Having a couple decades of searching behind me already, I expect this product to be a permanent fixture in my record playback equipment. Nothing else offers its particular balance of strengths or its superb price/performance ratio.

Sound
If I could own only one cartridge, this would be it. It is possible to find a competing model that bests it in one performance parameter or another, but its balance of strengths aren't matched by any other cartridge I've owned. There is good separation of instrumental lines, pitch and timing cues are faithfully retained, instruments sound natural with easily distinguishable timbres, there is decent width and depth to the soundstage, it tracks heavily modulated grooves very well at its recommended 3 grams of tracking force with no tendency to overemphasize sibilants, and it is remarkable in its ability to play less-than-pristine records with reduced noise and distortion.

Features
We're talking about an inexpensive cartridge here, so the only included accessory to note is the mounting hardware. The black pieces that fit over the "wings" of the cartridge are self-threading plastic that simply don't allow for an adequately tight coupling of the cartridge to the headshell. I use good quality, stainless steel screws and nuts. On a positive note, the cartridge can be fitted with a number of alternative styli, from a lighter-tracking elliptical to Stanton's own 78 stylus and a number… read more of specialty styli from after-market suppliers for the vintage record collector.

Quality
I've owned or installed a fair number of 500 series cartridges over the last 25 years and find them a consistent, reliable product. The only thing that degrades over time is the tightness of fit between the stylus assembly and the cartridge body. It's a friction-fit design that simply becomes looser with repeated stylus changes. Of course, the same can be said for several other user-replaceable stylus designs. It takes a lot of stylus changes for this to happen, and is not something I worry about at this price level since the complete cartridge with stylus is only about $10.00 more than the stylus alone. See also comments under "Support."

Value
Performance far exceeds its price point.

Manufacturer Support
Not that I've had much need for product support from Stanton, and never for this particular product, but I did have a very good experience with them concerning a 981LZ. That was one of their higher-end cartridge models, and its stylus assembly/cartridge body interface became loose and wiggly. I contacted Stanton, sent my cartridge back to them, and, for just the price of a new stylus assembly (which was due anyway), they repaired the unit and sent back a tight, great-sounding cartridge.

The Wow Factor
Not much in the way of "sex appeal" here, either aesthetically or technically. The 500AL Mk II is just a reliable, practical tool for getting great sound at a very attractive price.

Musical Style:
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