NumarkGrooveTool RS | Replacement Stylus for Numark's Grovetool Catridge (2 Units)

The Stanton 500 is dead. OK...not really as many of us turntable LUVERS {LOVE is reserved for humans & animals} are keeping it alive with generic styli that can sometimes be hit or miss depending on who makes them...I just purchased four from MCM for $44 that so far are wonderful aside from the fact that they lack the florescent dot on the tips. Still...For some strange inexplicable reason Stanton or their parent co...Gibson... decided to cease production on all of its phono cartridges and styli. And just when Vinyl is enjoying a tremendous resurgence. I'm really mad at Stanton for this! No matter 'cause Dee Jays everywhere are quickly finding out that this Numark Groove Tool cart is sounding better than ever.The moving magnet cartridge arrives to you on a minimalist peg hook card but still retains a very nice basic but cost effective package that includes the more than adequate two mounting screws and nuts. Proudly engineered in USA and assembled in Japan is a nice way to go today as Japan seems to be ahead of Switzerland and others when it comes to manufacturing styli.I won't go into a ton of specs on this cartridge as the gentleman before me gave you all the technical info you could possibly want. I will say that the cart is very light about 4 grams total weight and is quite simple to setup. Although output is rated at an extremely low 2.4 mv...I feel that this is a bit too conservative on Numark's part. I believe the output is a wee bit higher ...around 4 mv. This is definitely lower by comparison to my all-time favorite Stanton 500.V3 which remains a dj cart by which all others should be judged. The two GT's I purchased here on Amazon cost about $40 and perform admirably in my GLI SL-2500 Professional Direct Drive Turntables.At this point of the review I must tell you that if you set the cart up correctly...you will have no problem with record clearance...especially at the lead-in groove. I suspect those that have complained about this have not set the "Rake Angle" {Side-to-Side} properly. This is usually caused by using one of those cheapie super lightweight bayonette early 70's style headshells. When you slide this type onto your s-shaped tonearm's collar ... it tilts to the right. You don't have to spend a ton of money on excellent headshells and I found the $10 American DJ half inch mount standard headshell to be absolutely the perfect mate for the Groove Tool. Just lock it into the tonearm's collar perfectly straight while eyeballing the situation. It is also important to make sure that VTA {Vertical Tracking Angle} is fine...which it should be for the Technics type arms and that you use the Technics Overhang gauge while keeping the cartridge straight as opposed to turned slightly inward like the popular two-point alignment tools suggest or slightly outward as Stanton suggests for skip resistance.Mine wound up three quarters of the way rearward in the slots of the American DJ headshell as opposed to the popular "Just push it all the way forward" thinking of the 80's & 90's that renders most disturbing results. For Pioneer and all other types of tables...use the supplied gauge. Even the very basic Rega white cardboard gauge renders superior results for those tables as I experienced with my Rega Planar 2 upgraded model with Pickering XSV-3000 cartridge I use to own decades ago. When something sounds that nice and clean to the end of the record...why mess with it?You'll be amazed how dynamic the cartridge sounds without the slightest hint of soundstage breakdown or distortion as it approaches the inner grooves of your Vinyl LP. Just as on my 500.V3...I found that 3 grams TTF is perfect for the superbly crafted .006 Spherical stylus. It will track slightly warped LP's to perfection but will not be able to handle severely warped ones. No matter...you should NOT be playing these anyway and increasing the TTF offers little sonic benefit.The Numark cues beautifully...I give my records a good one third turn back-cue despite the high torque rating of the motor upon startup. You don't want your record to sound like it's winding up as this is most unprofessional. I learned this years ago at AFRN Radio Alaska when I was a much younger pup and have kept with this practice ever since. Know your timing.I can't comment on scratching as I'm just not into that and could cause problems on singles. I owned the earlier model Numark Groove Tool years ago around the Millennium. It was basically the same as the newer model except the color was purple. Like its predecessor...the new "Red" model is bright-sounding but hold on audio aficionado-purists lest you red flag me here..the sound is in no way fatiguing. In fact...I find it to be quite pleasant and revealing of inner detail maintaining superb sibilants reproduction...no harsh "S"-sounds. The incredible dynamic range, tracking ability and extremely wide stereo separation whilst presenting a most well channel balanced deep sound-stage place this bargain cartridge way above others that have come before it not only at its ridiculously low price point but considerably above that point also. You may not want that more expensive Shure M97xE or that Clear-audio Concept MM or that A-T 440MLa after all.And don't let the higher three gram tracking force scare you away either. I have maintained that a cart that tracks superbly at two grams TTF or higher will produce considerably less record wear than one that tracks at below two grams but occasionally mistracks. The higher force of the GT also ensures proper tracking of 45's which tend to build up debris in the grooves over time. Just keep your records clean with a good dry brush like the Hunt E.D.A. Mk VI or the equivalent "Superstat" one and your records will sound superb with this cart... With the exception of the RCA Discwasher D-4...Avoid wet systems if you can as these leave a nasty residue that is neither beneficial or life preserving to your records and stylus over a period of time. And...It is very quiet with excellent hum rejection