Technics 1200 MKII

[Ken.nelson0317]

I aquired a Technics 1200 MKII and was wondering if anyone had a suggestion for a new cart. It has the dj Stanton 500 on it now and think I can get alot more fron a different cart. I have a shure91 as my backup on my 6300, that isnt really getting used and probably wont. I put a new Grado 8MZ on the Marantz and love what I hear. Any suggestions for the Technics?

 

[clhboa]

If you find a good one let me know. I damaged my KAB modified Stanton cartridge and it's no longer being made. So I replaced it with a Goldring 2400. I'm not happy with the sound at all. I don't know why but there seems to be no "oomph" to it. I'm running the Technics through the phonostage on my Denon DRA-685 receiver.

 

[jaetee]

Depending on your budget, you can really go nuts on a cartridge. However, as much as I love Grado headphones and have been tempted to try one of their cartridges (I have 2 x 1200 M3D's) I've heard that they tend not do very well on the Direct Drive turntables. Mind you, that I have not tried one, so I will qualify that comment with the note that this is second hand information. That said, I've seen it mentioned elsewhere several times.

The Stanton 500 is bottom of the barrell and really should be replaced as soon as you can. I used to do a lot of nightclub DJ'ing and really like the Stanton 680 series, as well as the Ortofon Concordes and even the OM series.

The OM series tends to be somewhat looked down upon by the audiophile community, but you can get eliptical stylii for these without breaking the bank and they are quite reliable and sound very nice, IMHO. One of my Ortofon OM cartridges was bought in 1981 and has had about 10 stylus replacements over the years.

Unless you plan on doing a lot of DJ'ing and back-cueing, I would avoid a spherical cartridge. By design (and when set up properly) elipitical cardtridges get deeper into the record groove and thus do a better job of overall sound reproduction.

I'm actually shopping for just the replacement needles to use on my existing OM carts, so I'm a bit biased towards these, but for under $75, I'd recommend something along the lines of this rig right here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/BRAND-NEW-O...S_DJ_Turntable_Parts_Accs&hash=item45e97b7065

Good luck, and please report back what you end up getting and how it works out for you!

 

[speakerman1]

If you find a good one let me know. I damaged my KAB modified Stanton cartridge and it's no longer being made. So I replaced it with a Goldring 2400. I'm not happy with the sound at all. I don't know why but there seems to be no "oomph" to it. I'm running the Technics through the phonostage on my Denon DRA-685 receiver.

Wow really. My 2400 sounds very detailed. All freq. are there. The bass is more there. Than over compensated. I guess tight would be the word. I'll buy it from you for what I paid for mine. LOL The umph is there just equal to the other sounds. Not as pronounced.

 

[Pure_Brew]

I didn't care for the Stanton 500 series. I use an AT440mla on my 1800 lots of detail, excellent tracker. Shures offerings like the M97xe have a quieter background and warmer sound, good price and huge upgrade from JICO.

I'm not set against conical stylus with heavy tracking forces at this point. While it might be blashemous in the opinions of many, if you cant tweak all the forces appropriately for rather intricate cut diamond styli, you could do more damage to the records then you could with conical/higher force when it's tracking fine.

That being said, there are those that love the Denon DL-103 MC, and on SL-1200's. I'm currently messing with a really cheap Shure SC35C on an old Garrard changer at 5g. While I haven't swapped it over to the Technics yet, I can't believe how wonderful it sounds on OLD records and Jazz.

 

[Skratch]

Put a Shure V15Vx MR in my old Marantz 6300. Set it up to spec and it really sounds fantastic. Played the Doors on a 200 gram 45 RPM LP.

 

[Ken.nelson0317]

Ok I think I either want a new stylus for the Shure 91E or I could go with the Ortofon ARKIV. Also is there a stylus that would work well upgrading the Stanton 500

 

[orange]

Not sure, it's more or less a DJ/broadcast cart and I have one Larry sent me, maybe elliptical is it.

 

[orange]

I aquired a Technics 1200 MKII and was wondering if anyone had a suggestion for a new cart. It has the dj Stanton 500 on it now and think I can get alot more fron a different cart. I have a shure91 as my backup on my 6300, that isnt really getting used and probably wont. I put a new Grado 8MZ on the Marantz and love what I hear. Any suggestions for the Technics?

If you aren't going to use it, what would you ask for it or trade? I have a few sitting around as well.

 

[Ken.nelson0317]

If you aren't going to use it, what would you ask for it or trade? I have a few sitting around as well.

If you are talking about the 91E, I dont really want to get rid of it just need to replace the stylus on it. Unsure which stylus to get. Think I'll use it on the Technics. That being said if I go the Shure97 route I might consider getting rid of it. Having a hard time making up my mind. I am going to get rid of the Stanton though. Sorry about the confusion I'm just not going to use it on the Marantz. I like the Grado on it much better.

 

[stuwee]

If you are talking about the 91E, I dont really want to get rid of it just need to replace the stylus on it. Unsure which stylus to get. Think I'll use it on the Technics. That being said if I go the Shure97 route I might consider getting rid of it. Having a hard time making up my mind. I am going to get rid of the Stanton though. Sorry about the confusion I'm just not going to use it on the Marantz. I like the Grado on it much better.

It sounds like you like the 'Shure' sound with that deck...I would agree, it was made for that, call the Needle Doctor in MN, they'll getg you the best stylus for that cartridge.

