The Stanton "Collector's Series 100" cartridge

[E-Stat]

At no time did we use two different tonearms, as we wanted to give each cartridge "equal footing" in the comparison.

I appreciate the concern, but ironically different cartridges require different arms. What is ideal for one is not for another. Ultra compliant cartridges like the Sonus need a lower mass arm than either the SME (still have one myself) or the basic Micro Seiki and MCs need higher mass arms (or mass added to shell).

I suspect that as many rejected the 3000 out of hand simply because it was a Pickering cartridge, so did others with the Collector's Series cartridge because it was a Stanton product, and those individuals had limited experience with Stanton's better models. And as I said at the start, "that's a shame."

All in all, it sounds like the 3000/881 was a great cartridge.

rw

[emaidel]

I appreciate the concern, but ironically different cartridges require different arms. What is ideal for one is not for another. Ultra compliant cartridges like the Sonus need a lower mass arm than either the SME (still have one myself) or the basic Micro Seiki and MCs need higher mass arms (or mass added to shell).


All in all, it sounds like the 3000/881 was a great cartridge.

rw

That's very true, but then, in order to provide each cartridge with its perfect match, we'd have to have had a large assortment of different tonearms, and that was just out of the question. Our purpose in the comparison was not to degrade or disparage any of our competitors (save, perhaps the awful Empire cartridges and the crummy sounding AT-15sa), but to illustrate how the XSV-3000 could hold its own against the best available of the day.

As it was a reasonably compliant cartridge (though not so much as the Sonus or ADC), it performed best in an Infinity Black Widow, or other such ultra low-mass arm. Still, unlike its brethren, it was equally "at home" in a clunky Garrard Zero-100, or BIC 980. That made it a far more "universal" product than any of its competitors. And, at $99.95, it was a steal.

And you're right, the 3000/881-S was/were fine products.