Pickering XV-15 stylus compatibility & is the 625 MM or MI??? Q&A

[mamakasou]

Hello everyone!

I was waiting for the D350 to arrive and now that it finally did, i was able to do some head to head comparisons between the following styli:


Pickering D625
Pickering D150DJ
Pickering D350

I am very happy with the sound of all the above 3. Each one has its strong points.

I really enjoyed the needledrops by the other guys recently here and I actually did some needledrops myself for anyone interested on the above pickups.

It's the same 680 body, the same song and setup: recorded directly from my Yamaha AX592 amp phono-in to rec-out, then to my desktop analog input. I used Audacity (48kHz, 32-bit float) for creating the files. The resulting files are 44kHz, 16-bit flac. I named the files 1, 2, 3.

https://we.tl/y01m04uHp4

Enjoy and please feel free to report back. I will name the styli and comment on them on a later post.
 

Greetings from Athens!

Nick.

[richard]

Just a brief comment. I'm blanking on the name of the "...former Pickering employee" right now, but I know who the OP was talking about. It's obvious that the employee made a mistake. Despite all the confusion and obfuscated product naming that emerged from the Florida years, the 680/681/XV15 products have all been moving iron.

To expand upon what Wout wrote recently, over the long years, there were changes in the dimensions of certain Pickering styli. Unfortunately, these dimensions were not always clearly stated or even printed on the package insert, so it can be very difficult to know what you really have. This troubles me because I have a few very fine-listening tips for the XV15/750E that I think are .3 x .7 mil.

[mamakasou]

Richard, nice to see you back!  

Stantonian/Pickerian universe felt your absence.

Regarding, the needledrops of my three pickups that i posted in my previous post (https://www.wetransfer.com/downloads/b8b4a81afde9b7e8514833a405ebc01f20160526235912/476fff),
the numbers are:

1) Pickering D150DJ, 2) Pickering D350, 3) Pickering D625.

The difference between them is really not that great.

I would say that the one with the most full-bodied, dynamic and punchy sound is the D150DJ.  What it lacks in definition it gives back in fun!

The D625 is still one of my favorites. A very enjoyable pickup with a warm character and a lot of detail.

The D350 was a nice addition to my collection. In terms of sound, it lies somewhere between the two above. It shares some of the punch and the deep bass of the D150DJ, plus some of the smoothness and definition of the D625.

All of them are great for the kinds of music i listen to(60s-70s soul, funk and blues mainly).

However, i'll make a confession to you.

My turntable can't get rid of my Stanton 500EL (with original stylus). It seems that i just can't let go of that little ol' pickup..

Best regards,

Nick, Athens.

[richard]

Nick,

What kinds of music are you using to evaluate these needles?

[needlestein]

Former Pickering employee: emadel

[mamakasou]

Nick,
What kinds of music are you using to evaluate these needles?

Hello Richard,

I listen to late 60s-70s stuff.  Stereo recordings and a few in mono. Soul/Jazz/Blues/Funk mostly.  

I am evaluating these needles with a blues/jazz album of mine - Albert King, The Lost Session. It's quite well written. Good for evaluating dynamics. I value it especially for its bouncy drums and distinct guitar riffs.

Tracking, bass and lower-mid performance/dynamics, come first for me.  

I am posting again links to four needledrop files of the same song for comparison:

A. http://www.filehosting.org/file/details/580100/A.%20Albert%20King%20-%20She%20won
B. http://www.filehosting.org/file/details/580102/B.%20Albert%20King%20-%20She%20won
C. http://www.filehosting.org/file/details/580103/C.%20Albert%20King%20-%20She%20won
D. http://www.filehosting.org/file/details/580105/D.%20Albert%20King%20-%20She%20won

I used the following original needles on the same 680 body:
Pickering D625E
Pickering TMZ D22E
Pickering D150 (early non-DJ version)
Pickering D350

I have named the files A, B, C, D. I will name which one is which on a later post.

Greetings,
Nick, Athens.

[Wout]

Interesting Nick because the TMZ-22E is a moving magnet cartridge.

[mamakasou]

Interesting Nick because the TMZ-22E is a moving magnet cartridge.

Hello Wout,

Indeed the TMZ is a moving magnet. Medium inductance body, that in theory will work its best in a wider range of capacitance values (up to 900pF i think).

Did anyone got the chance to listen to the files? I am ready to disclose which pickups are what. 
Here it is:
c D150
a D350
d D625E
b TMZ22E

Regards,
Nick.