VN5XMR: Not Beryllium, But Still Quite Good
I compared this Jico SAS/boron stylus to my NOS original VN5xHE stylus on the V15-RS cartridge, which is the same cartridge as the V15VxMR. Only difference is nude HE tip vs Nude MR.
The SAS/B can’t produce the deep and delicate textures of the hollow beryllium cantilever of the original stylus. The SAS/B uses an aluminum stub shaft, and epoxy glue at the stylus tip and at the boron/aluminum interface. This results in a numbing, or loss of detail transmitted into the coil gap.
On its own, the SAS/B is a nice stylus. Well made, high quality, and very pleasant to listen to. It tracks well. But it can’t perform at the level of the full beryllium cantilever.
The brush is under damped. Mine exerted only 0.23 grams pressure instead of 0.5 grams. I added silicone grease to the hinges, and it increased to 0.45 grams, which is close enough! Made a big difference in tracking warped records at 1.1 grams stylus pressure.
So the SAS/B is not a substitute for the original beryllium cantilever. But it’s very acceptable on its own, a close second and available.
Verified purchase: YesCondition: New