AT 3600L stylus / cartridge upgrade suggestions

[70sretroguy]

Hi I'm new here so forgive my ignorance if this has been covered already. I am currently using an audio technica 3600L stylus and cartridge in my Sansui SR212 with a trusty old 70s Toshiba amp. The sound is okay, but should I consider upgrading a) for sound quality, and b) reduced wear and tear on my vinyl? I have a budget of around £50, generally listen to 70s singer/song-writers, jazz, rock and classical.

 

[indianajo]

What weight does the SR212 track at?
I have no knowledge of the AT3600. Eliptical or not? have you looked at the diamond under magnification?
at 1.5 g I'm very happy with my Shure M97EraIV which is 39 years old, sounds great, diamond looks good, and is not damaging records. The modern Shure M97x would require an upgrade to L85 or so.
If my changer had tracked at 1 g I'd have considered a Shure V15 at some point, but the arm skates at that weight. Since the records are not being damaged I'm not worrying about the extra weight. Mother's 5 g ceramic RCA cartridge, that would rip the highs off a record in one play. The 1974 Grado FTE tracked & sounded okay at 1.5 g, but the diamond shed a chunk in 5 years.
I have about 2000 LP's and still have hearing to 14 khz. I'm passionate about not losing the highs in the grooves. George Winston LP & CD sound very close, IMHO. Top octave piano (also bottom octave) is what I test the system with; very difficult to reproduce.

 

[rayma]

should I consider upgrading a) for sound quality, and b) reduced wear and tear on my vinyl?

Yes, if your Sansui seems to be ok. Look at an Audio-Technica AT95E. Align it carefully and set at 2g vtf.

 

[70sretroguy]

Thanks guys, the SR212 has adjustable tracking weight. I'm ashamed to admit I have in the past just set it by guess work (increase until it stops jumping and skating all over the place!) I've recently resurrected my vinyl after several years and the AT 3600L is new but has a rather brittle sounding high end. I have digital scales on order to set the tracking weight properly, but the reviews suggest the AT95E is a smoother sound so I may opt for that and keep the 3600 as a back up or for rougher lps. Thanks again for your suggestions

 

[401nat]

Hi , if you can ,get the at95ex , it uses the superior and slightly more compliant suspension , its a tiny mechanical change that yields great improvement on every arm I have tried it with . I have compared it with 3 at95e styli and it is consistantly better .One of budget hifi great bargains .

 

[Galu]

I agree that an AT95E would be a better option to use in your SR212 than your current AT3600L. The AT95E has an elliptical stylus and a recommended tracking force of 2.0g. In comparison, the AT3600L is designed to accommodate high mass pick-up arms so has a lower compliance, a conical stylus and a higher recommended tracking force of 3.0g.

 

[Kosh72]

You might want to consider one of these two, I think for the money you will struggle to find better.



LP Gear CFN3600LE stylus - Higher fidelity from carbon technology by LP GEAR�


Or with a stylus guard built in



LP Gear Carbon Fidelity CFN6500LE stylus

 

[Galu]

I am currently using an audio technica 3600L stylus and cartridge in my Sansui SR212.

The AT3600L cartridge may be upgraded by exchanging its stylus for the more compliant ATN91 stylus. The tracking force can then be reduced to 2.0g.

P.S. Good suggestion from Kosh72!