I wouldn't spend much on the replacement stylus unless I knew the history of the cartridge and was cofident of its soundness. It's likely to be several years old and well beyond it's peak performance.

Empire was a decent cartridge in its day. I've only got very limited experience listening to them, since I never owned one and only heard it in another system. I can say that it had no glaring flaws. Assuming that you could spend a few hundred dollars, there are a good number of current cartridges that are probably superior. However, if you can get a stylus for a few bucks, then it's worth a try, IMHO.

Let us know what you do.

Dave