Is a Ortofon Black a step down from a Pickering XSV 3000

There are many superb cartridges with Shibata stylus, first is Victor X1II which is another amazing MM (but definitely more expensive than Stanton/Pickering). Looking for best NOS carts from the past (collecting them) is a part of the hobby, it’s fun, there at at least 10 best MM that can compete with everything (no matte new, old, mm, mi or mc). Top models from Stanton, Victor, Audio-Technica, Pickering, Grace, Pioneer... just to name some brands from the past, there are more.

Shibata was a stylus originally designed by one of JVC’s employee’s (Norio Shibata), to enable better tracing of the high frequencies which their CD-4 quadraphonic system records needed. JVC were the designer of CD-4, which was one of a number of competing quadraphonic (4 channel) systems back in the 70’s, and because it needed a frequency response to 50 kHz, they had to design a new stylus to enable that. Other versions similar to the Shibata stylus began to be made, such as Ogura and Van den Hul, but with slight differences in shape so as not to infringe the Shibata patent.

Dear @lewm : You are rigth and that stylus shape is not a big deal and is far away from the best today stylus shape even the stereohedron stylus shape was not made/designed by Stanton, its patent belongs to the inventor: Huges, Diamagnetics Inc. and was made it after the Shibata stylus shape and for Huges registered the patent, because it’s a copy of " like Shibata " he made something additional that does not gives any advantage. Shibata still is better ( larger radius ) than the stereohedron and obviously a superior stylus shape.

Shibata is so good that not only today Ortofon uses it but other cartridge manufacturers too.
If the stereohedron will be better then this will be what the cartridge manufacturers use instead Shibata.

So the LPGear Shibata replacement stylus is better than the original and as any vintage and some today cartridges uses samarium cobalt magnets that are rally common against neodynium or alnico or platinum.

Shibata has two version of the stylus where the difference belongs at the radius. The " normal " Shibata stylus has a 75 uM radius vs 70 uM on the stereohedron.

@arizonabob is rigth too about Shure hiperelliptical and MicroRidge. No one of the Stanton/Pickering can beats the Shure Ultra 500 , this one outperforms any Stanton.
I’m not saying that Stanton is not a good cartridge because it’s but it’s not as competitive as so many vintage and certainly today better cartridge designs.

Btw, the AT MicroLine stylus shape is exactly the Jico SAS nad made it by Namiki, both are advanced stylus kind of shape .

Problem with that person that lives in Rusia is that he is a seller and is full of Stanton cartridges/stylus and he wants to sold as fast he can no matters what and that’s why he has to post lies after lies. Pity.

R.

70uM for Stereohedron
70uM for the VDH according to Audio Technica
70uM for the Fritz Gyger 70 [FG70] according to Ortofon. FG90 also exists.
75uM for the Shibata
75uM for SAS and MicroLine.
100uM for Ortofon Replicant  ( is a Gyger modification. )

Dear @anthonya : I’m not against conical stylus shape as a fact I own the 103 and Fulton cartridges too but certainly that shape can’t pick up the recording information that comes in the LP grooves, only can to pick up a minor part of it.
Please read here:

http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/HFN/LP3/aroundthebend.html

Btw:

Conical stylus = less contact surface.

Less contact surface = greater pressure

greater pressure = greater wear/time

greater wear = shorter useful life.

The stylus shapes with big contact areas are the ones that will last the most. The Denon 103 lasts a lot not because of the tip shape but because it is polished to a mirror finish, unlike many styli.

Also "substantial piece of diamond in the groove" is a bit misleading. A conical stylus has only a very small contact areaa. Physical size of the gem makes no difference regarding wear.


R.

Dear friends: This is very interesting:

Effective mass -- the smaller, the better:

0.970mg Shure "bi-radial" (0.4x0.7mil, MM)
0.750mg Ortofon X1-MCP (p-mount, high output MC)
0.500mg Ortofon OM10 stylus (bushed elliptical, MI)
0.400mg Ortofon OM20 stylus (nude elliptical, MI)
0.400mg Ortofon X5-MC (HOMC, nude FG)
0.370mg Shure Elliptical (0.2x0.7mil, MM)
0.330mg Shure bi-radial on V15-III (MM) (berillium control rod)
0.300mg Ortofon OM30 stylus (nude Fine Line), OM40 (nude FG), MI
0.290mg Technics EPC-P202C (p-mount, MM)
0.290mg Shure HE on V15-IV (MM) ("telescopic shank")
0.270mg Denon DL-301 (MC)
0.250mg Denon DL-207 (MC)
0.240mg Van den Hul Colibri (MC)
0.230mg Technics EPC-P310MC (p-mount, MC)
0.220mg Ortofon Jubilee (MC)
0.180mg Denon DL-303 (MC)
0.170mg Shure Micro-Ridge (0.15x3.00mil, MM)
0.168mg Denon DL-305
0.109mg Technics EPC-P205CMK4 (p-mount, 0.2x0.7mil, MM)
0.098mg Technics EPC-100CMK3 (MM)
0.077mg Denon DL1000 (MC)
0.055mg Technics EPC-P100CMK4 (p-mount, MM)



R.

Btw, MicroRidge has 75um on radius. In other side I was not aware that Grado was the inventor or at least the patent of ellipthical stylus shape.

Thanx rauliruegas, I did not know about the LVB 250 2M Black. Looks like a real winner. 

I agree with both lewm and rauliruegas. It would appear that the only thing wrong with LP Gear's replacement styli is that they are not the originals and may even surpass the original using a better stylus and modern production methods. The Stereohedron stylus was nothing but a "hyperelliptical" stylus. It had a much smaller contact area than the modern Shibata not to mention the GygerS, Replicant 100 and Soundsmith's OCL. These are all superior to anything they made in the 70's, 80's and 90's.   

 Lewm, I do believe Clearaudio designs and manufactures it's own cartridges. You can see the reason their stuff is so expensive.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJRnwIaCC2U The Charisma certainly has a very similar design to some of AT's cartridges using dual magnets at 90 degree angles. You can also see the German mentality. Compare this with Soundsmith's factory tour. 

I do not have any romantic notions about yesterday's cartridges. Technology marches on. Styli, cantilevers, magnets have all improved as have manufacturing techniques. On observation alone I can tell that modern styli are cut more cleanly and lack the discoloration you would see in earlier cartridges. Both Soundsmith and Clearaudio cartridges have significantly better construction quality. Beautifully clean styli mounted perfectly on cantilevers that are dead on. Much more accurate than Shure, Empire, Pickering or Stanton could manage.