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Thread: Replace stylus on old AT12XE, or go for new cartridge....Thoughts please!!

  1. #1
    Join Date: Jun 2020

    Location: Leeds/UK

    Posts: 48
    I'm Kev.

    Cool Replace stylus on old AT12XE, or go for new cartridge....Thoughts please!!

    An older friend has tasked me with 'servicing' a Thorens TD124/II and SME 3009.
    He was the original buyer from '66...but not now really a HiFi fan....so the emphasis is just that I get it going again.

    It currently has an AT12XE cartridge...and the stylus assembly has literally fallen apart in my hands.
    Is it worth seeking out a stylus for this....or should I look for something current, like AT95?? (Doesn't have to be Audio Tech BTW)

    Thinking 'functional' rather than state of the art here!
    Any thoughts please....with 'bang for buck' in mind!!
    Last edited by MisterKevster; 05-05-2021 at 21:08.

  2. #2
    Join Date: May 2012

    Location: Toulouse, France

    Posts: 6,562
    I'm Kevin.

    Default

    A new ATN12XE is about €30. I would go for that.
    Kevin

    Too busy enjoying the music....

    European loan coordinator for Graham Slee HiFi system components..

  3. #3
    Join Date: Apr 2009

    Location: Near Saffron Walden, Essex

    Posts: 7,087
    I'm Dave.

    Default

    I'd go for a new AT VM95E at £43. A far more sophisticated and modern cartridge.

  4. #4
    Join Date: Jun 2020

    Location: Leeds/UK

    Posts: 48
    I'm Kev.

    Cool Sorted...thanks!

    Thanks for comments....went for a jico stylus replacement from S.Nangle audio for £32 inc post...the old AT12XE body seems to meter up well, and I'm chancing that it'll be OK

  5. #5
    Join Date: Feb 2016

    Location: London

    Posts: 876
    I'm Don.

    Default Poss new cartridge considerations....

    Thought I'd add this to the mix in case your stylus doesn't work out...AT91, AT91R, AT3600L and Rega Carbon MM Cartridges

    I've dealt with Simon Clark of The Audio Files...
    He's very passionate about AT carts.....so much so...read this...

    "The RigB Rigid Body story

    We (The Audio Files) absolutely love Audio Technica cartridges. AT have been at it for decades and continue to produce both MM and MC cartridges which are very difficult to beat for performance and value over a huge range of price points.

    However, the wider market offering seems to lack something that existed back in the ‘80s when Linn took AT’s generators and put them into exceptionally well made metal bodies to make the Linn K9 and K18 cartridges.

    Those metal bodies gave the cartridges a solidity which was obvious to the user as soon as they handled the cartridge on its own. The finish was anodised which gave it a hard and silky feel. Whether black as in the K9, or the gorgeous red of the K18 (a finish also used on the iconic Troika MC), it exuded quality. Of course, the fact that those cartridges sported expensive styli was a huge part of their performance package too.

    And let’s not forget the Stilton bodies of the late ‘80s. They took MMs (eg the A&R P77) and MCs and ‘pimped’ them up with simple metal bodies to great effect such that even A&R (by then called ARCAM) had to follow suit and make their own in-house.

    We have wanted to make metal bodies for MM cartridges for some time now. We envisage that there will be several models for different generator types/packages and we have started with a body for the (no longer in official production) AT91

    Like those that will follow it, our first Metal Body model is made of CNC machined T6 heat treated aluminium alloy. The Virus Pandemic and its effects have given us an opportunity to get the time and attention of a small engineering company that would normally be dedicating their resources to serve the Mercedes F1 Team. They have used their skilled people and a 5 axis CNC machine to produce this part to our design but even we were surprised by the exquisite beauty of the item. More importantly, it has really delivered in terms of performance on all our test-bed turntables.

    The body replicates the originals geometry, holding the generator canister at the same angle and distance from the headshell. It provides a much more stable and secure interface for the generator canister by virtue of its material and the fact that the body cradles the cannister along its flanks. For added security the generator canister will be held in place with a couple of drops of bonding material (Loctite 638) making a very cohesive body/generator assembly.

    The cartridge body features tapped holes (M2.5) meaning that it can be mounted from above with a pair of suitable screws without the need for nuts – thus simplifying fitting. The market has been crying out for this for years and AT finally relented with their new VM95 range which has a threaded brass insert in the plastic body.

    The body weighs a little more than the plastic part it replaces (2.5g vs 0.6g) and the added mass is a positive thing for performance; particularly so for the lower compliance options such as the Rega Carbon. We have calculated that on a typical arm/cartridge combination, the resonant frequency of the whole will be lowered by about 0.6Hz so won’t risk taking it down into ‘warp territory’.

    The RigB Rigid Body allows owners of suitable Moving Magnet cartridges to step up into the top league of performance".

    goto https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/233625105246 for more info...

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