The BIG needle and cartridge thread.

[MyUsername]

Wich needle and cartridge do you prefer ? Why ? Give us the pro's and cons.

I only have experience with ortofon concordes but I heard they rip your vinyl up like mad, and since I'm playing tunes like mad, this seems like a bad combination.
So I might switch to something that extends the lifetime of my precious 12 inches.




If we could collect all the DJTT needle/cartridge knowledge in this thread it would be very helpful.

[Xonetacular]

Which concordes do you use and are you using spherical or eliptical needles?

I use Ortofon Nightclub Concorde mk1s (spherical) just because I have 5 of them I got in trades and they are pretty looking and are pretty good carts.



If I had to buy new carts though I wouldn't waste my money and would just get M447s and some decent headshells (stock technics headshells are fine too). The lift arm on the ortofon concordes is delicate if you are around drunk people and someone broke one of mine which I did a pretty damn good job repairing with a pen cap that looks like it was meant to be there.


I also have like 3 of these which are pretty decent that I put on if I'm mixing with friends who I don't trust with my ortofons.



I've never had to buy new needles or cratridges myself.

[synthet1c]

m447's all the way, I had concord pro's when playing vinyl, now I use dvs and have since learned to scratch, they have one of the highest MV outputs, they have the same volume in reverse as they have going forward, and they never skip as long as you don't tap the record. before using dvs they didn't seem to eat through real records any quicker when they are properly balanced.

If you don't know how to balance just get a blank peice of vinyl from a white label, play the blank side, then adjust the antiskate and weight until the needle stays on the blank vinyl without you supporting it. when you do this the needle isn't being forced into the wall of the groove degrading the sound over time

[Nicadraus]

When I began DJing some 20+ years ago, Shure M44-7 with original Technics MK2 headshell was the one I used.



I started using Stanton 890SA (packaged with 4 needles and a carrying case) in 2003





as well as Trackmaster II.



I still have the Trackmaster II until now but I have sold the 890SA with the head shell and bought a new set of M44-7 last year



fitted on MK5 headshells.



So it's back to good ol' Shure!

[Liambo]

Currently have Stanton Trackmaster II's that i some how aquired brand new basically. Still have no idea how i got them. But like them a fair bit..



Also got these Craze needles i got with my Tech's but never use them..

[mostapha]

M-44G/7. Gs for real vinyl, 7s for timecode. Gs can track just as well as 7s even under heavy scratching according to skratchworx (who are way better than me at scratching) in a review several years ago. And Gs sound better. 7s are marginally cheaper, IIRC, and are a little more resilient to busted tonearms and bad setups. I used Stanton headshells because I was told there wasn't a difference and they were a lot cheaper than Technics.

Shure Whitelabels are the best-sounding cartridge I've used. Absolutely loved mine. They're prettier and awesomer than Ortofons, sound better, track better, and have cheaper replacement styli, though they (and replacement styli) are notably more expensive than M-44Gs and only sound a little better. It is very noticeable, but it's not night & day.

I haven't heard a Stanton cartridge that I liked. Not by a long shot.

I haven't owned Ortofon Concordes, though I did own a set of the Nightclubs that fit on headshells. I wasn't a huge fan, but they were fine. All of the Ortofon Concordes I've seen in person had a broken arm, which never happened to my Whitelabels.

And I've enjoyed Grado HiFi carts, but I don't think I'd DJ with them.

If I were buying today, I'd probably buy replacement styli for the M-44Gs I still have or Whitelabels (which I sold when I sold my decks). I'd probably wind up with both and slightly prefer the Whitelabels for performing out and the M-44Gs for practicing just because of cost.

I'd use a 500AL2 despite disliking Stanton carts for practice if I cared about saving money there.

And looking at that picture of the whitelabel makes me really miss having turntables and spinning with vinyl.

Is it possible that after selling my decks, trying every major DVS, owning CDJs, spinning with Live, and spinning with Traktor…that I might consider going back to spinning vinyl (not DVS) if things work out so that money isn't a huge issue?

[turbo]

For me its m447s for timecode/scratching and white labels for regular vinyl.

[jsa83]

i have a pair of m447s for home use but when i'm on the road i use ortofon concordes with night club and scratch stylus...


has any one used the ortofon sl-120? ...

[Bassline Brine]

I use Ortofon Concorde Elektro carts.



I honestly like them. I'm not redonk well versed in carts, but I prefer the concorde design to the standard headshell. I mainly use them with time-code vinyl, so it's not much of a difference either way IMO. I don't have any issues with them, and they look sharp. I also got them for a deal from DJF buy/sell when I first got my tables, so couldn't go wrong there.

I had a cheap pair of stanton needles that I got when I initially had my TT's, and I've used the M44-7's on my buddy's setup. Another buddy always seems to have different needles.

I just like them, but I don't know enough about different carts/needles to get into the nitty gritty about it.

[Cook]

has any one used the ortofon sl-120? ...

Doubt it, seen them once in a club but i was using the CDJs
They're overpriced, paying for the serato badge.