JICO SAS is currently out of production!!

FYI

I received my order of the Neo SAS for my V15V/MR and I'm very pleased. For me the price is right and the product suits my needs. I will probably get a Neo for my M97XE later this year. Back to the V15Neo, sonically this clicked with me right after I installed it. The only thing that I did was to verify the VTF and off I went. I'm seriously digging this thing.

M~

 

I thought lpgear and lptunes would be the same place but the contact info addresses are different. lptunes is advertising itself as "the new home for Jico".
For anyone interested, lptunes is showing the neo/sas/s version on sale right now, not so on the lpgear site.

 

I have been using a Neo on my M97xE for the last few weeks. Before that I had gone through a couple of the earlier boron versions. As much as I like the original boron I think I like the Neo sapphire more. There was a slight tendency for the boron to get a bit bright but the sapphire is very neutral. Acoustic guitars sound amazingly natural. I would be interested in seeing a frequency response chart for the new Neo. Performance-wise they are both amazing. When set up correctly they track and trace perfectly. Last time I looked LPGear has the Neo and boron at the same price, but I think I will be going Neo from now on. I am very impressed. I look forward to hearing your views of the Neo on your M97xE.

 

I've had good experience so far with lptunes. Few weeks ago I ordered a Jico SAS and received a NeoSAS instead. I sent them e-mail to which they responded within an hour, apologized for the mistake with the explanation that they are still training their staff, sent me a prepaid return label and expedited the correct stylus to me. Yesterday, I placed an order and made a mistake ordering a wrong product - entirely my fault. Again, they responded within an hour, cancelled the order and refunded the payment. Very good customer service at least.

 

Yesterday I recieved a new boron SAS. I've listened to it and it sound good, but will do some measurements to compare to my old one and the now broken neo SAS. It fits much better and does not have any protrusion of solder as the neo variant. I have still not heard anything from JICO about my broken unit.

 

Thanks a long response will be a while as I just had cataract surgery on both eyes, as a result my vision is still a bit wacky. So the best I will be able to do for now are snippets. I'm really liking my Neo SAS more detail, depth and separation. I still probably have less than a 100hrs on it. I made a cassette tape of a couple of albums by Toshiko Akiyashi and it came out quite nice.

M~

 

I recently bought a new boron cantilevered SAS for my VxMR, and it seems to be already settling in well (after starting off too sharp sounding, as I expected), and if anything sounds even better than my previous one ever did. I'm disappointed so far with a hyperelliptical I got for my M110HE...hopefully it just takes quite a while to break in, but so far it's hard, too forward, and bright. This is not anything like the original stylus, and in a system that if anything is on the smooth/warm side. I was very surprised, given many comments from people that use a Jico hyperelliptical in a Shure that have noted it sounds quite similar to an original Shure HE. I contacted Jico to let them know about it, asking how long they expect break-in should take...

 

Temporarily strike that...I remembered that on my VxMR, the Jico stylus itself weighed differently than an original Shure Microridge. With the 110HE just going on a P mount arm, there's really nothing for me to adjust vs the V15. I'll need to check the weight, and possibly add some more to the HE if the Jico is lighter vs the original.

 

Question for those who used both SAS and NeoSAS: Have you noticed any difference between the damping / stiffness of suspension between those two?

The Jico info on the NeoSAS states "The damping and suspension of the neo SAS have been optimized to suit the characteristics of the sapphire cantilever." So I wonder if they made it stiffer or even looser.

The reason I ask is I am having a problem with wobbling with the V15III/SAS combination that I did not have with Jico HE I have used until now - see my video in this thread:
Technics SL-1200G / Shure V15III / Jico HE vs. SAS - Pushing arm/cart mismatch too far? (video)

 

Stefan, I’m in Canada and can get some of the SAS's via my supplier. If you pm me I can inquire if I can sp3cial order for you. Just throwing it out there in case.....

 

So is it fairly conclusive that Jico is out of the direct selling business forever, selling only through resellers, or is this a brief production sabbatical? Or do we not know for sure? They were always good about replying to inquiries, I thought it very odd they did not respond at all to my inquiries circa January.

Maybe someone here can answer. Has anyone directly compared the measurements of the original boron SAS to the new Neo SAS? In other words, has anyone seen instances of the new NEO version having a longer/shorter cantilever, different angle etc?

 

No, I bought the HE stylus for my M110 directly from Jico.

