The Stanton "Collector's Series 100" cartridge

[hifitommy]

and while the tas review was lackluster, i always rely on my own ears as the final arbiter. please refresh my memory of who that reviewer was because i really dont want to trudge through all my old tas issues to find it.

what really stood out was the review of the 881s/atML170, both of which i have obtained as well at the ML150 stylus. they mentioned that doug sax was enamored of the 881. i have to agree on both items.

they use stantons in broadcast and from what i hear from KXLU (a few years ago) the bass was quite denon 103-like. as you probably know, that is a true compliment.

the XLM and sonus carts were also among my faves. my friend went to the sonus blue when pritchard left adc and they were VERY linear. i also found the micro acoustics 2002e to be that linear and another great cartridge.

my previously mentioned friend also had an xsv3000 that he was quite fond of but he preferred the sonus.

the shures always seemed to lack "something" and its hard to put my finger on what that is. the v15III never pleased me although i have read that the jico replacement stylus makes it sound great. thats an area i will leave to others unless something falls in my lap.

i appreciate the insider info from you emaidel. i have been close in with some of the good guys a few times and its loads of fun.

[pmgrnvl]

OK, I know I'm a bit off topic, but since there's been so much good discussion here, I wanted to update re: the XSV-3000.

It arrived, and looked as described: mint, NOS. I was going to put it into the Luxman, but while I was waiting for an alignment disc to arrive, I was able to purchase a used Linn Sondek LP-12 in very good condition from a Linn dealer.

So, I decided to wait. The Linn arrived, and it appears to be in great shape. I mounted everything and aligned the cartridge. The arm is the Akito. The markings for stylus pressure on the counterweight seemed to be a crapshoot, so I got hold of a Shure stylus gauge and set the cartridge up for a bit over 1.25g -- right in the middle of the recommended tracking force (yes, I took the brush into account and added a gram).

I then used a test disc to fine-tune anti-skate, and found it was optimum at about the 1.5 setting. On the Hi-Fi News test disc, it tracks the first two of the four bias tracks flawlessly. The third is almost flawlessly, and the fourth tracks as well, though there is some edginess. I was quite impressed.

What I have now is a used LP-12 in great shape, an Akito arm (which is somewhat of a pain in real use), and a NOS 30-year old XSV-3000...

So how does it sound? In a word, amazing. Honestly, I expected an improvement; I had high hopes for the cartridge (based on previous experience, though I wondered if it would be competitive today) and the Linn is supposed to be great.

But I must say that the imaging, depth and bass performance has been astounding. The absolute silence is a shock, too. Everything seems quieter, more open and more lifelike. And this through a system optimized (sadly) for video, not audio: M&K speakers, Marantz receiver (using a Proton 1100 for phono preamp duty).

So far, I've played a handful of discs -- Dire Straits, Steely Dan, etc. -- and been amazed.

An audiophile friend with a Michell turntable and Lyra cartridge is coming by this weekend, and I am curious to see what he thinks.

Am I crazy or in the honeymoon stage? Comments and thoughts, please...

Pete

[pmgrnvl]

For emaidel -- I have really enjoyed reading your comments, insights and stories about the great Stanton/Pickering company.

I do wonder, however, as great as the XSV-3000 was, how do you think it compares with some of the better carts today -- the higher-end Ortofon MMs, for example (2M series) or with some of the MCs. Is it still competitive, in your opinion?

And, too, do you think my match of this to the Linn is satisfactory, or problematic?

Thank you,

Pete

[emaidel]

The XSV/3000 was, and still is, a very, very good cartridge, though I can't say how it stands up to some of today's newer models. I suspect it may fare quite well, but that newer models from the likes of Ortofon probably sound better. The Stanton 881-S was dereived from the XSV/3000, and the Collector's Series 100 from the 881-S.

I gave my son-in-law a NOS XSV/3000 I had lying around for about 30 years. He took his turntable (my old Dual 721) to a local shop and asked the owner if he would install the Pickering cartridge, but the owner sneered at it, and said that the Grado my son-in-law was using was better. Fortunately, my son-in-law wound up installing the XSV/3000 himself and was astounded at how much better it sounded.

Insofar as the TAS review on the Stanton Collectors Series 100, there's a long, long story involved there, and one that I think I've posted here years ago. In short, the reviewer (whose name I've forgotten) hated it with a passion, but also hated the 881-S, and had long been angered by the fact that TAS had the "temerity" to print a favorable review on the 881-S. I suspect he used his reveiw of the Collectors Series 100 as an outlet for his long-held dislike of Stanton cartridges. Doug Sax was permitted a line or two in the review, and he very much liked the Collectors Series, but his comments were overshadowed by those of the primary reviewer.

Just an interesting note: the TAS reviews always list as their source "Manufacturer's Loan." Don't believe it: over the years, NONE of the Pickering of Stanton samples (including additional samples for Harry Pearson who always was claimed to have been "excited about" those models being reviewed) were returned.

[dglpheadeast]

I had to read eveyones imput Because I went online to find out where I could get a D3000stylus, when I ran into the smartass and all his groupies yapin it up all about it. So LP gear offers an $89 model and Stereoneedles wants me to step up to the 4000. OEM.
Well we will see. I keep everything. So When the GURU says he remembers electron microscope scans of the stylus in the groove, I dug out a box, found the Pickering brochure and yahah, there they were. Twelve photos, in red, up to X3000. Back then, according to my notes, it was on sale, somewhere, for $79. Is it legal to post the 10 pages? Anybody really care?

