Generic stylus for Shure

jimbofish

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After learning that the non-working B&O cartridge in my Yamaha P220 TT is really in a standard mount adapter, I went to install the Shure M95ED that I've had on hand for years. But there's no stylus! Oh, yeah, thats why it was in the parts box. It was in my parent's PE 2040, until they broke off the needle years ago and I replaced it with a Shure M75ED. That's ok, because I also have the PE here. Dusting it off, I decide to connect it up to see if the M75ED cart works. Doesn't sound quite right, seems to be skipping a lot, and the controls are sluggish.

So, I get sidetracked into cleaning and relubing the PE since the new belt for the Yamaha hasn't arrived anyway. Trying to be careful, I make sure I take the headshell off to protect the stylus. At one point I need to put the head back on to balance the arm. So, I'm almost done with the job and put the cart and stylus back on. WTF... there's no needle on this one now! Somewhere along the way I must have accidentally knocked it off. Damn! Now I've got two carts with no stylus!

I searched the web for new styli and find that SHure no longer makes them, but there are generic replacements available from a number of places for varying prices. A few do advertise NOS Shure styli for a price... 3 to 4 times more! For the cost of the Shure stylus, I could buy a whole new M97 cart.

Here's my question... is an aftermarket stylus as good as the genuine Shure replacement? If not, is the difference worth the steeper price?
 
Thanks for the JICO link. They have a replacement for the ADC 25 that I have been looking for some years.
 
Depends on how much info you can get. Some of those "generic replacements" are actually made by the original manufacturers, but there's no marketing muscle behind them now. I got some generic replacements once that were actually Fidelitone originals. And the price was a lot less....
 
Maybe I used the wrong terminology... by generic I meant any that weren't made by Shure. I'd consider Pfanstiehl, Jico, Fidelitone, and the like to be "generic" or "aftermarket". Are these brands as equal to original equipment as they claim to be? If so, are there brands to stay away from?
 
Do you know if that is a genuine SHURE stylus they're selling? If so, $30 delivered is hard to beat!
 
It appears to be, but you can always email or call and ask.

As for aftermarket styli, it's hard to predict the quality unless someone else here has tried the same stylus and can vouch for it. The one place that receives consistently high praise is JICO. I've ordered several styli from them and all are top notch. In fact, I don't recall reading a negative review of any of their styli. I would say that they equal or exceed Shure's quality. The only place where they come up short is their dynamic stabilizer brushes. They aren't quite as competent at damping as the original Shures. But for the M95 it's a non-issue.
 
Maybe I used the wrong terminology... by generic I meant any that weren't made by Shure. I'd consider Pfanstiehl, Jico, Fidelitone, and the like to be "generic" or "aftermarket". Are these brands as equal to original equipment as they claim to be? If so, are there brands to stay away from?

I use 3 Pfanstiel styli - N91-3 and N44-3 78 rpm styli for their respective cartridges, and a N93E replacement stylus. They are all of exceptional quality. Especially the Pf version of the N44-3. It is made with a more durable cantilever and the tip is increased to 3.0 mil over the 2.5 mil original.

As for the performacne for the LP stylus, the N93E, I love it. However, last night I did break the tip off of one, but I was being stupid. I wasn't paying attention and my arm slipped and I ended up tossing the tonearm accross the platter and record.

The sound is equal to a Shure, in my opnion. There is no audible difference.
 
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I use 3 Pfanstiel styli - N91-3 and N44-3 78 rpm styli for their respective cartridges, and a N93E replacement stylus. They are all of exceptional quality. Especially the Pf version of the N44-3. It is made with a more durable cantilever and the tip is increased to 3.0 mil over the 2.5 mil original.

As for the performacne for the LP stylus, the N93E, I love it. However, last night I did break the tip off of one, but I was being stupid. I wasn't paying attention and my arm slipped and I ended up tossing the tonearm accross the platter and record.

The sound is equal to a Shure, in my opnion. There is no audible difference.

Pfanstiehl makes a decent stylus for the money. I have one for my Pickering XSV 3000 that I bought through KAB and another that I had bought for my Shure M91ED through Parts Express. I have original stylus for both of them and have compared them. While they don't track like the original the sound is pretty good although I CAN hear a difference. I paid 8.40 for the N91ED and it was worth the price especially if you want to use the cartridge on some flea market LP's and don't want to abuse your OEM stylus. A very good bargain as long as they are priced accordingly but if they ever approach OEM stylus prices then ABSOLUTELY bypass them. For some serious listening I would suggest a Jico stylus if you can't get an original.
 
