I have a Pickering XV15/625E cartridge, which looks (to my eyes) just like any "big body" Stanton cartridge. Anyone know if I can use the D681EEE stylus on this Pickering cart? Will there be any compatibility problems, etc?

As I recall, the cartridge body geometry between the 625E and the 681EEE is highly similar. Though the 681EEE cost more, it sold many more copies. The stylus for the 681EEE has a flange at the top that bends back over the cartridge body and toward the rear. The 625E stylus doesn't have that flange, is somewhat wider, and uses a brush with a cylindrical "head" rather than a spherical shape.

Now to the details. The flange on the 681EEE stylus is there to prevent the barrel of the stylus assembly from rotating in its socket. On the 625E stylus, the flanges that restrict motion are on the side. You may find that the 681EEE stylus flange doesn't fit onto the 625E cartridge body -- and that you will need to trim away the flange. (I have numerous 680 and 681EEE cartridge bodies, but alas no 625E cartridge bodies, so the comments on the flange, above, are from memory.)

If you need to trim the flange a little, use a needle file, Xacto knife or Dremel tool. Be real careful. If you trim too much the stylus will rotate in the socket.

In any case, I suspect there'll be a slight mismatch in design centers between the Pickering cartridge body and the Stanton stylus, but for non-critical applications it should work acceptably.

Best,

Fred Longworth
StereoTech Classic Audio Repair
http://www.repairaudio.com

Decided to give this a try. The 681EEE stylus fits the Pickering body PERFECTLY...they're obviously exactly the same. The flange that Fred mentioned had a V shaped notch that mated precicely with a V on the top of the cartridge body.

The results, however, were disasterous. The sound was incredibly sibilant. Any thoughts on what could have casued that? Are there other possible compatibility problems, or is that a problem associated with this particular stylus?

This member:

emaidel

was nat'l sales manager for Pickering & Stanton. VERY knowledgeable.

BUT, I see his name is off the register & all postings removed.

former member, I guess. A lost resource. Too bad.

HE'S the guy to talk to.

My curiosity got the best of me so I tried the same thing (681EEE stylus on 625E body).

I'm playing "Tapestry" and it sounds fine. If anything, the highs are a little less prominent than with the 625 stylus in place.

Do you know the condition of your stylus? Sibilance can be caused by it being severely worn.

Regarding emaidel, and this is meant to take nothing away from his interesting insights into Pickering/Stanton, when it comes to technical issues regarding the different models, I would feel more inclined to take his word if he had been an engineer at the company rather than a sales manager. I have known some sales managers and, in fact, my best friend is one and they haven't necessarily known the technical intricasies of their product.

For instance, he claimed that the 625E was different than the other XV-15s in that it was a moving iron and not moving magnet. I haven't had the opportunity to try switching the various styli around on these but all other sources indicate that they are all compatible. I wouldn't think that a moving iron stylus would work at all in a moving magnet body.

Doug

He had some very good tips. As a sales manager, he wouldn't be top shelf on technical issues, but I felt that he had a lot of insight on the product.

I would be curious to have a moderator comment on his sudden absence and apparent banishment.

You mean I can't find a D625 replacement stylus for my old Pickering? :tears:

Doug, thanks for giving it a try...I'm thinking of giving it another try now. The D681EEE stylus is brand spankin' new from Needle Doctor, so I can't imagine that wear is the issue. I was playing "Rubber Soul", but if you made it through "Tapestry" without "So Far Away" breaking up, I'm going to give it another shot.

Anyone familiar with the Stanton 680 HiFi? I never see it discussed...curious to hear any thoughts on it.

...and regretfully, I don't believe the XV15/625E stylus is available...

Will

Actually, there is a guy from England on eBay that is offering two D625s for about $70.00. He also has new 625E carts. with two 625D styli for about $129.00 I believe.

Not too long ago there was a separate auction for one 625E (I don't even think it was new) and it went to 120 something dollars. I thought, "What the heck are you people thinking?"

I can't remember his eBay name but:

Do a search for "pickering", category "Consumer Electronics."

Good luck getting the 681EEE stylus to work, Will. Or, you can keep an eye out for a 681EEE body. They show up on eBay all the time.

Doug

Oh, I forgot, Canadian Astatic has a replacement for the 625E that is very well made and sounds terrific. I have found that most of the Astatic replacements to be of high quality. So between these two sources, you might be all set, Jim.

Doug