[Sled108]

Would this be a P-Mount version of a 100S ?

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/sho...ighlight=p100s

[Sled108]

Here's a Pic... It is a P100S With a Stanton D73S Stylus...

[torrencej]

Stanton Collector's Series 100 replacement stylus question. Does anybody know if a Stanton D80S stylus work with a Stanton Collector's Series 100. I do not have any info on a Stanton cartidge 880 but I think it's related to the Stanton 881's?

Thank You

-Torrence

[whell]

Yes - the 880 stylus will work with the Stanton 100. The 880 and the 881 were essentially the same cartridge. The 881 was "calibrated" for the broadcast industry, the 880 was ostensibly targeted at the consumer market. "Calibrated" implied that the 881 came packaged with performance metrics for the cartridge. However, plenty of 881's were sold to consumers as well.

[tube fan]

IMO, only the Decca cartridge can compare to moving coils. All other mm cartridges sound DEAD in comparison. The Blue Point just DESTROYS any mm IMO.

[poppachubby]

IMO, only the Decca cartridge can compare to moving coils. All other mm cartridges sound DEAD in comparison. The Blue Point just DESTROYS any mm IMO.

Interesting, many vinyl lovers dismiss or simply don't like the SBP. I think it's a great sounding cart. For starters it tracks perfectly. Sometimes after cueing, I will just sit for 10 seconds and watch it work, in all of it's smurf like majesty.

Of course sonically, it's mid range is gorgeous...untouchable. As for high/low dynamics, I find it satisfactory. Many people complain about it's lack of highs, but I don't see it that way.

Anyhow, all of that praise, I'm not sure I agree with your sentiment. At the price point in which the BP sells, the competition is stiff. Nude Fine Line MM carts sound quite mighty, certainly NOT dead. The other thing is that LOMC is inherently a better tech but even some of those can be a hit or miss in the lower price bracket.

Anyhow, overall I am happy to see someone praise my Sumiko.

[ttungus]

Salute to emaidel for sharing his wealth of knowledge. The 100 CS is quicker but equally live sounding as 881S. In fact, I like the 100 CS better than Denon DL-103 D. I had the good fortune of buying two 881s plus 2 spare stylus and one 100 CS back in 2000. I love recordings by Doug Sax and I share his ears for music so as his favorite 881S.

[hifitommy]

..
tube fan and poppa-

"The Blue Point just DESTROYS any mm IMO"

listen carefully to the bp. the top is not nearly as good as the 881s or many another cartridge. the same goes for the bottom. i have given this cartridge (original with the lyle upgrade block) and what we used to call the boxcar bp, every chance to live up to its hype and it has failed in the top and bottom every time.

given, the mids are superb in dynamics, imaging, and detail but its just not there at the extremes. i quickly convinced a friend to switch to an oc9 and he has never looked back.

[dualref]

Back in 1977 when I first bought my first turntable (a Dual) the audio dealer offered several different cartridge choices. Shure V-15, Empire something or other, and the Pickering XSV/3000. They installed it and I took it home and was blown away by how nice it sounded. Everyone who heard my system said "That's the clearest sounding stereo we ever heard!" I agreed.
Over the past 30 years I have had Shure, Stanton, Ortofon cartridges but for some reason or another I keep coming back to my Pickering XSV/3000. Nothing else I have heard sounds as nice.

[hifitommy]

"many vinyl lovers dismiss or simply don't like the SBP"

well poppa, here i am again on this subject. i just noticed the S in the SBP and thought that maybe you are referring to the BPSpecial and not the original Blue Point. i was referring to the original, a pmount cart in a crappy polystyrene adapter.

its quite possible that the BPS (the exact same cartridge mounted nude directly on an aluminum plate) is much better than even the Lyle mod block i bought and used with the original. it received widely varying reviews and sold for $600 if i remember correctly. today, the regular BPII sells for $400 list and i cant get into that idea.

i know you have moved on to the nagoaka which is unknown to me personally but if i ever come across one, i will find out what the attraction is for you.

[MrRogers]

Can someone share some photos of this cartridge?

Was there two versions? If so what physical differences were there between them?

[James Frace]

Hello all,

I am new and see this thread is very old, but have several questions. I have the 881s MKII with a D81S stylus, another 881S but no stylus (it has a D81,but the shaft is broken in half), and a 681 with a "generic" EVG D6800EEE stylus. Since it's been awhile, would the LP Gear stylus be a better fit than the Jico stylus for SQ? Jico offers their Shibata as does LP Gear, as well as other levels of the stylus. I see a few OEM for sale, but they are ridiculous on pricing.

[hifitommy]

the shibata shape of stylus is NOT necessary for SQ. it would be for CD4 but few people have the demodulator needed for CD4. having a 881s and a nos stylus, i am set here and i WILL say this. the 881s is a special cartridge and when the opportunity to obtain the nos stylus occurred, i jumped at the opportunity.

the LPGear or the SAS would be a fine choice with the nod for the SAS if you can get one.