Audio Technica AT ML-180 Cartridge Advice

Dear chakster, from our discussion about Technics 205 series and

AT 180, 170, etc. series I can only conclude that you never

 disassemled any of those styli. If you deed you could see how

those are constructed and then ''grasp'' what an retipper can and

not can do. I retipped only one of my all MM carts. The reason is

the way this is done. Symple gluing the ''tubed'' aluminum cantilever

above the ''restant'' of the original cantilever.

All AT ''styli'' have the same construction. But the cantilever is

fastened and centered with the tension wire to the tube behind.

All MC carts use tension wire to connect the moving parts with

the damper and the rest of the generator . But by MM carts this

tension wire can't be removed or repaired. So the so called

''retip'' is limited to gluing an new cantilever above the rest of

the ''old cantilever''. Consider than the problem from retipper

side. A boron ( rod) cantilever can't be glued on the restant

of the old cantilever without the help of an aluminume tube as

bridge between the parts. Besides whatever boron kinds can't

be connected with the tension wire behind the original cantilever.

So advising co-members about possible retip without any idea

about what can be done and what not is very curious act based

on assumptions or rather speculations. The involved efforts

and costs  are then for the member who asked advice.

Because all AT styli have the same construction substituting the

cantilevers is obvious possibility. To prevent this AT invented

different coupling system between the stylus holder and the

cart body. Those can't be switched as ''stylus holder''. But by

removing the whole cantilever/ damping combo from one cart

and transplanting to the other this ''coupling problem'' can be

solved. BTW beryllium is better cantilever material than boron.

Even better than ''gold plated boron '' (grin).