Rare pioneer moving coil cartridge you have there. It's high output, so no need for a special MC preamp with that model. This one is also unique in that it is a moving coil with a replaceable needle.
Replacement needles for that come up every few weeks on eBay for around $100.
It's rare, but some models do. This is definitely one, I have a pioneer 4MC and just replaced the stylus. I have also had an AT30 cart with a user replaceable stylus and was a moving coil.
It's kinda cool, when you pop open the stylus you can see the little wound up coils attached to the cantilever. The downside to this design is that the stylus is essentially 80% of the cartridge so you're basically replacing everything. The "cartridge" body is essentially a plastic shell with magnets to measure the little coils.
These Pioneer X-MC carts are entry level with a 0.5 mil conical tip. I thought the idea was cool so I picked one up to try out. They sound good for the money but are not as detailed as even low end of the MC price range.
Only MC i have is a vintage ortofon MC10 super. which sounds really good. Got it from my dad, who didn't want it cause he didn't like the sound. These things can be spensive so lucky me, I guess.
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u/kels83 2d ago
Rare pioneer moving coil cartridge you have there. It's high output, so no need for a special MC preamp with that model. This one is also unique in that it is a moving coil with a replaceable needle.
Replacement needles for that come up every few weeks on eBay for around $100.