Neilsan Posted October 4, 2019 Share Posted October 4, 2019 I highly recommend the Jico Stylus One SAS stylus for the P77. It sounds better than the original stylus. I went without using it for a few years until I found the Jico Stylus. Bought it from the Garrott Bros. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevoz Posted October 4, 2019 Share Posted October 4, 2019 16 hours ago, btd said: I have always been a bit suspect about my P77`s. I'm a bit suspect about that P77's alignment! Doesn't look to be centered on the headshell...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOPSHELF Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 It's interesting how we hear things differently or maybe how our systems playback is voiced. For me the SAS1 was too mellow, it sounded great and just as good as an MP500 i once had but i missed that attack and the way the original P77 stylus profile just plays music. I had a friend over recently and he he was gobsmacked at what the P77 was doing at the front end.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nkoulban Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 I had an original P77... it was a brilliant cartridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phill451 Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 All this talk of Garrott Bros cartridges has inspired me to swap out my 2M blue for my old P77. Seems the stylus still has some mileage left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrews_melb Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 @Phill451 Nice work, is that the Optim though? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOPSHELF Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 Mmmm looks similar and is one up from the P77i. Is it the stylus profile that changes or other things......? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phill451 Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 @Phill451 Nice work, is that the Optim though? Original p77 body with an optim replacement stylus. I sent it in for repair after a sad incident. They had it for quite a while and I scored the optim as a replacement for the price of the standard. Needless to say I was pretty happy in the end. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardiiiii Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 Why do you use the 2M Blue over this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phill451 Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 Why do you use the 2M Blue over this?Good question. I’m wondering the same right now. At the time I was playing each of my vinyl albums in reverse alphabetical order and posting them on social media as I did it, one per day.The Garrott had quite a few playing hours and then it seemed to have some tracking issues. I imagined it had had its day. I was also a bit cash poor so thought I’d get a decent but not too expensive replacement. Never got around to retipping it. So after recent posts I’ve tried it again and am noticing none of the issues I remember. Perhaps it was some bad vinyl in my collection that resulted in the swap. I like the 2M blue but the P77 is just very good indeed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batty Posted October 12, 2019 Share Posted October 12, 2019 Just a thought, what would be the highest stylus that would be feasible on a K2? K3 or even optim etc. I am liking the standard K2 atm. (Thanks MWH) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neilsan Posted October 12, 2019 Share Posted October 12, 2019 I tried my Jico SAS stylus that I use in my P77 and it sounds great in the K body as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btd Posted October 12, 2019 Share Posted October 12, 2019 On 4/10/2019 at 3:55 PM, stevoz said: I'm a bit suspect about that P77's alignment! Doesn't look to be centered on the headshell...... Alignment was one of the problems. A good service(bearing ,motor), new belt and it was back running fine. I thought I had read somewhere that the new one has a different profile to the old one. If this is correct I was wandering if anyone had directly compared the original P77 to the newer P77i. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOPSHELF Posted October 12, 2019 Share Posted October 12, 2019 My thoughts exactly. I have an old P77 it is very, very good responds differently to VTA and loves the arm to have its bum in the air. If Auspost get their act together i can compare it to a P77 "Dynamic coil" branded P77. I'd also love to know if either of my carts were actually tuned by the brothers? For me putting an aftermarket stylus into the engine lost alot of what I like about this cartridge. Is the legendary status of this cart reserved for the ones that actually went through the brothers fingers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btd Posted October 12, 2019 Share Posted October 12, 2019 (edited) Have to agree with the "bum and the air" attitude. It goes against all the "keep the arm parallel" theory I read about when I got back into audio but it does make a difference with the P77. Edited October 12, 2019 by btd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcro Posted October 13, 2019 Share Posted October 13, 2019 12 hours ago, TOPSHELF said: Is the legendary status of this cart reserved for the ones that actually went through the brothers fingers? Yes it is.... I've had three Garrott P77, all bought directly from John and Brian and visited them several times in their various abodes around Sydney. It's no surprise you find the sound better with the arm higher at the pivot..... Read what the Garrott Bros say in their original set-up instructions...although I wouldn't go as high as they recommend Contrary to some opinions here.....I find the Jico SAS stylus a marked improvement over the Garrott original and I have all three versions of the SAS...the Boron cantilever, the Sapphire and the Ruby. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOPSHELF Posted October 13, 2019 Share Posted October 13, 2019 Nice collection i love the paperwork instructions. I personally agree about the Vta being about 4-5mm from level. My tonearm can go higher but i find 2 x $2 coins work fine under the pillar as a spacer a tip given earlier on in the thread. My next purchase should be the protractor. Thanks for sharing.....Do you have a favorite? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcro Posted October 13, 2019 Share Posted October 13, 2019 Here is a Link to a review I wrote on the Garrott P77 10 years ago. https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/garrott-p77-mm-cartridge And here is a Link to a Review between the three SAS styli on my P77. https://www.audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/jico-sas-vs-neo-sas-s-vs-neo-sas-r.750299/ Here are some YouTube Videos of the Garrott P77/SAS/Ruby 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOPSHELF Posted October 13, 2019 Share Posted October 13, 2019 Thanks for posting. I have some reading for this evening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOPSHELF Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 Hi Harry,Fantastic write up on aidiogon. Thanks for posting. Speaking of posting, it would seem I've had a P77 go awol in the postal system.... Three weeks and it is some where between Melbourne and here....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batty Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 That is Auspost for you. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcro Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 Thanks Ian.....glad you liked it. What a bummer from Aus Post. Was it coming back from Garrott? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOPSHELF Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 No it was a purchase from someone in outer suburbs of Melbourne. It made it all the way to Sydney then was returned to the sender.... The sender then sent it again about 8 days ago and it showed it had left a Melbourne facility but stayed that way until today, now it has arrived in Sydney again.... Maybe tomorrow it will arrive. Thank goodness it was tracked so we could all see the debacle unfold. I've also a garrott protractor on the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOPSHELF Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 I will install this new cart on the table and send the other down to be assessed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasabijim Posted July 12, 2023 Share Posted July 12, 2023 dig dig happy i some across this thread I've a Garrott cart but without the "dynamic coil" stamp and was a little suspicious of this. it seems this may not be a big concern. It's the Optim cart with the shibata stylus I struggled to get it singing - the sound stage was cramped on one side, like a carpet rug bunched up. Seems like alignment/azimuth/anti-skate was off but after several cycles thru the alignment process I moved on back to my carts free from this issue. So I've not been using it, I had it checked by Brian at Decibel HiFi (excellent) and even listed it for sale (no takers). I figured the shibata stylus was too fickle for my TT particularly as it has no TVA adjustment which as @Halcro shared benefits from a degree of tail-up orientation. So I will give the Garrott another run and take the time to get around the finer details of azimuth and anti-skate, maybe even consider some of the hacks with a wire or wedge to gain some tail-up. It's also good to know the Optim stylus can fit a K-type cart and vice-versa so there's some flexibility there, the simpler Ks-2 super elliptical for example. with the SAS options I'd worry the advanced profile would not be any more suitable than the shibata, even if the precious stone canti are very appealing. maybe these and other recommendations are some to consider in the future Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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