Stanton 581A (c. 1966–1967)

Name: Stanton 581A
Brand: Stanton

Little is documented about the Stanton 581A beyond Stanton's own mid-1960s advertising and a listing in a period cartridge roundup. The 581A was the "Longhair" version of the 581 Calibration Standard, a series Stanton pitched directly at engineers as an "engineer's pickup."

Stanton ran the same ad copy in Audio and HiFi/Stereo Review from 1966 through 1967, and it made several specific claims. As HiFi/Stereo Review noted in June 1967 (p.25), each 581 came with a written certification that its frequency response stayed within 1 dB from 20 Hz to 10,000 Hz and within 2 dB from 10,000 to 20,000 Hz. The moving system was described as very small and highly compliant. The whole cartridge weighed only 5 grams, light enough for the low-mass tonearms then emerging. The "Longhair" brush sat ahead of the stylus and cleaned the groove as it played. Audio's August 1966 phono cartridge roundup (p.57) lists the 581A alongside the Shure V-15, Pickering V-15, ADC-10/E, Ortofon S-15E, and Empire 888E, which shows who Stanton meant it to compete with. Independent lab measurements of the 581A are not in the archive. What survives are the manufacturer's claims and that roundup listing.

Known details:

Phono cartridge, 581 Calibration Standard series; 581A "Longhair" version
Certified frequency response (with each unit): within 1 dB, 20 Hz–10 kHz; within 2 dB, 10–20 kHz
Weight: 5 grams
Built-in "Longhair" groove-cleaning brush
Marketed c. 1966–1967