Best MM?

Once upon a time, I bought everything my favorite reviewer at "Stereophile" recommended that I needed. That worked out very well, until we got to cartridges. I did not like the cartridge he recommended, and it was even one of the favorites on this forum. That's when I discovered how finicky I am in regard to a cartridge, as everyone else should be.

It's taken a long time and a lot of experimentation to discover what I'm looking for in a cartridge. Since further experimentation will be both time consuming and expensive, (don't have either in abundance) I'll be restricted to Grado and Koetsu when finances allow. This means I'll have to take everyone's word for everything else.

@orpheus10

I was referring to the old Stantons and Pickerings that Chakster often speaks of; they were the best at that time, meaning the 50’s and 60’s.

No, i’m talking about that huge steel needles for 78 rpm gramophones that we have to change after each side.

Seriously, the best Stanton & Pickering made from the late ’70s to mid ’80s ONLY!

Why you always come up with that ’50s stuff when i'm talking about Stanton?
C’mon, i don’t use any cartridges made earlier than 1977. This is MM era if you want to know.

If you like ’50s sound stick to the Ortofon SPU MC mono.

You were never specific; Stanton and Pickering have been around for a long time and they were always considered top cartridges. 

If I only have your word in regard to comparisons of current MM's, I don't feel that's enough to go on.

I was using Empire and Shure V 15's in the 70's and 80's.

I have an Ortofon Winfield.....I know the Black is very good.....I'd take a closer look at Soundsmith.

@orpheus10

I was born in the 70s, so i missed that Shure and Empire, but re-discovered the best vintage MM/MI cartridges not so long ago after trying multi thousand MCs.

Please look at this Stanton catalog, download it here

Stanton 881s, 881s mkII, 980, 981 and finally CS-100 WOS this is all you need to know about Stanton, the rest is just crap. You can’t go wrong with any of these models, but prepare to pay $400-1000 for any of them in New Old Stock condition nowadays. Amazing MM cartridges with Stereohedron nude diamonds (one of the best stylus profile ever made).

The Pickering models from XSV-3000 and higher numbers also comes with Stereohedron diamonds, same as Stanton, also amazing cartridges, same price range.

All of them designed by Walter O. Stanton who passed away in 2001.

He sold the company long time ago, it’s called now The Stanton Groud and only manufacture cheap gear and heap carts for professional market (djs and radiostations). No more Stereohedrom styli or anything good from that company under new ownerships.  

Why people are paying so much for rare Stanton/Pickering top models from the late 70s and early 80s? Because they are superb!