ADC QLM36mkII ()

Name: ADC QLM36mkII
Brand: ADC

A moving iron phono cartridge shrouded in silence—no specs, no reviews, just a name that echoes faintly in the used gear shadows.

Overview

The ADC QLM36mkII isn’t a legend. It’s not even a footnote with a clear voice. What it is, definitively, is a moving iron stereo phono cartridge made by ADC—a brand better known for its XLM series moving magnet cartridges and those distinctive metal-faced Sound Shaper equalizers that still turn heads on vintage racks. But the QLM36mkII? It slips through the cracks. No production years, no original price, no technical fanfare. Just a name that surfaces now and then in used gear listings, often tangled up with replacement styli for models like the QLM30 MKIII or QLM36 MKIII.

It’s not even clear where it sits in ADC’s lineup. The brand had its stars—the XLMs, the early Sound Shapers—and then there were the rest: solid, perhaps serviceable, but never celebrated. Collectors are told ADC is a “treasure trove of undervalued gems,” but the spotlight rarely swings this far into the back catalog. This isn’t one of the golden-era pieces with pedigree and paperwork. It’s the kind of cartridge you might find tucked in a forgotten turntable box, still mounted, still waiting for a tonearm that remembers how to care.

And yet, it persists. Someone out there is selling a used QLM36mkII for €40.60. Someone else is asking $94.99 for a “rare” MKIII variant. Replacement styli pop up in euros, dollars, and Canadian dollars—$29.99 here, $60 there—suggesting there’s enough demand to keep third-party tips in circulation. The fact that a listing explicitly notes “Stylus muss geändert oder repariert werden” (the stylus must be changed or repaired) tells you all you need to know about ownership: this isn’t plug-and-play. It’s maintenance territory. And given that ADC’s original XLM cartridges are already flagged for their fragile stylus assemblies, it’s fair to assume the QLM36mkII doesn’t inherit any legendary durability.

It’s a moving iron design—no surprise there. ADC dabbled across transduction types, but moving iron was part of their playbook. Beyond that? Silence. No frequency response, no output voltage, no compliance data. Not even a confirmed tracking force, though a related QLM30 MKIII lists 3–5 grams, which might be the closest we get to a usable spec. Whether that applies here is anyone’s guess. But if you’re shopping for one, that’s the only number you’ve got—borrowed, unconfirmed, but better than nothing.

Specifications

Manufacturer	ADC
Product type	Moving Iron Stereo Phono Cartridge
Technology type	Moving Iron
Tracking force range	3-5 grams

Collectibility & Value

The ADC QLM36mkII lives in the quiet corners of the secondhand market. A used unit once listed for €40.60 on eBay—roughly $44 USD at the time—while a replacement stylus has been spotted as low as $29.99 and as high as $60 on HifiShark. The price spread suggests inconsistent availability, not performance hype. There’s no collector rush, no auction wars. For ADC fans, the real prizes are the original XLM cartridges and the early Sound Shapers; everything else is background noise.

Still, the brand’s reputation as a source of “undervalued gems” keeps interest flickering. The catch? These cartridges demand attention. Owners are reminded to “mind their fragile stylus assemblies,” especially on the XLM line—advice that likely extends to the QLM series. With no data on common failures or repair complexity, the QLM36mkII becomes a project, not a plug-in upgrade. If the stylus is worn—and on a cartridge this obscure, it almost certainly is—replacement isn’t a trip to the local audio shop. It’s a hunt across international listings, currency converters, and vague compatibility notes.

And good luck servicing it. There’s no manual, no teardown guide, no community consensus. Just a single German listing muttering, “Stylus muss geändert oder repariert werden,” as if it’s already resigned to the inevitable. Buying one isn’t about sound quality claims or vintage warmth. It’s about completing a set, restoring a system, or chasing a spec sheet that doesn’t exist. You’re not buying performance. You’re buying possibility—with a side of caution.