although still behind the Stantons and certain 45's can be a bit groove noisy on the lead-in when compared to the Stanton "500"...only in my headphones when recording onto the great Tascam 900 do I notice this but not on playback. No groove noise whatsoever on LP's when setup properly.The bright red stylus assembly with center notch makes for extremely high cuing visibility...especially when the target pop-up light is used. Still...I prefer the bright white red-dotted stylus of the "500". This is great for dee-jaying in both bright or low light conditions. It also renders great cuing for everybody else when gently lowering the stylus onto the record with a well damped cuing device.Speaking of the stylus...like the Stanton "400" & "500"...this is one of the most advanced spherical stylus I've ever encountered in the fifty years experience I've had with needles! It performs more like the famed audio-technica Shibata or the Stanton-Pickering Stereohedron that were used in those great high frequency tracing cartridges of yesteryear. The GT is so reminiscent of the Pickering XSV Series of carts but at a significantly lower price.I purchased this cartridge as a backup to my Stanton 500.V3 but did actually use it on one of my shows for comparison sake and asked my listeners if they could hear the difference. I still keep my Stanton 500 in heavy rotation but have just bought four replacement styli at less than $40 here on Amazon for the Numark. I feel that I'll get at least 500 to 800 hours of on-air use out of these styli apiece. Think about it...that's less than $10 a needle for these quality Made In Japan styli...outstanding!In summation...the newer RED Numark Groove Tool is a significant improvement over the already outstanding earlier purple one and now not only is my second favorite DJ cart lately but is also a favorite for critical listening as well...although beware of the brilliance as it could become fatiguing. I still prefer my Concept MM & M97xE for super evaluation of a record with my 500.v3 not too far behind. Think about it fellow dee-jays...don't you wanna sound great over the air anyway??? You are giving your audience almost audiophile quality stereo-surround sound while making a real case for vinyl records sounding superior {despite the occasional ticks & pops} to just about anything the digital world can conger up. And yes...the Numark Groove Tool sounds equally great with all genres of music including Classical. My Leonard Bernstein/NY Philharmonic rendition of "Pictures At An Exhibition" on CBS/Great Performances records never sounded more vibrantly natural, resounding and dynamic! The Telarc Robert Shaw/Atlanta Symphony "Carmina" is awesome with those clashing cymbals and orchestral subtleties well defined. Voice reproduction is hair-raising. All accomplished without the slightest bit of mistracking.I have no reason to doubt for one second the gentleman who stated that it lit his CD-4 Discrete pilot lamp on his quad receiver as this cartridge not only outperforms all other entry level carts in high frequency reproduction but in all other phases as well. It has the unique ability to bring older worn records to life with superb transient response but without any unwanted noise accompanying the exquisite sound. As Vinyl's full return is now well in sight...the Numark Groove Tool will be a key player for all tables new or old...studio or changer And unless you still have a few old Stanton 500AL bodies on hand...It is a "MUST" for radio stations that are returning to vinyl LP's in droves now. At its price point it has no peer.UPDATE...7/21/2014...Recently I started using the Numark Groove Tools on my shows and the listenability has gone upward. In other words...people...including myself...seem to prefer the Numark sound. This is a wonderful cartridge and no wonder that radio stations returning to vinyl like these so much. Remember...the normal FM band rolls off the highs a bit and the Numarks counter this quite nicely while maintaining flatness with the natural bass impactful and outstanding! Plus...they seem to be very durable to boot. With the return of the Stanton 500 nowhere in sight...I'd say that these red Numarks are by now the new broadcast industry standard...just as good as the old Stantons but with a crisper more modern high end sound. These are now my permanent broadcast alternatives & 2nd place faves!UPDATE: 11/25/2015With the Numark Groove Tool phono cartridge gaining great ground in sales while the price lowered a full five bucks since I first wrote this report...It simply is # 1 for broadcast, professional and consumer use. It sports considerably lower backburn wear on those old recycled plastic 45s and adapts itself to so many record playing situations. If you just purchased a classic record changer...this is your choice. I find its reproduction of modern newly released vinyl records to be superior to the former broadcast standard...Stanton 500AL. It retains the warmth of the vinyl LP without straining or subduing high output high frequency reproduction embedded in the gtooves of these modern wonders.The bright red stylus is highly visible with popup light or even without illumination. BEST BUY in phono cartridges of all time. Get one...or two...or three even. Wanna know something else...I use them in SL-2500 tables on my "Rolled Gold W/Peter J" shows and still have had no cause to even think about replacing my first stylus even though I have two GTs constantly groovin'. I have two twin packs of replacement styli I purchased over two years ago unopened just sitting in the drawer waiting to go but it looks like they will have to wait longer as these needles take a lickin'.R U kiddin' me? At fifteen bucks a cartridge???? Breakout those old Christmas records and give 'em a spin with the "Made In U.S.A." Numark Groove Tool!!!! Merry Christmas and happy spinning....Peter J...UR AFRNDJUPDATE: 12/2/2015Just for reference purposes...I am using a Numark M-4 STEREO DJ mixer with KnuKonceptz Karma patches from the SL-2500 tables to the MM phono inputs. I installed my own grounding cable.

