Fifty year old phono cartridges

I would like to hear a needledrop, of something I will recognize, comparing the VR1000 against something else recognizable and reasonably common - an AT150 or 440, even an AT95, or Nagaoka, or my favorite oldies Pickering/Stanton 500/XV15/680, etc. Is this doable?

 

MAYBE Stereoguy can do it. I do not have the equipment.

 

Update for the GE VR 1000 saga: With a good stylus, the VR 1000 can track anything in my record collection at 2.5 grams VTF. There are Walco brand styli for the VR 1000 available on ebay. Very few of the 55 Walco that I tested/tried were any good.
This retailer has 9 Tonar styli for the VR 1000: GENERAL ELECTRIC GE VR-1000 / VR-1000-7 - VIParts
I may change my mind and buy some of a certain brand(Not Walco, Not EVG) from a distributor who does not sell to the public. It depends how many there are and the price. I have pretty much moved on to more reliable styli as my primary interest. If it is ever feasible for me to again supply good styli for the VR 1000, I will. A major problem with the styli for the GE VR 1000 is the 'crank' design of the cantilever. Richard on another forum enlightened me to that fact.

 

(I hope you've had a chance to listen to it by now - good luck)

 

Not yet. Is there anything outstanding about it that can be described ?

Thanks !!
John

 

You have one unused too? Fire that guy up. (My turntables have separate cartridge shells so swapping is easy)

Great sound top to bottom, highlight is detailed but silky smooth treble.

 

I will try it soon. It is mounted in a Garrard Lab 80 headshell so it will be easy to try.

 

I would love to try a Shibata from Tonar in the XV-15 but I do not know how close I can get to the 92 degree SRA angle with any of my turntables. None have infinitely variable VTA adjustment.

 

Latest stylus availability for the GE VR 1000 AFAIK:
Voice of Music: NONE
EVG: NONE
Tonar: NONE
Walco: available on ebay from another seller. I do NOT sell or promote myself on here. There probably will always also be 'odds and ends' for sale on ebay.
GENERAL ELECTRIC GE VR-1000 / VR-1000-7 - VIParts : 9 available

 

I have purchased different thickness turntable mats from Herbies to use with my non height adjustable turntables. Works great.

 

I had to purchase Rega's thinnest mat to use with my Quintet Blue as it is so tall plus my platter is 2mm thicker than it should be as I bought the 12mm thick Rega glass platter.

 

Hey John I'm new to this forum (today) and I have no idea how to private message you. I have seen on a previous post that your brother has/had a Sanusi SR-4040 turntable. I need some parts for mine. I need the arm that hold the lid up, one leg (the ones that have the bolts in the middle and sit in a plastic cup with three screws) and the very last weight on the back of the arm. Please pm me if you can help. Thanks.

 

I would imagine that when I try the XV-15 the VR 1000 will still blow it away.

 

LPTunes/LPGear is now the exclusive distributor of JICO styli in North America. Now you do not have to wait two weeks or three for delivery.
JICO appoints LP TUNES as exclusive distributor for the Americas

 

Someone on another forum noticed that some of his much older cartridges sound better to him that his newer models. I think there is something valid to that. Sort of. The older cartridges mentioned, I said mentioned, (I'm talking more Shure M3D and NOT V15 type I) track at higher VTF's, therefore have stiffer suspensions. There is less loss between the stylus and generating element when the suspension is stiffer. The current Shure M44-7 seems to be well liked. It is a carbon copy of the old 60-70's production model. That might be a nice choice for someone how wants to have a taste of an older cartridge without any of the problems associated with old cartridges. My favorite as most know is the GE VR 1000 that generates the signal at the stylus tip. I can no longer recommend it as good styli for it are pretty much (very much) gone. But current examples of direct scanning cartridges are the $5K Audio Technica and the Londons which start at $995. My next cartridge will be a London. I no longer have interest in any cartridge that generates the signal behind the suspension.

 

John, if you get the London Decca, please let us know how it sounds. I would think, that on records of the 50s and 60s it would sound incredible.
But I have to say, I'm really happy with my (2) VR-1000s!! The exact sound I like.

