Stanton 681-A
Almost nothing is documented about the Stanton 681-A specifically. It appears to have been a phono cartridge in Stanton's 681 family - the same line that produced the 681 EE and the 681 Calibration Standard - but the surviving period record rarely names the 681-A itself.
What the record does show is Stanton's late-1960s advertising for the 681 line. A campaign ran in Audio (January 1968, p.27) and HiFi-Stereo (September 1969, p.115). In it, Stanton claimed the 681 Calibration Standard had a nearly flat frequency response from 10 to 20,000 Hz, channel separation of 35 dB or better at 1 kHz, and output of 0.8 mV/cm/sec. It also had the "Longhair" brush for keeping grooves clean. A cartridge comparison chart in Audio (August 1968, p.60) put the 681 EE alongside the Pickering XV-15 and Shure V-15 Type II.
Whether the 681-A shared those exact specs is not confirmed anywhere in the archive's current records. If you have a period review or an owner's manual that names the 681-A outright, we'd welcome the correction.
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