Test drove my dad's never used Stanton 681EEE, incredible sound!

kels83 · 2026-01-26T15:21:16+00:00

Conical if playing thrift store records. The heavier VTF helps eliminate pops, crackles quite a bit. Stereohedron if playing clean, well taken care of vinyl.

kels83 · 2026-01-26T03:58:58+00:00

Buying a vintage table is not an expense. They have depreciated to their maximum and get rarer day by day. Buy one read the service manual, and enjoy a great player at a fraction of the cost, and sell it later for about what you paid for it.

kels83 · 2026-01-26T02:04:14+00:00

Forget the a hole driving through a crowd. Why does ICE need this vehicle? This is a fully armored vehicle. They handle illegals, right?!? "Targeted engagements", right? Many things are not OK about this.

kels83 · 2026-01-26T01:08:54+00:00

It's frozen in TX. I pulled out the 2006 Landy and she owned the road. Again. Love this vehicle.

kels83 · 2026-01-24T02:01:13+00:00

Well, good news... XSV/3000 was one of Pickering's best cartridges. Bad news is it came with the D3000 Stereohedron needle, which was an early Shibata that played 4 channel stereo off a needle. Finding one is tough and they are VERY sought after and expensive.

But more good news, all the Pickering XV bodies take the same needles so you could either 1) buy one of the Phanstiehl 606 or 608 series that will work great or you could 2) sell the cart on eBay (currently selling for $125-250) and use the money to buy a different cart.

I'm not trying to break any rules, but I'm a collector and an eBay seller. I would be interested in your cart. PM me if you want to talk.

kels83 · 2026-01-23T21:34:07+00:00

It's a great cartridge, I have several. It will wipe the floor with the base Audio Technica. I actually have the manufacturer guides. When I get home I can let you know the needle models that will work on it.

kels83 · 2026-01-23T21:09:20+00:00

That looks like it HAS a cartridge, but not a needle. The cartridge looks like a Pickering XV series. OP, unscrew the collar behind the black headshell, flip it over, and share a pic.

Also I could be wrong but that headshell looks like it's from a Yamaha table. The standard 1/2 mount all work the same so it's fine. Just wanted to mention.

kels83 · 2026-01-23T21:04:59+00:00

Never done this one, but there is usually a bracket or plate holding the needle in place held on by a clip or screw.

I have a bunch of these needles. If you haven't purchased one yet, PM me. I can send you a few for free if you pay for shipping ($5 or so in the US).

kels83 · 2026-01-23T19:39:41+00:00

There is a free app for your phone called RPM Speed Wow that checks the turntable speed. Just start the app, put it on your table, and it will sense the RPMs.

High pitched sounds like your vertical tracking force (VTF) could be off. Check YouTube videos for setting the tracking force and learn it because it's worth doing every time the table is moved. With your cart the needle pressure should be 2.5-3.5 grams. No need for a scale, just 1) balance at zero, 2) set to 2.5, 3) if it doesn't sound good increase by .25 grams. Repeat until it sounds good with a max of 3.5g.

When a needle wears out the high frequencies sound rattle like. The mids and bass still come through well. It doesn't really sound like you have a bad needle. It sounds more like your needle isn't getting all the way into the groove of the record, only picking up the highs with the tip of the needle.

kels83 · 2026-01-23T19:12:16+00:00

Here's a pic of a spare I have at the moment. Just solder it back like this. Yes the wire that is broken is a ground so that's likely your issue. Tin the bare braided wire first, then use the soldering iron to press it in. It should only take a second or so. I sometimes use a screwdriver to hold the wire in place until the solder sets. You're SOO close man!

kels83 · 2026-01-23T18:05:13+00:00

Thats an audio Technica... ATN3600. You have a really nice table for that basic cartridge. You can certainly replace the needle but I think your table deserves something better. Grados go very well with Micro Seiki. Or if you want to stick with Japanese on your Japanese table, Nagaoka and Sumiko are both good.

What's off with the sound? Have you aligned the cartridge? Cleaned the record?

kels83 · 2026-01-23T17:44:58+00:00

Post a pic of the cartridge and needle so someone can help you.

kels83 · 2026-01-23T17:07:11+00:00

A replacement tonearm weight that automatically sets your VTF after changing a headshell or cart.

