Needle Question

[rgtb]

Is it really necessary? Can I mount M44-7 without any gauge or alignement protectors ?

Just screw it onto the headshell and connect the wires ?

record wear increases and sound quality deteriorates with the tracking-angle error. i mean, scratch DJs are probably doing many things anyway that are neither good for your records nor for the fidelity of the audio. so why would you bother about tracking-angle errors?

but for me personally (i don't scratch), i think the gauge is worth it. if you don't get it, at least try to make sure that the distance between the plug of the headshell and the stylus tip is close to 52mm. also, if you imagine a straight line between the two headshell mounting screws, that line should be perpendicular to the headshell.

[Otacon]

Word, well put and thanks for the info. When i order my needles ill get a technic overhang gauge

[Boomcie]

Word, well put and thanks for the info. When i order my needles ill get a technic overhang gauge

You can just print some out.
http://www.vinylengine.com/cartridge...tractors.shtml

[djproben]

You may still have the overhang gauge; it's a white plastic thing that looks like it was meant to hold your headshell in place. It's not as complex as it sounds. The printed protractors work too.

But to answer your question, no you don't need to do any of this stuff, and you probably won't notice much difference. But it's worth at least trying to get it in the right place because over time record wear does increase. M44-7s cut through a lot; they are not like more "audiophile" carts. I have Shure M97xes and you can tell right away if the cart is misaligned; the difference is very noticeable and it sounds bad. Whereas the M447s are pretty forgiving and will probably sound fine either way, unless you have it drastically misaligned.

[icb]

You may still have the overhang gauge; it's a white plastic thing that looks like it was meant to hold your headshell in place. It's not as complex as it sounds. The printed protractors work too.

But to answer your question, no you don't need to do any of this stuff, and you probably won't notice much difference. But it's worth at least trying to get it in the right place because over time record wear does increase. M44-7s cut through a lot; they are not like more "audiophile" carts. I have Shure M97xes and you can tell right away if the cart is misaligned; the difference is very noticeable and it sounds bad. Whereas the M447s are pretty forgiving and will probably sound fine either way, unless you have it drastically misaligned.

I bought my Technics 1210 mk2 second hand and didn't get overhang gauge for sure.

Can you help me with printed protractors, which one do I need particulary for 1210mk2 and m44-7 (or m35x in case I go for that) ?

[Boomcie]

In that link I posted scroll down until you see the Technics Arc protractor. I think that you have to register before you can download.

I found out about using the protractors a few years ago, but I never felt the need to actually do it. I always thought that it was something that the audiophiles did.

[mostapha]

OP's original question: OM vs. Concorde. If you want Ortofon (which I don't like compared to Shure), I recommend the OM versions. Headshells (even the cheap Stanton ones) are better built than Concordes.

I have never seen a Concorde that wasn't broken unless it was still in a shop being sold. The arms are really fragile. Headshells are built better.

So are Shure Whitelabels, which sound better than anything Ortofon that I've heard and have cheaper replacement styli.

I'd still recommend anything Shure over anything Ortofon if the prices are even close to comparable, but if you're going Ortofon, Concordes aren't worth it.

overhang gauge?

It's a plastic thing. Just order one and use it. It takes like 5 minutes.

Is it really necessary? Can I mount M44-7 without any gauge or alignement protectors ?

Yeah. But vinyl already sounds bad enough, there's no reason to make it worse just out of laziness.

Seriously…it's not that hard to use an overhang gauge, and you only have to do it once if you don't take your carts off the headshells (mine have been together since 2006).

[Otacon]

Yeah im in between Shure M44-7H's and Ortofon Digitrack/Nightclub II OMs, but i think ill just buy the 5 dollar gauge just in case i ever need it. Thanks alot for the info

[Otacon]

Figured id post this for the Shure fans, and is there a reason theres such a freakin huge price diffrence? literally 50%

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Shure-M44-7H-Scratch-Cartridge-Headshell/dp/B0002E2LZG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1326999732&sr=8-2"]Amazon.com: Shure M44-7H Scratch Cartridge with Headshell: Musical Instruments@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41LtU-IoCOL.@@AMEPARAM@@41LtU-IoCOL[/ame]



http://shop-us.shure.com/products/pr...7.0.0.0?pp=12&

[mostapha]

Price difference between what? That's only one product.