Replacement Styli
The PS-F5 and PS-F9 were originally sold with a blue Sony branded ND-144G stylus manufactured by Audio Technica. Other styli are available which provide better sound quality and longer life. Here Patrick Radzewitz compares the different options.
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| Stylus: | Sony ND-144G | Stylus: | Audio Technica ATN-51S (or 52S, 53S) | |
| Stylus tip: | 0,6 mil spherical diamond, bonded | Stylus tip: | 0,6 mil spherical diamond, bonded | |
| Frequency response: | 20Hz – 20.000Hz | Frequency response: | 20Hz – 20.000Hz | |
| Compliance: | n/a* | Compliance: | 9 µm/mN* | |
| Tracking force: | 1,7g | Tracking force: | 1,0g – 1,8g | |
| Stylus life time: | app. 400 hours | Stylus life time: | app. 400 hours | |
| Info: | This is the original stylus included with the PS-F5 and was sold as genuine replacement stylus by Sony. Stylus was manufactured by Audio Technica for Sony and is not longer available. | Info: | The ATN-51S should be Audio Technica’s equivalent for the ND-144G, as far as one can see from the technical data. This red stylus was made by Audio Technica for Sanyo. ATN-51S styli can be found in different colours, average price €20.- to €25.-. | |
| *All values for the ND-144G taken from Sony PS-F5 Service manual. Compliance is not mentioned there. | *Audio Technica measures compliance at 100Hz. By European and American standards compliance is measured at 10Hz. The compliance value for this stylus at 10Hz should be around 18-20 µm/mN. | |||
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| Stylus: | Audio Technica ATN-51E (or 52E, 53E) | Stylus: | Audio Technica ATN-55XE (or 57XE, 59XE) | |
| Stylus tip: | 0,4 mil elliptical diamond, bonded | Stylus tip: | 0,3 mil elliptical diamond, nude | |
| Frequency response: | 20Hz – 22.000Hz | Frequency response: | 15Hz – 25.000Hz | |
| Compliance: | 9 µm/mN* | Compliance: | 9 µm/mN* | |
| Tracking force: | 1,0g -1,8g | Tracking force: | 1,0g -1,8g | |
| Stylus life time: | app. 600-800 hours | Stylus life time: | app. 1,200 hours | |
| Info: | The ATN-51E is the cheapest way to upgrade the Sony PS-F5 or PS-F9. Its elliptical tip is sharper than the spherical one of the ND-144G and therefore can track the record groove more precisely. Average price €25.- to €35.-. | Info: | Best replacement stylus available for the Sony PS-F5 / PS-F9. The elliptical diamond is nude (complete stone, not bonded) and even sharper than the ATN-51E. The nude diamond should last 1,200 hours, average price is €40.- to €50.-. Further information and PDF manual download is available from Vinyl Engine | |
| *Audio Technica measures compliance at 100Hz. By European and American standards compliance is measured at 10Hz. The compliance value for this stylus at 10Hz should be around 18-20 µm/mN. | ||||