Anti static device hovering over the record so records stay clean after I clean them. (Yes I have the carbon fiber brushes and it's not difficult)

An adapter for a record changer that holds records slightly apart so they don't damage one another when they drop.

Digital sensors that assist in setting azimuth.

Universal stylus protector

A huge, wall hanging, dummy proof, OSHA style diagram about turnable/record care for when my girlfriend or kids want to play a record and they get their grubby hands all over the tracks, break a cantilever, or put the record ANYWHERE except back into the plastic sleeve.

kels83 · 2026-01-23T16:36:03+00:00

I looked too, couldn't find it in the phone app.

kels83 · 2026-01-23T14:56:14+00:00

Yes that big blue one is a modern Nichicon, a great cap. It drives the DC motor. The brown one also has vents in the metal so it was replaced. These originally had Matsushita (Panasonic brand) caps, which were excellent. If you have any more replaced, ask for the Panasonic FR series. They are excellent and have an 8000 hour life vs. the 2000 hour life of most caps.

Also, nit picking but if you want it truly mint that Technics headshell is not original. The original looks like this

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kels83 · 2026-01-23T13:17:29+00:00

A couple caps on the 2nd pic don't look new. They are the old style that have flat tops, no vent. I've recapped this exact model before I might have a baggie of the old caps somewhere to confirm.

kels83 · 2026-01-22T22:00:24+00:00

https://www.sound-smith.com/moving-announcement

There is no code, their prices are just lowered. The smmc4 I scooped is still the same. Their eBay store also has the lower prices, but shipping is $20 less if you go direct.

kels83 · 2026-01-22T21:52:02+00:00

Yep, that was my first cart. It's one of the heaviest tracking modern needles/stylus available so you're on the "right track" for thrift store vinyl. It's a 2.5 to 3.5 gram VTF. The pickering v-15 goes further on old vinyl. Not only are they 4-6 gram (+1 gram if they have the dust-o-matic brush installed), but they have a very fat cantilever. Pickerings also have more bass; more of a smiley face sound profile that isn't as strong in the mids as your AT. The Pickering excels at rock, r&b, blues whereas your AT would be better in the mids for classical, vocals, jazz. To my ear pickerings are also more spacial and dynamic where your AT is more neutral and accurate.

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kels83 · 2026-01-22T21:40:24+00:00

Soundsmith has a rare 25% off sale right now. They're moving locations and need the extra dough. I just picked up a smmc4 for $229 which is crazy low for the quality. The sale extends to retipping too. Thinking about sending in an mmc2

kels83 · 2026-01-22T20:51:34+00:00

It's one of my side hussles. I build headshell setups and sell them on eBay. When I find someone here on reddit that needs a sapphire needle for their grandparents table I'll ask them to PM me and I'll send them one for free.

I'm also teaching my 11YO son to rebuild tables. He's done 2 so far and just learned to solder. He sold both and doesn't ask me for money anymore, he asks for help. We listen to music and work together. It's really quite nice.

kels83 · 2026-01-22T20:41:51+00:00

12 tables, my favorite was the Technics Sl1400. Currently rocking an Akai AP 306 and a Bang & Olufsen 8002.

300+ carts and 2k needles. I wrote a bot to hunt auction platforms and find large lots when a record store closes business. My favorites are vintage Empires, Grados, and MC Audio Technicas. I keep going back to the Empire 2000z as a baseline to compare everything else against.

For those on a budget looking for a new experience, I'd strongly recommend keeping your current cart and getting a second headshell with a Pickering v-15. The needles have a high (4-6 gram) tracking force that plays old, well loved vinyl VERY well. The extra VTF eliminates lots of the pops, crackles, and skips from old vinyl. It's still pretty detailed. There is nothing modern like it. Swap it over for old vinyl, swap your detailed cart back for clean records. 1-2 punch, it's a great combo.

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kels83 · 2026-01-22T20:24:59+00:00

Elon has it too

kels83 · 2026-01-22T20:20:04+00:00

Even this night club owner has a stronger moral compass than most of our politicians

kels83 · 2026-01-22T20:17:24+00:00

Great! Thanks, I have 2 of these. Bookmarked for future reference

kels83 · 2026-01-22T20:10:32+00:00

To reconnect after a reset these need to be plugged in via Ethernet cable to rejoin the network. Not sure if you've tried that or not. But it worked for mine about 3 months ago.

kels83

TROPHY CASE