ELAC STS-344
Little is documented about the ELAC STS-344 today. What survives comes mostly from a pair of late-1960s audio publications. It was a stereo cartridge, a magnetic type in the context of the group test that covered it. Elac made it in West Germany, and Benjamin Electronic Sound Corp. of Farmingdale, New York, distributed it in the U.S. High Fidelity (November 1968, p.79) reported on the STS 344-17, as the model was usually listed, and gave a price of $39.59. The report included a measured frequency-response plot, but the surviving copy doesn't preserve its values.
The cartridge also appeared in HiFi/Stereo Review's July 1968 lab test of eleven stereo cartridges (p.58), conducted by Julian D. Hirsch and Gladden B. Houck. It was tested alongside the Elac STS 244-17 and STS 444-E, the ADC 550-E, Empire 999VE, Goldring 800E, Ortofon SL-15, Pickering XV-15/AME/400, Shure M75-E, and Stanton 500E and 681EE. The article's general remarks noted that magnetic cartridge designs varied visibly, and that makers' choices were shaped by patent considerations and manufacturing costs. The surviving text doesn't include the STS 344-17's individual measurements or final verdict.
Known facts:
- Stereo cartridge; West German manufacture by Elac
- U.S. distributor: Benjamin Electronic Sound Corp., Farmingdale, N.Y.
- List price (1968): $39.59
- Covered in HiFi/Stereo Review, July 1968, and High Fidelity, November 1968
No production years, detailed specifications, or owner history have been recovered beyond these period sources.
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