P-Mount Cartridges

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by iDigital, Aug 9, 2016.

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  1. iDigital

    iDigital Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Australia
    Hi Guys, I am looking for a P-Mount Cartridge, for my Onkyo PL-33 Linear Tracking Turntable, I'm pretty sure, it still has the original, conical stylus on it, I will have a closer look later to confirm, it came with the table. What would you good people recommend as a upgrade from this ? I'm thinking, at least a Shibata, Nude, Boron Cantillever would be nice as well, I'm asking, as, I don't have any experience, or much knowledge with, the many options out there, also, if the original cartridge is good enough, maybe, a different, better, stylus, as I have just described, is all I need. Thanks.
     
  2. McLover

    McLover Senior Member

    Big issue with the stylus types you prefer, in short, have not been available in that format for many years. So, you will need to hunt down long unavailable, pricey NOS options or rely on Jico offerings. Best wishes with your Onkyo.
     
  3. bluemooze

    bluemooze Senior Member

    Location:
    Frenchtown NJ USA
    Try an ADC PSX-30 from LP Gear.
     
  4. Bob_in_OKC

    Bob_in_OKC Forum Resident

    Location:
    Dallas, Texas
    With an AT311EP or AT92E you could upgrade to an AT or JICO Shibata stylus.
     
    Last edited: Aug 10, 2016
  5. PhilBiker

    PhilBiker sh.tv member number 666

    Location:
    Northern VA, USA
    The AT311EP is the business in my house. It's a backup to my main cart, but when I use it, it never disappoints. Very nice P-mount cart. Lots of stylus options.
     
    Shak Cohen likes this.
  6. Bob_in_OKC

    Bob_in_OKC Forum Resident

    Location:
    Dallas, Texas
    I used to have one on a Technics SL-7. It was amazing for the money and even better when I put the stylus from an 8008 on it.
     
    Len-ski, PhilBiker and 56GoldTop like this.
  7. BuddhaBob

    BuddhaBob Forum Resident

    Location:
    Erie, PA, USA
    I used an AT311EP for a couple of years. Decent tracker out of the box and I used it for my first needledrops. Not picky about loading. Nice elliptical.
     
    Shak Cohen, PhilBiker and 56GoldTop like this.
  8. 56GoldTop

    56GoldTop Forum Resident

    Location:
    Nowhere, Ok
    @Ultra Linear I still have an AT331LP. A shibata replacement stylus on an AT311EP is pretty much going to give you an AT331LP/AT8008.
     
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  9. P2CH

    P2CH Well-Known Member

    Grado makes P-Mount carts.
     
  10. The Pinhead

    The Pinhead KING OF BOOM AND SIZZLE IN HELL

    This. Both great carts with upgradable styli, lightyears better than your cart. Will trounce the sound of your OEM cart with unobtanium stylus.
     
  11. PhilBiker

    PhilBiker sh.tv member number 666

    Location:
    Northern VA, USA
    I tried a Green on my old Denon DP-7F and my AT311EP bettered it. I was very disappointed as I expected the Green to be a substantial upgrade and it ended up not sounding nearly as good as the 311EP that it replaced, especially on inner grooves. Nice cart; the Grado was probably just not a good match with my DP-7F and would sound great on another turntable.
     
    Last edited: Aug 26, 2016
  12. BuddhaBob

    BuddhaBob Forum Resident

    Location:
    Erie, PA, USA
    I used the 311EP in my Empire 598II when I resurrected it from storage several years ago. Pulled the P-mount adapter and used it for over a year until upgrading to a DL110. It has many virtues and was only $25 at that time.
     
    PhilBiker likes this.
  13. nolazep

    nolazep Burrito Enthusiast

    I'm a big fan of the AT311EP as well.
     
  14. johnny q

    johnny q Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bergen County, NJ
    Seek out the original Technics cartridges like the P23, P24, P28 etc. You can get decent Elliptical styli for around 20 bucks or go as far as a Jico SAS. They sound great and should not cost a lot of money. However, word seems to have gotten out and I have seen these recently for over 70 bucks on Ebay, which is too much IMO.

    Another thing I firmly believe in: When "stylus rolling" with Pmount carts, when a stylus is "compatable" with a Pmount cart, take this to mean that it will simply plug in to the cart. As far as T4P compliance - all bets are off. Case/Point: I have purchased dozens of aftermarket styli for the aforementioned Technics carts. They are all different in terms of cantilever length and angle. For T4P compliance, that cannot possible be the correct answer! Just my 2 cents.

    JQ
     
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  15. morris_minor

    morris_minor Vinyl addict

  16. gss

    gss Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey
    I'm always glad when discussions about p-mount cartridges come up!

    To me, they seem primed for a comeback. Right now, however, not that much available. Good luck tinkering with yours.
     
    joselito and PhilBiker like this.
  17. HiFi Guy

    HiFi Guy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Lakeland, FL
    I can tell you that years ago I tried a Grado Silver P mount on a Technics SL-QD33. Absolutely the worst tracking I've ever seen. Yes, seen- I actually saw the cartridge and arm wiggle.

    The advice you are getting to get an A/T P mount is good advice.
     
    Len-ski, Shak Cohen, johnny q and 2 others like this.
  18. The Pinhead

    The Pinhead KING OF BOOM AND SIZZLE IN HELL

    Prolly not the same case, but the 2 Pioneer TTs I owned came with Pioneer carts and they sound damned fine. The sound got a lot livelier and louder when I replaced the carts for an M44 on the second table, but there was nowt wrong with the OEM to begin with. Wonder whether Pioneer OEM cart were really made by Pioneer or sourced out to a specialized company......huhmmm:shrug:
     
    SandAndGlass, johnny q and PhilBiker like this.
  19. PhilBiker

    PhilBiker sh.tv member number 666

    Location:
    Northern VA, USA
    My main cart is the AT 440MLa in my avatar, but I have a second headshell for my turntable with a P-mount adapter fitted. I swap between my AT311EP and an old Stanton with the Stereohedron D74S stylus that I purchased in the 90s. I've been thinking of picking up a budget cart with a conical stylus specifically for playing 45s and perhaps some other material. I'll put this on my list.
     
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  20. The Pinhead

    The Pinhead KING OF BOOM AND SIZZLE IN HELL

    I'm all for conical for all-around purposes, but why would they be better than your elliptical for playing 45s ?:confused:
     
  21. gss

    gss Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey
    So, I can purchase an upgraded stylus for my AT92ECD? What is most recommended? Can someone share a link for purchase?
     
  22. The Pinhead

    The Pinhead KING OF BOOM AND SIZZLE IN HELL

    Found these on another forum :

    LP Gear ATN-3472SA ATN3472SA stylus »

    LP Gear ATN-3472HE ATN3472HE stylus »

    Audio-Technica stylus for Audio-Technica AT-92E AT92E cartridge »

    together with this comment :

    ¨While not listed by name, the description "made in Japan by a world-class manufacturer with a reputation for crafting musically excellent and high-quality replacement styli" is almost certainly referring to this styli being manufactured by JICO.

    For the price/performance, I think that the JICO standard elliptical would be the best bet considering your turntable and cartridge. There will certainly be a difference in sound if you go with the hyper-elliptical or shibata, but it will quickly reach a point of diminishing returns, with the cartridge and turntable being the bottleneck¨
     
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  23. gss

    gss Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey
    The Pinhead likes this.
  24. johnny q

    johnny q Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bergen County, NJ
    Ditto- I tried a Grado Blue on my Technics SL-M3 and it made my TT sound like a misaligned cassette deck - awful.
     
    Shak Cohen and HiFi Guy like this.
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