Hi Marci,
I agree completely with Corey. When I started working at Crane in 1976, the school had just received several dozen new turntables fitted with Shure M91ED styli, all installed by the company that got the contract for the "new" electronic equipment in our "new" music complex. Needless to say, the stylus cantilevers were breaking left and right. I replaced them all with Stanton 500AL cartridges, which held up extremely well under the kind of demanding use - i.e. out and out mishandling - that they got in classrooms and in our music library. Usually, the diamond stylus tip would chip before the cantilever bent on a 500AL. So, I would definitely recommend a "DJ" style cartridge for public use. Stanton seems to have discontinued most of their phono cartridges, but Audio Technica now has a line of DJ cartridges that should meet your needs:
https://www.audio-technica.com/en-us/cartridges/best-for/dj/at-xp3
You can get these from many internet dealers, including Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT-XP3-DJ-Turntable-Cartridge/dp/B07N3S5WHV/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=audio+technica+dj+cartridge&qid=1604361453&sr=8-2
As Richard pointed out, you can use your existing headshells - no need to pay extra for a cartridge bundled with a new headshell. But, he's also right in that it does take a bit of expertise to properly install and align a phono cartridge. The Audio Technica is rated for tracking forces of 2 - 4 grams, which may be a little high by audiophile standards, but quite typical of DJ cartridges. I recommend setting them mid-way, at about 3 grams. Records will hold up much better played at a heavier tracking force with a properly-operating cartridge and stylus than with a lighter tracking force if the stylus is chipped or the cantilever is bent. A defective stylus or bent cantilever is a sure-fire way to chew up a record.
Audio Technica make two more expensive models in this line, the AT-XP5 and AT-XP7, but in a public-use situation I seriously doubt that the improved audio performance will be worth the added expense.
I hope this helps.
Best,
Gary
Gary Galo
Audio Engineer Emeritus
The Crane School of Music
SUNY at Potsdam, NY 13676
"Great art presupposes the alert mind of the educated listener."
Arnold Schoenberg
"A true artist doesn't want to be admired, he wants to be believed."
Igor Markevitch
"If you design an audio system based on the premise that nothing is audible,
on that system nothing will be audible."
G. Galo
-----Original Message-----
From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List <[log in to unmask]> On Behalf Of Corey Bailey
Sent: Monday, November 2, 2020 6:20 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: [ARSCLIST] [MLA-L] public turntable equipment maintenance
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To add to what Richard suggested;
You noted: "The styli got damaged easily not from lots of playing time but from rough use by patrons."
You may want to try the type of stylus that DJ's regularly use. Those styli are designed for severe service.
Mu $0.02
~CB
Corey Bailey Audio Engineering
www.baileyzone.net
On 11/2/2020 2:54 PM, Richard L. Hess wrote:
> Hi, Marci,
>
> Paul forwarded this to the ARSC List and while my specialty is tape, I
> thought this should be an easy one to answer.
>
> 1. Other than having a few spares on hand, buying the
> cartridge/head-shell combination is not necessary. Both the stylus and
> the cartridge can be replaced individually.
>
> 2. Replacing the cartridge in the head-shell does require a bit of
> expertise in alignment, but there are helps on the web to figure it out.
>
> 3. The green stylus assembly should just pull right out and push back
> in and anyone should be able to do that.
>
> 4. Amazon has the entire assembly for $79 US should you wish to buy
> some spares, especially since the Audio Technical website says they
> are discontinued.
> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JLX1JZ7
>
> 5. Amazon is also listing the cartridge alone (which Audio Technica
> also says is discontinued on their website. Amozon is selling the
> cartridge for $49 US. Again, buying a few would be useful.
> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JXD79Q1
>
> 6. The replacement stylus is available as a one-pack or a two-pack for
> $35 and $70, respectively. While it doesn't make sense to buy one or
> the other based on price, if one goes out of stock, the other might
> still be available. These slop right in. Try it on one of your older
> cartridges and see what happens. They chould pull out at the angle of
> the tube that holds the actual stylus, so forward and down. Notce the
> grips on the side.
> Single: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001IEPNN6
> Dual: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LBF9XZG
>
> I hope that was a help.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Richard
>
> PS I'm a real fan of one of your professors: Dr. Heather Cox
> Richardson. I've been reading her (almost) daily letters for about a
> year.
>
>
>
> On 2020-11-02 5:07 p.m., Paul Jackson wrote:
>> I would send your request to ARSC (I'm forwarding it). (I used to
>> know all about this, but time and other work with turntables has not
>> been going on for 20 years.)
>>
>> *Trescott Research - Paul T. Jackson *
>>
>> 2503 Natalie Lane, Steilacoom, WA 98388
>>
>> http://www.trescottresearch.com <http://www.trescottresearch.com/>
>>
>>
>> On 11/2/2020 7:36 AM, Cohen, Marci wrote:
>>> I realize access issues are weird under COVID, but I'm trying to
>>> identify good replacement parts for our public turntables, on the
>>> assumption that we will one day have the public using them again.
>>> I'm looking for a balance of price, audio quality, ease of
>>> maintenance, and durability.
>>>
>>> The last time we stocked up, I consulted with a local audio store,
>>> and they recommended an Audio Technica headshell/cartridge/stylus
>>> unit for our Technics SL-1200MK2 turntables ("standard" tonearms).
>>> Under actual use, we had several problems:
>>>
>>> * Audio Technica has discontinued the model (AT95E/HSB)
>>> * Staff at the local store were knowledgeable but exceedingly slow
>>> in responding to my inquiries, and their prices were higher than
>>> our default university supplier. I'm happy to pay for
>>> knowledgeable service but disinclined to reward unresponsive
>>> service.
>>> * The stylii got damaged easily not from lots of playing time but
>>> from rough use by patrons. (Yes, we have signage, but...)
>>> * Although it's easy to swap out the complete headshell, it's
>>> expensive to replace the whole unit when just the stylus gets
>>> damaged. I think that changing a cartridge would be easier, but
>>> adjusting the alignment looks daunting to this novice. Are there
>>> cartridges that don't require alignment adjustment, or is it not
>>> as difficult as it looks?
>>>
>>> Again, this is for public listening, not preservation digitization
>>> where the utmost audio quality is paramount.
>>>
>>> Marci
>>>
>>> Marci Cohen, MLS, MA
>>> Assistant Head, Music Library, Mugar Memorial Library Boston
>>> University Libraries [log in to unmask]
>>> 617-353-3707
>>> pronouns: she/her
>
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