Hey guys, so I have a RCA vft65w console and I need to replace the cartridge in the record player. The cartridge reads "Astatic 487" so with extensive research I found barely a few but they are too expensive, also the ceramic has a heavier tracking weight which I believe would damage my records?. So I was wondering about replacing it with an magnetic cartridge. Im just not sure about how to do that, as in how do I know which cartridge to pick out and how to wire it. Any help would be appreciated thanks.
Probably easier to get a new turntable for playing records.
record players like that use a ceramic cart because it has a high output level and needs less circuitry. Your typical hifi cart has a much lower output level, and would need a preamp stage, in most cases anyway. EQ will probably be different too.
yeah, $70 is way too much.
Typically record player tone arms are designed for the heavy tracking, and not so much for light weight hifi tracking. You might need a new tone arm, and then you'd lose the player aspect - ie the auto reject at the end and the stacking.
If you never plan to play 78s, you could probably mount any of a number of ceramic carts - of cheaper price - on the existing arm.
record players like that use a ceramic cart because it has a high output level and needs less circuitry. Your typical hifi cart has a much lower output level, and would need a preamp stage, in most cases anyway. EQ will probably be different too.
yeah, $70 is way too much.
Typically record player tone arms are designed for the heavy tracking, and not so much for light weight hifi tracking. You might need a new tone arm, and then you'd lose the player aspect - ie the auto reject at the end and the stacking.
If you never plan to play 78s, you could probably mount any of a number of ceramic carts - of cheaper price - on the existing arm.
There are hundreds of inexpensive ceramic cartridges for sale. ceramic record player cartridge | eBay
The weight of the pickup is not the cause of record wear, a damaged stylus is the cause.
The weight of the pickup is not the cause of record wear, a damaged stylus is the cause.
My dad had something similar. The manual showed how a worn out stylus was thin in the sides and dug in to the bottom of the groove and should be replaced regularly. My dad bought a few over the years he had the unit. Eventually they became harder to find and more expensive. That was probably 30 years ago. There were about 5 or 6 main types and a few oddballs. The EBAY list posted above doesn't list the sort my old man had. I remember the clear plastic boxes with a bit of foam each end though.
I think the manual meant replacement more than once in 40 years though 😛
Seem to think you just pulled the old one straight out and the new plugged straight in with no tools.
Nice to hear it is still working 😎. I imagine coupling a mag cartridge, arm and pre amp would not be straightforward unless you can get some period kit or parts from an equivalent model.
Good luck finding a compatible cartridge at a reasonable price. Hope you do.
I think the manual meant replacement more than once in 40 years though 😛
Seem to think you just pulled the old one straight out and the new plugged straight in with no tools.
Nice to hear it is still working 😎. I imagine coupling a mag cartridge, arm and pre amp would not be straightforward unless you can get some period kit or parts from an equivalent model.
Good luck finding a compatible cartridge at a reasonable price. Hope you do.
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It's a bit of a hack, but I used to put Pickering v15-at2's (poor man's Stanton 500) on old BSR record players with home made adapters. Since they were designed for higher tracking forces they worked just fine. Preamps are easy to build and anything sounds better than a ceramic cartridge. Not to mention the 20x improvement in stylus life. Cheap sapphires on the ceramics start sounding like crud after 4 hours.
Sapphire needle with a flip over for 78s. That takes me back. I think what you said about 4 hours lifetime is why my dad had a small stock of needles. Was there some sort of miracle sapphire upgrade, ruby or synthetic crystal or something? My memory does not go that far!
I suppose if it has a reasonable 12, 20 or 30V DC supply in there then a modern pre-amp could be slipped in to suit the cartridge. Then again, there is plenty of room for any pre-amp and wall-wart PSU 🙂
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