Edward W Saunders, Inc. has been supplying cartridges and styli for the phonograph, stereo turntable and even jukebox user since 1982. Without a doubt, the most frequently asked questions we get involve the four terms: stylus, needle, half-inch and P mount.

Stylus and needle are interchangeable in meaning. In the early days of acoustic phonographs, the needles were simply sharpened pieces of metal or other material held in place with a set screw. As the medium evolved, jeweled tips were added to improve both tone and useful life of the stylus and records. With the advent of electronic amplification, the stylus (needle) became more sophisticated and today is actually an assembly consisting of the bearing (tube or shaft that holds the assembly in the cartridge), cantilever (miniature tube which holds the stylus jewel), the jewel itself and the carrier (plastic part that holds the assembly together). A cartridge is NOT a stylus; the cartridge HOLDS the stylus (needle). In the early days of magnetic cartridges, some manufacturers also referred to the stylus as an armature. So, you have three terms all meaning the same thing: needle, stylus and armature.

Half-inch and P Mount refer to the two most common types of stereo turntable cartridge mounts. P Mount is also called T4P by some manufacturers. Telling the two apart is very simple. A half-inch mount cartridge has four exposed wires visible on the back. Red which connects to Right (+), Green which connects to Right (-), White which connects to Left (+) and Blue which connects to Left (-). A P Mount cartridge plugs directly in to a rectangular socket on the end of the tonearm and no wires are visible. The sockets are always rectangular, never round. A tonearm with a round socket accepts a headshell which in turn holds a half-inch cartridge. Here is a little mnemonic to make it simple: Half-inch Has wires, P Mount Plugs in.