life and will soon live only in DJ Land. Efforts to hunt for suitable "audiophile" styli will soon meet a dead end.
Good luck,
bauzace50

[dbxdx5]

Great! Thanks everyone.

I'll be starting another related thread shortly.

[dbxdx5]

[quote="bauzace50"]Hi,

The genuine Stanton D50 series of styli are your best bet, IF YOU CAN GET ONE. I just got one on eBay around March 2011, it is the "D50E Mk II"...pretty good for "audiophile" listening.

Is this the same as the stylus that just says "E MK II" on the body?

[dbxdx5]

I know--I'm asking another question before I've given anyone a chance to answer my last one!

I have an original Stanton D5100E stylus on my 500. Is it worth having it retipped by the guys at Soundsmith?