Stanton 881s stylus replacement or a new cartridge?

[daveobieone]

As nearly as I can tell, the 681 and 680 cartridge bodies are the same. The styli that come with the 680 series seem better suited to DJ use, and the 681 was clearly more for Hi-Fi. It is possible that the 681 bodies had tighter specs however...as they were usually higher priced.

Do not confuse the 680/681 with the 881 however. The 680/681 being moving iron, and the 881 is moving magnet. They may look the same, but they are not interchangeable.

I am surprised that the new stylus picks up a lot more noise however. Line-contact type styli should generally be more quiet...depending on the record of couse. Perhaps it's just because it's brighter (has a stronger high-end) than the 681?

In my experience, most original factory Stanton styli didn't benifit much from break-in time. Aftermarket may be a MUCH different story however. My Grado products needed considerable break-in time.

[whell]

As nearly as I can tell, the 681 and 680 cartridge bodies are the same. The styli that come with the 680 series seem better suited to DJ use, and the 681 was clearly more for Hi-Fi. It is possible that the 681 bodies had tighter specs however...as they were usually higher priced.

They bodies are the same. The only difference is that the 681 cartridges were "calibrated", and performance specifications were included with each new cartridge sold, given that the 681 series was targeted at the professional market. The extra effort to provide the performance specs for each cartridge sold was the prime differentiator for pricing, along with, I believe, the more limited production runs for some of the professional styli versus the "consumer - grade" styli available for the 680 series.