Ok so i just got my first set of vinyl turntables after being at it for about a year and a half now, and i have a question about needles/carts sorry if its a stupid question. Whats the diffrence in a OM Needle and just a “regular” needle? \
From the looks of those two pages, the OM is not installed on a headshell, so you’ll need to do that yourself, while the others are on “Concorde” style headshells (which I personally detest but a lot of people dig them). Also, the OM is only a single cart whereas the others are for a pair, but you probably already knew that.
1.5. Is there a difference between the OM and Concorde series of cartridge?
The sole difference between OM and Concorde cartridges is the housing and contacts found on the cartridge. Whereas the OM range requires mounting onto an appropriate headshell, the Concorde range conveniently attaches directly to the tonearm. There is no difference in sound between the two ranges, within the respective series of cartridge (ie OM Elektro versus Concorde Elektro, etc).
it’s also worth pointing out that the OM version of a cartridge is going to be cheaper than the respective concorde variant.
the concordes have two advantages: (i) they install faster and easier; (ii) it is pretty much impossible to mount a concorde the wrong way, whereas some will install an OM (or other headshell-mounted cart) incorrectly. not that it’s hard but, for headshell-mounted carts, you’ll need to use the technics overhang gauge or a cartridge alignment protractor.
Yeah I noticed the price difference that’s why i came to the pros for knowledge. Whoa, that last part kinda blew my mind…overhang gauge? I’m using a pair of Technic 1210’s
khm. I only used Concordes until now, but now I’m gonna go for some cartridges that need mounting on headshell (prolly m44-7 or m35x). I have never mounted it and I certainly don’t have ‘overhang gauge’ or anything similar so will I screw up my cartridge (or headshell) or can I do it without ?
guys, the technics overhang gauge is included with newly-purchased technics 1200s. it is used to make sure that the cart (and hence the stylus) is positioned such as to minimize tracking-angle errors. this is not necessary on a concorde cart, as those have a fixed stylus position relative to the tonearm. (ortofon designed the concordes such that the stylus position is best for 1200s.)
you can purchase a new technics overhang gauge for $5 or so at places that sell replacement parts for technics.
as an alternative to the technics overhang gauge, cartridge alinment protractors can be used. these are essentially calibers or stencils. (sorry my english isn’t perfect–i’m looking for the correct english word.) note that these protractors are tonearm-specific. ortofon and other companies manufacture protractors appropriate for technics tonearms. they go for ~$10.
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.
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.
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.
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.
It’s a plastic thing. Just order one and use it. It takes like 5 minutes.
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).
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
thanks