Pickering XSV/3000 WHAT A PLEASANT SUPRISE!

jmchrislip

AK Subscriber
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For the last 3.5 months I've been auditioning two cartridges.

A Pickering XSV/3000 cartridge. I purchased it for $100.00. Tracking is at 1.2 grams. I’m using the LP Gear Vivid Line replacement stylus I purchased for $79.00. Bought both for a early birthday present to myself.

I took my time in setting it up and boy was I rewarded!! Extremely quiet background like my DL-103. Very deep sound-stage, magnificent mids, highs and very well defined deep bass. The transient response is quick and it sounds so damn real. The last time I used a Pickering was in the 70’s. I had the V15-1200E. Very good cartridge but no where in the same ballpark as this one. Absolutely no sibilance. I don't know how I missed this cartridge when it first came out.

I’m listening to Brubeck’s TIME OUT. Piano pitch is perfect. Sounds wonderful!! in fact everything I’ve played so far sounds excellent.

My second is the Shure M97HE cartridge with the LP Gear Shure M97HE (NOT the Vivid Line) replacement stylus, that I'll address in another post..
 
My best bud had that cart on a table he bought, back in the good ol' days of scroes (around 2006) and promptly plowed a few records with it, tracking at some absurd weight. Destroyed the stylus.

Sounded great while it lasted. I tried to tell him, but some people......

It's on my radar, but they never turn up around here.
 
I had one I didn't want that came with a TT I did want. No stylus, and no interest. Tossed it in a drawer and forgot about it. Junk. Then last year I read it would take a Stanton stylus. I had a Stanton with the Stereohedron stone, and tried it just out of idle curiosity.

BLEW
MY
MIND
 
It's stories like this that lead me to believe cartridge technology has not really moved all that far forward over the years and that people's need and desire to "upgrade" is marginally unfounded. There are so many old school cartridge that sounds soooo good.
 
It's stories like this that lead me to believe cartridge technology has not really moved all that far forward
I haven't had enough new carts to verify MRL's theory. I do know that my little collection — the newest is at least 20 years old — can sound exquisite. It includes MM, MC, MI, and many have 'advanced' stylus shapes, and 'exotic' cantilever materials (gemstone, rare metals etc), so I wonder what's really 'new under the sun.' Topping it off, for me anyway, is that the entire bunch of them cost me about what one 'decent' MC costs today.

I was lucky in the right-place/right-time department, being able to buy way back when CD destroyed Vinyl 'forever', and dealers were sitting on big inventories of 'obsolete' products nobody wanted, and they just wanted to recoup something, anything.

Some older MMs (eg the one this thread is about, Grace F9 et al) are revered now and command big money even when you must add hundred$ for retips, while vintage MCs are disregarded — but it's the same story in that arena too.
 
Yup and there are a few Pickerings up the next rung incl the .33 mil volt output [ use mc input ] XLZ 7500.

I must concur about the XLZ-7500 low-output model. Excellent cartridge, wonderful resolution, depth, and layering. As good as anything I’ve heard. In the likely event that one is unable to find an actual D7500 stylus assembly, an OEM or JICO D4500Q works pretty well. And the nice thing is that being low-impedance, response can be tweaked with the usual loading options with the MC input required.
 
I have a XSV 3000 with oem d3000 it is a great cart. I also have a Pickering XLZ with a D4500 stylus which is a bonded stereohedren. I agree with MarkNC it's just wonderfull. I'm using a vivid line 7500 for every day use.It's very good but no match for the 4500
 
what is the rec'd tracking force? i have an all OEM xsv3000/d3000 that i run a good bit heavier
 
I have the QSV3000 with D3000 stylus. Came on a Sanyo Plus Q25 yard sale find.
Does it make a difference to run it with the "dust a matic' brush off or on? I took mine off.
 
Thanks for the reply. I don't think I'm hearing a difference, just put the brush back on.
I'm running it on a Pioneer PL-530.
 
...

A Pickering XSV/3000 cartridge. ... Tracking is at 1.2 grams.

I set the VTF at about 1.2g (Pioneer PL-530) using the counter weight as I don't have a digital scale. I have the original D3000 stylus.
It wasn't tracking very well. I went up to 1.5g and what a difference.

If 0.3 grams makes that much difference I think I need to get a scale.

A few years ago I had a Garrard SPG3 that I got rid of, looks like that was a bad move.
 
what would be the tracking force be if your using a SME 3009 series II improved arm, with & without the brush ?
 
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