Where is a good place to get headshells from?

M

MusicDirector

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Ok, I have a bug I need to hit with a can of raid.
In the process of trying to decide what cart to get for my Pioneer PL510A (I'm still tossing around Grado Prestige Blue, Green, Ortofon 2M Red yada yada yada), I am also thinking of picking up a inexpensive monaural cart and another headshell or two and a P-Mount to Standard adaptor.

I have a selection of monaural records I want to see if they sound better or very different using a monaural cart on them.
I also have a couple of P-mount carts that are brand new and I want to see how they sound so I need to apdapt them to Standard mount.

My plan is to mount a monaural cart to one headshell for either my Denon TT (which may have a proprietary headshell, I'll check) or my Pioneer 510A and the other I'll mount the adapter.
What all this will also do is make it so that I just have to set-up and align the carts once (not my favorite thing to do) and then just swap out the headshell and cart assembly on the fly and all I have to do is adjust track force and anti-skate.

What I'd like to know is where is the best places(s) to get headshells? I know there is NeedleDr, but he is a bit expensive except for the LKG which I don't know that I would want that one. He is also a bit high on shipping. Is there any place else with a good selection for headshells?

I'd also like to know if I may be barking up the tree of doom on this idea.
 
Eric

Try Turntableneedles.com in Nevada. Steve has free shipping and is usually the cheapest on what he carries.
 
Eric

Try Turntableneedles.com in Nevada. Steve has free shipping and is usually the cheapest on what he carries.
 
Jack said:
Eric

Try Turntableneedles.com in Nevada. Steve has free shipping and is usually the cheapest on what he carries.
Click to expand...

Thanks Jack, but I show them in Oregon when I went to look. I'm confused, do I have the right place?
 
CPP said:
Turntableneedles Headshell for Straight Tonearm or needledoctor Headshells or iptunes Tonearm headshell, phono cartridge headshell mount, cartridge carrier or lpgear headshells,half-inch mounts,phono cartridge headshell,universal headshell,LP Gear Zupreme headshell,audiophile quality universal headshell,LP Gear pro headshell,Stanton headshell assembly,ADC headshell for straight tonearms,Denon headshell for Denon
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Thanks. NeedleDr is too pricey plus high shipping. Turntableneedles and LPGear are not authorized dealers for many of the products they sell, but since I'm only after headshells from them I see little to worry about. A headshell is a headshell, nothing special about them. My only concern is sending money and getting nothing in return. LPTunes and LPGear have no upfront presence or contact so I'm not comfortable with them. Turntableneedles has full contact info.
 
MusicDirector said:
Thanks. NeedleDr is too pricey plus high shipping. Turntableneedles and LPGear are not authorized dealers for many of the products they sell, but since I'm only after headshells from them I see little to worry about. A headshell is a headshell, nothing special about them. My only concern is sending money and getting nothing in return. LPTunes and LPGear have no upfront presence or contact so I'm not comfortable with them. Turntableneedles has full contact info.
Click to expand...

I've ordered belts from lpgear for my Micro and had no problems.
 
MusicDirector said:
Thanks. NeedleDr is too pricey plus high shipping. Turntableneedles and LPGear are not authorized dealers for many of the products they sell, but since I'm only after headshells from them I see little to worry about. A headshell is a headshell, nothing special about them. My only concern is sending money and getting nothing in return. LPTunes and LPGear have no upfront presence or contact so I'm not comfortable with them. Turntableneedles has full contact info.
Click to expand...
I have purchased analog accessories from Turntableneedles.com in the past, and found them to be very reliable and quick to ship.
 
Eric

You are probably right. Was going strictly from memory. If CS or contact is important to you then I would stick with TTN or ND. Steve is in most cases the cheaper of the two and has free shipping, usually two days. If your current headshell has the four female receptacles in a rectangle then the one CPP referenced is the right one. If it has the three pins in a straight line then this is it and they are less common so more expensive.

Headshell 3155 for Marantz Yamaha etc
 
Jack said:
Eric

You are probably right. Was going strictly from memory. If CS or contact is important to you then I would stick with TTN or ND. Steve is in most cases the cheaper of the two and has free shipping, usually two days. If your current headshell has the four female receptacles in a rectangle then the one CPP referenced is the right one. If it has the three pins in a straight line then this is it and they are less common so more expensive.

Headshell 3155 for Marantz Yamaha etc
Click to expand...

Thanks Jack. I do believe the headshell from TTN would be the correct type for my Denon. I'll double check. For my Pioneer, I can just get any universal S-arm headshell if I want.
Hmm, I should pick up some extra wires too, I think I'll be needing them.
I can't believe I'm doing this, but it's been bothering me for about a year or more and as I need to get a cart for my Pio 510 anyway....why not just "git er done".
 
As to the Pioneer, yes any headshell will do. I would try to stay in the same range weight wise though as the OEM. The ones he sells are just different finishes if that matters to you. I have also bought wires from him too. As to the Denon headshell, I have both types of the cheaper version with four inputs and they both work equally. The "generic" (Tonar) on is just as good to me as the ADC branded one and a little heavier. You do get the screw set with the ADC though. I only mentioned the more expensive one as his "Find My Player" parts app said it was that one instead of the standard one.
 
Jack said:
As to the Pioneer, yes any headshell will do. I would try to stay in the same range weight wise though as the OEM. The ones he sells are just different finishes if that matters to you. I have also bought wires from him too. As to the Denon headshell, I have both types of the cheaper version with four inputs and they both work equally. The "generic" (Tonar) on is just as good to me as the ADC branded one and a little heavier. You do get the screw set with the ADC though. I only mentioned the more expensive one as his "Find My Player" parts app said it was that one instead of the standard one.
Click to expand...

Thanks for this info Jack! Yeah, the finish doesn't matter to me and I'm guessing getting one from him I won't have to worry about weight. Does he have a separate screw set for the generic (Tonar) one can grab?
 
Here you go. All of the S headshells weight the same thing, 9.4 grams. Don't know how that compares to the OEM head shell weight.

Screw Kit

I just buy the screws and nuts at Ace.
 
Jack said:
Here you go. All of the S headshells weight the same thing, 9.4 grams. Don't know how that compares to the OEM head shell weight.

Screw Kit

I just buy the screws and nuts at Ace.
Click to expand...

Well, I'll just stick the OEM headshell on my scale and weigh it:scholar:

Another audio secret: first there was Harbor Freight, now Ace for headshell screws and nuts! Thanks Jack.

~Eric
 
Eric

At least at my Ace they have the 2.5 and 3 mm screws and nuts separated out in individual trays and you buy what you need one at a time. I usually stick to 2.5mm.
 
Jack said:
Eric

At least at my Ace they have the 2.5 and 3 mm screws and nuts separated out in individual trays and you buy what you need one at a time. I usually stick to 2.5mm.
Click to expand...

Nice! I haven't checked out my Ace yet, but now I have a reason!
 
Count me as another happy Turntableneedles.com customer! I bought a tonar headshell, wire set, and screw set from them for my Pioneer too. You can save a little money if you choose to add screws with your headshell from that page. They also give you 10% of your order back to use towards future purchases.
 
Matt715 said:
Count me as another happy Turntableneedles.com customer! I bought a tonar headshell, wire set, and screw set from them for my Pioneer too. You can save a little money if you choose to add screws with your headshell from that page. They also give you 10% of your order back to use towards future purchases.
Click to expand...

Thanks Matt, good to know and another vote in favor. Yes, I will be picking up my headshells, etc from TTN.
 
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