I'd look for a nice Shure V-15 series, III or IV and never look back, I have a IV HE and it'll track just about anything but a hooker from Chaska , Grado's have a much sweeter sound if ya lean that way, cost more for the priveledge tho.

Is the original arm on the 1200? Any mods?? This will make a diff.

 

[Ken.nelson0317]

It sounds like you like the 'Shure' sound with that deck...I would agree, it was made for that, call the Needle Doctor in MN, they'll getg you the best stylus for that cartridge.

I'd look for a nice Shure V-15 series, III or IV and never look back, I have a IV HE and it'll track just about anything but a hooker from Chaska , Grado's have a much sweeter sound if ya lean that way, cost more for the priveledge tho.

Is the original arm on the 1200? Any mods?? This will make a diff.

Yes its the original arm and no mods. Thanks for the input. Someday I might do mod's. I hears at least replacing wires amd damping will make a considerable difference. Too bad it wont track the hooker. I could use one. lol

 

[stuwee]

Yes its the original arm and no mods. Thanks for the input. Someday I might do mod's. I hears at least replacing wires amd damping will make a considerable difference. Too bad it wont track the hooker. I could use one. lol

Dame Edna will beat you with a fistful of gladdies, don't speak to him simulated audience members please, this is my show,, I'm a Mega-Star....squillions of viewers, get a V-15 Shure

Peace bro...

 

[Pure_Brew]

Yes its the original arm and no mods. Thanks for the input. Someday I might do mod's. I hears at least replacing wires amd damping will make a considerable difference. Too bad it wont track the hooker. I could use one. lol

Any progress? I'm interested in thoughts and findings, as I'm still exploring future possibilties myself.

 

[Ken.nelson0317]

Well, my thought so far is replace the stylus with the JICO SAS. Appears to be a good choice to fit the 91ED cart I have. What is your opinion there. Should I just get a the Shure M97xe instead. I see you didnt care for the JICO. I have heard it is very good match for the 91ED but at 149.00 its more than the Shure M97xe. Anyway have decided one step at a time. Cart or stylus first, then wires, then damping. If that doesnt work probably flip the thing.

 

[stuwee]

Well, my thought so far is replace the stylus with the JICO SAS. Appears to be a good choice to fit the 91ED cart I have. What is your opinion there. Should I just get a the Shure M97xe instead. I see you didnt care for the JICO. I have heard it is very good match for the 91ED but at 149.00 its more than the Shure M97xe. Anyway have decided one step at a time. Cart or stylus first, then wires, then damping. If that doesnt work probably flip the thing.

Noooo, please don't \\\ look for a nice V-15 on da bay, $300 well spent, these carts will never get cheaper than now, buy up some stylus's as you can afford them, call the Needle Dr., they will help ya!! Don't give up on analog buddy, it's your friend...

 

[Ken.nelson0317]

Noooo, please don't \\\ look for a nice V-15 on da bay, $300 well spent, these carts will never get cheaper than now, buy up some stylus's as you can afford them, call the Needle Dr., they will help ya!! Don't give up on analog buddy, it's your friend...

I'm an Analog man. Its my thing. So for I like my Marantz 6300 quite well. I have a Grado cart and 8MZ stylus on it. I bought the technics to play with and see what all the hype was about. I have around 2000 albums and a VPI 16.5 RCM. Getting out of analog not gonna happen. I'll look into the V-15.

 

[Pure_Brew]

Well, my thought so far is replace the stylus with the JICO SAS. Appears to be a good choice to fit the 91ED cart I have. What is your opinion there. Should I just get a the Shure M97xe instead. I see you didnt care for the JICO. I have heard it is very good match for the 91ED but at 149.00 its more than the Shure M97xe. Anyway have decided one step at a time. Cart or stylus first, then wires, then damping. If that doesnt work probably flip the thing.

I didn't say I didn't like the JICO. I was actually contemplating the Shure M97xe/SAS. I tried the Shure but it had some damage, but sounded nice on the outer grooves. Hard to draw a definite conclusion under the circumstances. I read and heard the 97/SAS is a winner. However, the V15 seems like a popular choice. The Stanton I didn't like due to tracking, but that was on a different table arm. The SAS is much like the microline on my AT440mla, but the AT leans toward brightness. Any Shure I've tried does not, and I prefer a richer sound over better detail if given a choice. That being said, it makes sense for me personally to go for the Shure sound, but with the refinement and trackability of a JICO SAS.

I did just buy a stylus for an antique Garrard AII/Shure M3D cart from JICO, and I can at least say that my buying experience was pleasant with them.

One other thing I might try is a different stylus for the SC35C Shure. Yes it's a DJ cart but sounded nice on the old Garrard, and it looks like, being that Shure only made so many body types, that there is even a variety of styli, including an SAS for it. It's based on the original cart used in the past by the BBC. For what I'm messing with, it seems like a good jack of all trades cart: 78rpm and a lower VTA/wider bandwidth stylus are also available from Shure for it.

Im a noob, so correct me if I'm wrong on any of this.

 

[mlucitt]

Dame Edna (aka Barry Humphries) retired at the end of the season this year. I assume that Barry has a nice life down in Australia now.

 

[Pure_Brew]

On the Stanton 500 (v3?)I had and didn't like, I'm finding that I may have never tracked it heavy enough. I have also learned that it is likely the #1 choice for archiving vintage "78's"that go all the way back to the Edison era ( that and others not actually 78rpm). There are like 50 different custom styli for the cart based on variable cutting technics from then to now, and also truncated, so the styli won't track the bottom where the damage is from old Victrola's etc.