Mar 14, 02
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Buying needles, cartridges and stylus
Replacing The Needle, head shell or cartridge:
Aside from a performance boost, the only four reasons for replacing an entire cartridge is if a channel dies, if it develops a ridiculous hummm, you’re into the “image thing” or it no longer holds the stylus securely.
What the hell is the difference between cartridges? - All cartridges sound different. This is due mainly to variations in frequency response, distortion, and micro phonics (open a Webster for these terms). These produce a slightly different balance and colour to the sound. The MIC (movin iron cartridges) tend to sound a little more full and "warm" in the mid bass registers. MIC's offer the greatest harmonic integrity. Moving magnet designs offer the best compromise.
- The second factor is the stylus. The stylus will influence the overall consistency of the sound. Shitty stylus = shitty sound. A sweet stylus is one that can track difficult passages without breaking up or skipping. Most of these require low mass cantilevers and line contact styli. Most of these are expensive.
How do I match a cartridge with my turntable?
There are several issues here. The first is purely technical; the cartridge compliance must match the tone arm mass for proper performance on warps. Most hi fi and audiophile cartridges are designed to match the most popular tone arms like technics, Gemini numark etc….. Many inexpensive "DJ" turntables use fairly hi mass tone arms and need other needles.
- Cost is an issue. Unless you bought an MK2/MK3 or anything with a heavy price tag it seems ill advised to spend a ton on a cartridge if you're using daddy's old dusty-ass record player.
What about cartridges for these new straight DJ tone arms?
- Straight tone arms (Stanton) are a re-appearance of the "under hung" tone arm designed in the late 40's for portable and miniature designs.
They are intended for scratching. By design, the needle is more secure in the groove during backwards movement of the platter. S-shaped tone arms supposedly have better sound quality but I don't hear the difference. Straight-arm tone arms (when they are designed right) offer better skip resistance over S-shaped tone arms so they are better for scratching. If you want to simulate the effect of a straight-arm, you can angle your cartridge in towards the spindle about 23 degrees. Remember it's not just the tone arm that affects skipping, but also the stability of the platter, the size of the gap in between the record and spindle hole, the type of needles you're using, and the lightness of your touch on the record. If you've got a bit of a gap in between the spindle hole and the spindle, the record will knock against the spindle and skip when you scratch. Fill in the hole with tape...this will cut down skipping by at least 70%. If you've got a cheap platter, it'll bounce up and down when you apply pressure on it and cause your record to skip. Either develop a lighter touch or buy some turntables like Technics 1200s that have real quality platters. Most importantly, get needles designed for scratching. The needles that I used to use for scratching were any found in the Shure line: Shure M447, Shure M44-G, and Shure SC35C. Budget needles will skip no matter what you try.
- P.S.: You can get a straight-arm modification for your Technics 1200 if you really want
- **Warning: Use of elliptical styli on DJ straight tone arms could do harm to the record being played. Use only conical or spherical styli.
What's the difference between Hi Fi and DJ cartridges?
The difference is all in the stylus assembly. Hi Fi Styli are designed to track lightly, perform well and treat your records with kindness (use this for making cd’s or mixes). DJ styli are designed for rougher handling, back cueing and to stand up Kaos beatings.
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