Stanton 981HZS (1983)
Not much is documented about the Stanton 981HZS. The Archive's research file for this model came up empty, and what survives is mostly Stanton's own advertising from early 1983. The most useful single source is an ad in Audio (January 1983, p.4). There Stanton grouped the 981HZS with the 980HZS, 881S and 880S as its high-performance Samarium Cobalt cartridges. The ad cites a patented moving stylus system with a Stereohedron diamond mounted in an ultra-low-mass Samarium Cobalt armature of 0.2 mg. That is about all the model-specific engineering detail the period record gives.
Stanton's trade advertising that spring also promoted a companion model, the 981LZS. It was a calibrated moving-magnet cartridge that worked directly into the moving-coil input of most preamps, and the campaign billed the low-impedance idea as a step beyond the moving coil. The HZS evidently belonged to the same Samarium Cobalt family. The ads on hand don't spell out its own electrical specs, and no independent review of the 981HZS has surfaced.
What the period record confirms:
- Samarium Cobalt phono cartridge
- Patented moving stylus system
- Stereohedron diamond stylus
- Ultra-low-mass Samarium Cobalt armature: 0.2 mg
- Sold alongside the 980HZS, 881S and 880S as Stanton's high-performance cartridge group
Similar items on eBay
No exact Stanton 981HZS listings are live right now — these searches show current Stanton and similar vintage audio gear on eBay:
As an eBay Partner, we earn from qualifying purchases. This helps support our independent vintage technology research.
Related Models
- Stanton 500-E
- Stanton 581A
- Stanton 681-A
- Stanton 800-B (c. 1964)
- ADC 220X
- ADC 303B
- ADC QLM-36
- ADC QLM (1970s–1980s)
- ADC QLM30/III
- ADC QLM30 (1976–1984)