Stanfield styli and NOS (New Old Stock) in general - rigid cantilevers

[Prana69]

Hi TT heads.

Got a query about generic replacement styli like "Stanfield" and other non-genuine suppliers.

I have bought a number of these lately just to fit to old cartridges I have, so I can install them on vintage turntables I sell. At least 5 I have found slide right across the vinyl, or jump / skip horribly when mounted. Upon inspection, I have found that the cantilevers on all are very rigid, so there is no "give" and the stylus cannot hold the groove. It's like having too firm suspension on your car, so on rough roads it bounces all over the over the place and the wheels can't maintain contact with the road.

Some of the styli I bought are obviously old stock, but some are supposed to be new generic replacements.

Has anyone had similar experiences with these styli?

Is there some material inside the cantilever shaft that goes rigid over time, or are these just poorly manufatcured? I can't believe they are sold like this.

David

[Prana69]

Ok, no reply to that question. Let me ask a different one then....

I have a whole heap of old carts that I have taken off different tables over the years. I keep them together in a container. Given that they have magnets inside, could the cart's magnetic fields be affecting each other, causing distortion when I install a "new" stylus?

I ask this because when I manage to get the stylus to track the groove OK (with a relatively high tracking force), all I get is low and scratchy output.

So, I'm wondering if keeping the carts all together is permanently affecting the magnets inside.

Any thoughts, turntable gurus?

Dave

Edited November 29, 2012 by Prana69

[Batty]

No idea, interesting though

[Guest]

A very interesting topic & rarely understood.

NOS carts are often disastrous in that while the diamond tip lasts for ever, the suspension (often a minuscule rubber grommet) deteriorates esp. when not used.

This suspension can go hard, turn to jelly or simply disintergrate.

Without cantilever suspension the stylus is stuffed!

As for magnets interfering with each other, no chance. These magnets are very minuscule encasted in the cart housing - the distortion you mention is more likely the heavy tracking weight your using to get the stylus to track.

Mind you the tiny magnets & coils in MM or MC carts do fail, usually on one side at a time, rarely both at once (R or L), so if your distortion is on both sides, it's not the cart.

The moral of the story is, don'y buy old stock stylii & never buy NOS MC cartridges unless you've auditioned it - it can be a very costly mistake.

[Prana69]

Thanks Classic.

Have you had any experience with the Stanfield styli from WES components? I'm thinking about trying those instead.

The ones that I bought appear to be oldish stock (judging by font / typeface) and packaging, but they were bought privately via ebay.

I have had similar problems with generic styli from Normarh Canada, who have their own branded styli and also sell Pfanstiehl styli. These appear to be modern though. I've got 4 x Sony ND-15s all with rigid cantilevers that won't hold the groove, as well as a Tectron and something else. I tried the first two Sonys, then complained, so they sent me another two - with the same issue. I explained what I thought the problem was, but got no response, other than the two equally bad Sony styli.

6+ useless styli!!

Dave

Edited December 14, 2012 by Prana69

[Guest]

Yes, we can recommend Stanfield...

[Captain David Bowley]

Help! I have a beautiful vintage HMV Sheraton Radio Stereogram with an oak cabinet and magnificent sound.

Sadly I have just found that the turntable stylus was actually ripped out during a recent 'furniture rearrangement' and was found lying beside the turntable.

It was the actual 'needle' part not the whole item to turn it from 33 to 45

I am searching desperately for a replacement stylus. The broken stylus is a Stanfield Diamond replacement stylus and is compatible with HMV and listed as HV-6D.  and was bought in Australia many years ago, I am now in UK and and contacted Goldring here in UK who just said they couldn't help me!

I have tried to find Stanfield's email contact without success, keeps coming as a 404 not found error.

Can anyone help me find a replacement stylus compatible with my HMV Sheraton Radiogram, I would be eternally grateful.

Many thanks,

Kind regards,

Captain David Bowley (formerly from Dalgety NSW 2628)

[audiofeline]

11 hours ago, Captain David Bowley said:

Help! I have a beautiful vintage HMV Sheraton Radio Stereogram with an oak cabinet and magnificent sound.

Sadly I have just found that the turntable stylus was actually ripped out during a recent 'furniture rearrangement' and was found lying beside the turntable.

It was the actual 'needle' part not the whole item to turn it from 33 to 45

I am searching desperately for a replacement stylus. The broken stylus is a Stanfield Diamond replacement stylus and is compatible with HMV and listed as HV-6D.  and was bought in Australia many years ago, I am now in UK and and contacted Goldring here in UK who just said they couldn't help me!

I have tried to find Stanfield's email contact without success, keeps coming as a 404 not found error.

Can anyone help me find a replacement stylus compatible with my HMV Sheraton Radiogram, I would be eternally grateful.

Many thanks,

Kind regards,

Captain David Bowley (formerly from Dalgety NSW 2628)

Hi David,

Welcome to SNA. 

 

A compatible replacement styli is listed as this one: http://www.soundring.com.au/soundring-d442sr-2-dual-stereo-ceramic-stylus/

The listing indicates that it is a replacement for your HMV HV-6D (many companies used common cartridges/stylus but gave them names unique to their company to make things confusing).  You don't need to have a "Stanfield" brand, any compatible replacement will work fine.

 

This is a relatively easy stylus to obtain a replacement.  The link is for an Australian company (because it's the first that came up for the search), however, I'm sure there are stylus retailers (physical and online) in the UK who would stock this replacement stylus.  An internet search for the stylus numbers indicated in the above site should help you find somewhere local quickly.

 

 

 

 

 

[Captain David Bowley]

G'Day mate,

Many thanks for the link to searching for a D442sr-2 stylus.

Unfortunately to purchase one from Australia would cost me $35 for stylus plus $28.20 for postage!!! total $63.20 which as an 81 year old  Pensioner I just cannot afford. I have Googled various sites in UK but not one shop stocks this stylus and the only chance was on eBay but came up either "used" or "Sold out"

I am very upset as I have my large collection of vinyl classical piano music plus a quantity of album sets of popular music from all over the world collected during my 51 years in British and Australian Merchant navies and cannot play any of them!!

However I will keep searching, there must be a suitable stylus for me somewhere at an affordable price.

Thanks again,

Kind regards,

Cap'n Dave Bowley

[stevoz]

@Captain David Bowley Mate, pensioner or not, that is pretty cheap and let's face it, you're not going to get anything much cheaper (but an internet search may well discover a more affordable example.....you do now have the info you need for this). Or just save up.....it will be worth it to hear your LP's again. I wouldn't be depriving myself of my favourite music for the sake of $60 (or less)!

 

Actually, here's one for under $30 posted (from within Oz and more than 10 available) :

 

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Record-Player-Needle-D442-SR-2-Stylus-for-Turntable-BSR-ST12-ST14-ST15-Diamond/223582688051?hash=item340e911333:g:O9AAAOxybqpRgFGU

 

 

Enjoy!

Edited December 31, 2019 by stevoz