Ghostinfog Posted November 23, 2019 Posted November 23, 2019 Hi, unfortunately my stylus broke on my turntable and I am looking for a replacement. I can find a 3e on eBay but does the elliptical make a difference? It's a systemdek turntable but it doesn't have the original tonearm (not sure what it is). Any advice or recommendations would be much appreciated.
Fun-Ghoul Posted December 2, 2019 Posted December 2, 2019 Hi. Which Systemdek is it and can you post a pic of the tonearm? The 3e was the bottom of the vms range, but still an ok stylus. Check Thakker for what else might be available, as I think the 3 and 5 (and possibly the 10) had the same cartridge. Going back a while now so my memory is being tested. I recently took out a vms-3e and put it on a pl-516 and it sounded quite respectable. Then i compared it side by side to an at-95 and it lost out. Admittedly the 95 was on a systemdek ii, so there may be other factors at play. Still, you may be better off with one of the accepted low budget champs for similar outlay. Elliptical stylii can still be enjoyable, so shouldnt necessarily be automatically written off.
Ghostinfog Posted December 2, 2019 Author Posted December 2, 2019 Thanks for the reply. It's a systemdek iix. I may need to play with the arm a bit as I have since found that I still have sideways movement when anti skate is set to zero. I'm only just starting to really learn about saying up the tonearm. I have read that the vms 3,5 and 10 are interchangeable but the vms 20 is for upper end tonearm. Why? I'm not sure when it gets to all the technical stuff yet.
Wimbo Posted December 3, 2019 Posted December 3, 2019 2 hours ago, Ghostinfog said: Thanks for the reply. It's a systemdek iix. I may need to play with the arm a bit as I have since found that I still have sideways movement when anti skate is set to zero. I'm only just starting to really learn about saying up the tonearm. I have read that the vms 3,5 and 10 are interchangeable but the vms 20 is for upper end tonearm. Why? I'm not sure when it gets to all the technical stuff yet. From memory the 20 and 30 have a different internal molding, so will not fit.
Fun-Ghoul Posted December 3, 2019 Posted December 3, 2019 No problem Ghost - my assistance will probably be limited, but there are others here with vaults of knowledge that can help. Love the turntable but don't know the arm unfortunately. My suggestion would be to start a new topic with a heading such as "Does Anyone Recognise this Tonearm" including your photos and I reckon you'll have your answer in no time. Wimbo may be right about the top of the line 30 being different to the 20 - I don't know. I do know that when my 20 wore out about 10 years ago, I replaced it with a D15-XE Mkii and I must say, I was quite impressed. I am still using it. If you are committed to keeping to the VMS range, I would check out www:thakker.eu and search VMS - there are quite a few items available across the ranges, some are compatible styluses made by others. Locally, there are a few retailers that keep the 3e and 15 styluses, such as Klapp AV, Audio Tailor, etc - Melbourne Hifi have the 3e on sale at the moment for $59. If you want to know more about the VMS range, I would check out https://www.ortofon.com/vms-cartridges-p-614 as there is a bit of information there. Good luck with it all and enjoy the journey.
Ghostinfog Posted December 3, 2019 Author Posted December 3, 2019 (edited) Thankyou very much for all the help. Much appreciated Edited December 3, 2019 by Ghostinfog
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