These worked perfectly for my 70's era Kenwood turntable. Sound is great and very easy to install. Had purchased one of these previously but the needle was damaged (cat tested it and cat won) so purchased this double pack for future cat vs. needle matches.

Great replacement for my numark needle that broke off. 10 seconds to swap out.

Easy to connect

If you need a general purpose cart and stylus that’s loud, good overall sound quality, static-free when setup properly, and no hassle install, this is the way to go. It pairs up perfectly with the ADJ headshell also sold here at Amazon if you need the whole package. Sound quality is honestly really good on this cart, although it fits more in the “DJ cart” category versus an “audiophile cart”, hence the price. If you’re an audiophile you’d probably be buying a vintage $200-500 Signet cart anyway, maybe pumping that through equipment that costs more than 100 of these carts. If that’s you, I’m surprised you’d be reading this review! If you’re a normal listener and need a good quality, good all-around cart that will work with normal equipment, even vintage MCS, Technics, Toshiba or Pioneer curves-arm tables, look no further. It isn’t pretty looking but what I lacks in looks it makes up for in good quality sound.

I am so happy with these replacement cartridges. The installation of the needle cartridge was so very easy..... slip off the old and slip on the new cartridge. Playing my old vinyl records and they sound great! AND the price was right!

Good deal on these. I buy generic Sanyo MG-09 style cartridges in bulk that use this needle. The bulk units come with sapphire stylii. These are diamond. They're of good quality and improve tracking and sound. Not a bad option for the average listener replacing or upgrading from a ceramic in older record changers or midgrade turntables. Here you get two (maybe 1200-1600 hours worth) for just a little more than the price of one.

This budget cartridge sounds amazing. I couldn't be more pleased. The Groove Tool has good detail and superb stereo separation. It tracks my vintage records perfectly at 2.5 grams. For $40.00 you can't go wrong.

Excelente calidad precio muy durable y resistente.Mis tres tornamesas se las instalé.

Purchased this after first buying a replacement stylus from Amazon, only to find that it didn’t fit despite the seller stating that it fits all ION turntables.Turns out, the ION TTUSB uses the Groove Tool and most of those other cheap stylus’ won’t work. This cartridge fit perfectly and was a perfect OEM replacement for the turntable. Sound quality is great and installation was easy. Definitely worth the money if you’re replacing the cartridge (or stylus) on an ION TTUSB.

I bought this because I had the same on an another turntable and was really happy with it's performance.it does a fantastic job ! plug and play and it is really good for everything listening.I use it to transfer my Vinyl to the computer. the sound is really good.best 50$ spend on my everyday hobby ! :)I recommand ! :)

Suono di qualità più che accettabile. Per il mixing e lo scratch leggero tiene il solco solo su dischi mix, purtroppo sugli LP salta molto facilmente. Va bene per chi deve iniziare ed esercitarsi a casa. Rompere una di queste puntine non è un dramma visto che il prezzo dei ricambi è bassissimo.

La livraison était très rapide et cette cellule complète est de bonne qualité et convient à ma platine Kenwood kD41RB. Merci Amazon. Je recommande