Pfanstiehl makes a decent stylus for the money. I have one for my Pickering XSV 3000 that I bought through KAB and another that I had bought for my Shure M91ED through Parts Express. I have original stylus for both of them and have compared them. While they don't track like the original the sound is pretty good although I CAN hear a difference.
jazzwolf, I just received a Pfanstiehl replacement stylus for a Pickering XSV5000 cartridge that was on a TT I picked up at SA. Unfortunately, there was no stylus at all on the cartridge. I figured for $17 it was worth a shot to at least get a taste of the XSV5000, so I ordered one from KAB. Wow, what a letdown. The sibilance (even after careful set-up numerous times) makes the music just about unlistenable. I even tried it on different TTs, an HK T45C, and a Dual 1209. Harsh, bright.........just terrible sound all around. I also got a Stanton hybrid cartridge, equivalent to a 500E MKII, from KAB, and it was $34.......twice the price of the Pfanstiehl stylus, but a thousand times better in sound! I'm wondering if the stylus I got is somehow defective, as it rides so low in the cartridge body that even a mild warp causes it to bottom out and the plastic housing scrapes the record slightly. Any ideas? :saywhat:
 
jazzwolf, I just received a Pfanstiehl replacement stylus for a Pickering XSV5000 cartridge that was on a TT I picked up at SA. Unfortunately, there was no stylus at all on the cartridge. I figured for $17 it was worth a shot to at least get a taste of the XSV5000, so I ordered one from KAB. Wow, what a letdown. The sibilance (even after careful set-up numerous times) makes the music just about unlistenable. I even tried it on different TTs, an HK T45C, and a Dual 1209. Harsh, bright.........just terrible sound all around. I also got a Stanton hybrid cartridge, equivalent to a 500E MKII, from KAB, and it was $34.......twice the price of the Pfanstiehl stylus, but a thousand times better in sound! I'm wondering if the stylus I got is somehow defective, as it rides so low in the cartridge body that even a mild warp causes it to bottom out and the plastic housing scrapes the record slightly. Any ideas? :saywhat:

The stylus is definitely a low rider but then the original stylus is also a low rider BUT not that low! I had bought 2 of them and I never heard the sibilance issue so it may be a defective stylus which is actually the chance we take when we buy generic. I did noticed that the package stated that it was for a Pickering XSV 4000 and did not mention the 3000. It also does not seem to fit in all the way like the Original D3000 does. Like I said I really do use them for beat down records as I don't want to submit the original stylus to any punishment. I've never heard the XSV 5000 so I don't know if it is overly bright but I seriously doubt it. I suspect it is the stylus.
 
Thanks for the response, jazzwolf. Yeah, the stylus doesn't seem to go all the way in. What VTF are you tracking at? I've tried everything between 1 and 2 grams........at anything over 1 1/2 grams, the stylus retracts just about completely.
I just e-mailed KAB to see what they have to say about this situation. The $17 is not the issue. I'd like to hear the XSV5000 without spending a ton of money for a genuine Pickering stylus, which I've seen for upwards of $200! I would just like a listenable taste of it. :D
 
Thanks for the response, jazzwolf. Yeah, the stylus doesn't seem to go all the way in. What VTF are you tracking at? I've tried everything between 1 and 2 grams........at anything over 1 1/2 grams, the stylus retracts just about completely.
I just e-mailed KAB to see what they have to say about this situation. The $17 is not the issue. I'd like to hear the XSV5000 without spending a ton of money for a genuine Pickering stylus, which I've seen for upwards of $200! I would just like a listenable taste of it. :D

I track at 1 gram. With the Pickering stylus you must add 1 gram to the tracking force to compensate for the brush. i.e., if you wanted to track at 1 gram then you set the tracking force at 2 grams as the brush will take up 1 gram of the weight, also set anti skate to 2 grams.
 
I track at 1 gram. With the Pickering stylus you must add 1 gram to the tracking force to compensate for the brush. i.e., if you wanted to track at 1 gram then you set the tracking force at 2 grams as the brush will take up 1 gram of the weight, also set anti skate to 2 grams.
Did that..........even tried it w/o the brush with the same poor results.
Kevin at KAB got back to me and offered a refund. He said he would check it out to see if he could determine if the stylus was somehow defective. Can't ask for more than that.
Thanks for your responses. :D
 
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