 

Mike, The Londons are in current production. They should sound great on records of any era. It is going to be some time before I buy a London. My Ortofon Quintet Blue is almost brand new and I also just do not have the money right now. I'm thinking maybe a Rega P6 with a London Gold. If the tonearm needs more mass, maybe a Techo counterweight. I have the Groovetracer counterweight but it looks like bollocks and it is a PIA to adjust. Not only does a 'hair' movement result in a large difference in VTA but keeping the weights parallel is a chore too. The set screw should have a slot to fit into on the end stub, but it does not.

 

I meant to say: 'Hi Mike'. My apologies. Someone on another forum is asking about the GE VR 1000 and is thinking of buying one. Unless a good supply of good styli materializes, I always advise against it. I see there are some styli available on eBay. As I said, if I see a supply of good styli, I will mention it. LOL.

 

Thanks John.....yes, they should great on anything!!

 

The cheapest London cartridge....the 'Maroon' ( think of Bugs Bunny...what a maroon !!) received a Class B rating from Stereophile. And the Maroon has a conical tip. The more expensive models with ellipticals and fine line styli just might reach Class A. Who gives any weight to Stereophile ratings ? ME. LOL. I miss the old days when there were so many stereo stores(even John Wanamaker's in Center City....on the level of your Macy's in Manhattan) that one could listen to any audio component. Here in Phoenix there is one stereo store with a friendly atmosphere but not a whole lot to audition and another one with more of a selection but a very snotty attitude. So, I tend to read online reviews and buy online if the friendly dealer cannot get what I want and make a profit.

 

The complete patent for the GE VR 1000:

https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/ae/06/ec/2025d36eb806e9/US3062925.pdf

Notice that there is nothing behind the rear damper in the patent drawing and nothing mentioned in the verbiage. I think styli manufacturers took it upon themselves to add some sort of adhesive gunk behind the rear damper for cosmetic reasons. This was a stupid move as it rendered most styli unusable. I have proven this by carefully removing the foreign material.
In every case the stylus performs much better. I have had styli that skip all over records. I removed the gunk behind the rear damper, and they then track fine. There is nothing wrong with the design of the stylus. The failure was in the manufacturing.

 

Here is the later patent 'improvement' for styli for the GE VR 1000:

https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/a1/5b/d4/7235504261f7ec/US3220738.pdf

The substance that I referred to as gunk is Dow Corning Stop Leak or GE appliance adhesive. Seriously. LOL. https://cdn-pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/cen-v040n001.p004

The adhesive/sealant was added to compensate for manufacturing 'slop'. If GE had outsourced the production of styli to a manufacturer with tight tolerances and quality control, this 'improvement' would never have happened. The Shure M3D cost a dollar more in 1966 and suffered none of the quality control issues that plagued the VR 1000 styli. Now that I know the reason(s) for the addition of the sealant/adhesive behind the rear damper, it does not change the fact that this addition rendered most of the styli unusable. If an aftermarket styli manufacturer had produced the styli, they could have built them according to the honorable Peter E Pritchard's original design. I am almost certain that GE supplied the T shaped bodies with the pole pieces already inserted. All the styli manufacturers had to do was to create the armature, mount the tip, and install the dampers. Not so difficult, but it demands care.

 

The cost for a new production of styli for the VR 1000 would be $20,340. Haha. Forget that. I have 75 that I can repair. Right now I am using my VR 1000 on the Lab 80 tracking at 1.5 grams VTF with a stylus that I repaired. Try that with a stock VR 1000 stylus.

 

I did stir up some interest in the GE VR 1000 months ago. Some tried giving the cartridge a second chance with styli from eBay or some online retailers. Most gave up as the styli were bad. The styli with the adhesive behind the rear damper will never perform as well as they should. Pity that Roy Dally ruined it.

 

Not agreeing with everything you have written on line contact styli, nor am I interested in an argument on any of it. But I would add to this topic that in the last paragraph I would certainly mention that all you really need to do to sell the listeners on line contact is "whisper into their ear IGD be gone" and then watch the sales sky rocket!!!!

I'm big on needle dropping (something we never imagined before the mid to late 80s), so IGD is simply unacceptable for a final digital capture that is supposed to keep me satisfied even when I am too old to get up and flip a record. Long term solution / a perminate fix.