 

Does Jico have a distributor in Europe?
Thanks

 

Does Jico have a distributor in Europe?
..................
Yes google is your friend for SAS with ruby , boron & sapphire cantilevers
dealers in europe have some stock left , but Jico only made small amounts & out of production (& get a spare one for future use )
New ones just released for 2019 with Zirconia Cantilevers & SAS , Shibata and Elliptical profiles 100 off each

.

 

Are all the SAS cantilevers two piece units except maybe for the non SAS styli?

 

I’ll report on the Zirconia when it arrives. Will compare with SAS boron and Shure MR (older stylus).

 

Good, I'm curious about it. I still have a boron SAS but I use my Jico HE more.

 

Perhaps they should take a hint from Peter and go with cactus. Supposedly, it's all about "renewable" these days...

 

My last original SAS hit its audible decline last week and had to be retired. A new N97xe SAS zirconia from LPGear arrived today before I left for work, and I had a chance to listen to side one of my OG US pressing of Traffic's Low Spark of High Heeled Boys. First impressions: Amazing clarity and definition, and the high-end extension is gorgeous. Absolutely no congestion or IGD at side end. I'm champing at the bit for tomorrow morning when I'll have the chance to spin several LPs I've had waiting on deck.

 

Hey @Ben Adams
How are you liking the Zirconia SAS? I just tried to order a boron for my M97xE, to be told that they are out of stock and zirconia is the substitute. I could only find one other post on the subject here, which stated that it was much brighter than the boron cantilever.

 

I like it quite a lot. Excellent high-end extension but not overly analytical.

 

Wonderful, thank you! Any significant differences from your old Boron model? Still the same incredible tracking capabilities as far as IGD? And finally no issues with the apparently much more fragile zirconia? (Sounds like a no for that one)

 

I'm considering getting a JICO SAS for one of my Shure V15 cartridges. Over the past year, I've kind of fallen backwards into two V15 cartridges. They both came on tables I purchased, but neither had the original stylus. One is a V15 Type V (the original, not the Vx) and the other is a Type IV. I've read a lot of threads on the subject, but am still a bit confused by all of the options and possible combinations.

First question, how many of you running an SAS (any flavor) on a V15 Type IV or V are running it with the brush down? I've read many general comments that the aftermarket brushes are not as good/effective as the originals. If the brushes provide no benefit, I can also run a brushless V15 Type III SAS on my type IV. If you are running it brush down, does it provide a similar benefit to the original?

Second, which cartridge should I target, Type IV or Type V? I know the Type V is theoretically the better model, but I've read a lot about the resonances caused by the two-piece cantilever and the loading requirements to flatten out the high frequency peaks caused by those resonances. It seems like both require significant capacitive loading, the V more than the IV. Both my amp and turntable (well, one of them) have the ability to add capacitive loading. I can get to around 600pF just by tweaking a coupe knobs, but may have to add some loading plugs to got to the 700pF, or so, recommended for the Type V (not a deal breaker, as I've already built some resistive loading plugs for another cartridge and have the parts on hand, just less convenient). So, Type IV or V? My first inclination was the Type IV, but I have it running with a decent elliptical on another table right now while the Type V sits idle. Still, I have plenty of cartridges for both of my tables and what I'm really looking for here is the best sound possible out of a V15/SAS combo.

Third, which SAS? My first inclination is the original boron cantilever SAS as it seems to offer the best combination of performance/cost/durability. LP Tunes has the Boron SAS for $199, the ruby or sapphire NeoSAS for $249 and the Zirconia SAS for $198. It's also possible to get the boron SAS on eBay for $163 delivered from Japanese sellers. This seems like the "best buy", but has anyone actually bought an SAS off eBay? Even if the seller has 100% positive feedback, is it worth it to save $36?

Thanks in advance for any helpful suggestions. I have these two wonderful vintage Shure V15 cartridges and have yet to hear them at their best (or even at all in the case of the Type V). With the elliptical in the Type IV, have gotten a hint at what it can do, but strongly suspect with a more advanced tip, it can do much, much better.

 

Another thing to consider is finding a NOS original Shure stylus. I have been able to find them on the auction site from time to time. I think I paid less than $150 for a Vn45HE NOS. I never cared for the Jico that I tried although it wasn't the SAS version. The originals sound great. A little harder to find a NOS V15 Type V stylus than the Type IV.

 

I got the NEO/SAS/S for my V15 type IV. I'd target that cartridge as it is my understanding that the V can use the IV stylus and the IV can use the III stylus.

It is awesome- though I have no baseline to compare. I've been using the brush down but my arm is damped so I might have too much damping.

I also see SAS boran on eBay for about 160 - which is a good price - cheaper that what I paid.