follow up - thorens td165 stylus

Archived from groups: rec.audio.high-end (More info?)

"Dani" <tictactictac@walla.co.il> wrote in message
news:cjfi4701vod@news1.newsguy.com...
> Thank you Gene Poon for helping me figure out how to fix my record
> player, model td165 thorense, that was inherited with my new house.
> This message is a follow up to our conversation in November 2003,
> which was left off at the conclusion that we must determine the make
> of my cartridge.
>
> Now as the records I found that november left on the street in Nyack,
> NY decorate my bedroom, over time it becomes like a pandora's box, so
> I decided to return to this issue. I discovered a label on the
> down-facing face of the cartridge a tiny inscription either ADC AOC
> A0C where the "D" looks more like a square. I infer it's a D, since
> there is, as it turns out, a company that happens to make phono
> cartridges called Audio Dynamics Corporation, which to be sure looms
> somewhere in my reader's phonographic memories..
>
> I would be greatful to the reader, and at large the Usenet community
> of record players, enthusiasts, etc. if you can tell me what to do at
> this point. I need a stylus for the record player to function, and I
> don't know anything about it beyond what Gene Poon has kindly written
> to me. What kind of stylus? is the information I supplied enough?
> where do I get it?
>
> Especially I cant wait to hear the brandenburg concertos with
> collegium aureum (whom I haven't heard playing anything, but they
> sound wonderful) and the casals festival recordings... and .. all
> these other recordings

ADC made a broad line of cartridges...they were pretty good to excellent.
But since many of them look nearly alike it is important to have some idea
of the model number. Let's start with the color, since their better
cartridges were black, gold, or silver. Their less expensive were red,
blue, grey, brown.

If you pull the stylus assembly gently out of the cartridge (forward and
down slightly, letting it slide out naturally and not forcing anything), you
can examine it closely...their may be a stylus number molded into it. Then
go to www.needledoctor.com and look up ADC in their stylus guide (left side
under "catalog" "audio cartridges", then scroll down to "needle
replacement". Try to match the stylus as closely as possible. Look in
particular at the thickness and composition of the stylus shank - the
aluminum level that extends from the cartridge body and has the needle on
the end. The cheaper ones are thick...the thinner ones quite thin and
delicate / elegant looking. If you simply can't tell or are terribly
unsure, then I would consider buying a brand new cartridge and needle from
the needle doctor. You can get an AT440 for $100, or a Shure M97ED.

Of course, if you do the latter, then you have to learn to remove and
remount a cartridge, not in and of itself an easy feat. Better to have a
dealer or knowledgeable friend do it for you if you are at all uncertain.

Archived from groups: rec.audio.high-end (More info?)

"Dani" <tictactictac@walla.co.il> wrote in message
news:cji74e093h@news3.newsguy.com...
> Thank you Harry Lavo,
>
> >
> > ADC made a broad line of cartridges...they were pretty good to
excellent.
> > But since many of them look nearly alike it is important to have some
idea
> > of the model number. Let's start with the color, since their better
> > cartridges were black, gold, or silver. Their less expensive were red,
> > blue, grey, brown.
>
> I determined after putting the piece in more light, that a model
> number was hidden on a slant overshadowed by the piece extending above
> it. (ADC was written somewhere else - on the bottom face - that was
> what I had seen earlier). It's difficult to see because of the shadow
> and because it's embossed in black, in a black surface. The cartridge
> is black and gold. Also, I was nevertheless able to discern the
> embossment:
> ADC
> XLM
> MKII
>
> >
> > If you pull the stylus assembly gently out of the cartridge (forward and
> > down slightly, letting it slide out naturally and not forcing anything),
you
> > can examine it closely...their may be a stylus number molded into it.
Then
> > go to www.needledoctor.com and look up ADC in their stylus guide (left
side
> > under "catalog" "audio cartridges", then scroll down to "needle
> > replacement". Try to match the stylus as closely as possible. Look in
>
>
> I didn't write clearly that I don't have a stylus. It was taken off or
> thrown away before. So I wasn't able to do that part of your
> explanation. But I need a less expensive stylus that would fit this
> particular cartridge. In needledoctor.com the replacement stulus is
> $125! There must be more variety of needles to fit this cartridge? I
> don't think I'm ready to spend that much on this particular commodity.
> (How much money will I be using up on other things if I'm ready to
> take out over $100 even on a phonograph needle!) Where do I find and
> what are cheeper needles for this cartridge?
>
>
> > particular at the thickness and composition of the stylus shank - the
> > aluminum level that extends from the cartridge body and has the needle
on
> > the end. The cheaper ones are thick...the thinner ones quite thin and
> > delicate / elegant looking. If you simply can't tell or are terribly
> > unsure, then I would consider buying a brand new cartridge and needle
from
> > the needle doctor. You can get an AT440 for $100, or a Shure M97ED.
> >
> > Of course, if you do the latter, then you have to learn to remove and
> > remount a cartridge, not in and of itself an easy feat. Better to have
a
> > dealer or knowledgeable friend do it for you if you are at all
uncertain.

Well, I'm certainly not going to tell you that you need to spend $125
dollars for a stylus. You can buy a decent cartridge for substantially less
than that. What I will say is that the ADC XLM MkII is one of the great
all-time moving magnet cartridges, so for that amount of money you could go
right to the head of the class, alongside of or ahead of the Shure V15
currently selling for $329 and ahead of everything else.