Hello Everyone. New here and this is my first post. I am not a DJ but I am using my VL12 for home listening only. What do you think is the best cart to pair with it? Thank you.
Go for a Grado.
I am using a shure whitelabel right now. Will I hear a huge difference if I switch to grado?
That’s a matter of taste, I guess. I use a DJ100. It’s clean in sound.
Shure has stopped making needles and cartridges, btw.
I have no experience with other brands but I think I might try the Grado and see if I like it, is the stylus of dj100 replaceable?
Yes. Plus I’d Google for reviews etc. It might not be what you are looking for.
While because of the current design oddities the VL12 would not be my first choice of TT to mix on, for just listening you have a wide range of cartridges to choose from and I would stay away from DJ cartridges. I would not buy the Grado DJ line for that purpose, but their other cartridges are nice if you like euphonic sound that fully embraces how vinyl colors sound in a pleasing way. They sound huge, lush, and forgiving. They will not simply sound like the original master recording.
If you want no additional euphonics and just strait, precise accuracy, the Denon high-output moving coil designs are pretty great. Like Grado’s low-inductance moving iron cartridges, the HOMCs are mostly immune to phono preamp & cable loading characteristics and will similarly remain relatively flat and extended compared to moving magnets. The Denons usually have lower output than the Grados but it’s still useable and does not require a transformer as you would with normal low-output moving coils.
The low-inductance MI Grados and HOMC Denons I’ve tested all have excellent micro tracking or intermodulation distortion characteristics when set up properly. As far as macro tracking and skip resistance in forward play, the Denons have the edge, in my experience.
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Hi, What do you think about Audiotechnica and Nagaoka Stylus for home listening only? Or do you still recommend HOMC Denon’s ones?
I’ve never used the Audiotechnica VM540ML and Nagaoka MP100. I can’t even find inductance specs on the MP100.
All depends on what you’re doing i.e. Playing old vinyl or DVS and what genre.
I use different carts for different scenarios.
Ortofon is my brand choice.
I own Night Club E and The S and QBerts for DVS mixing/scratching.
I also use an Ortofon 2M Blue for old vinyl playback.
I have them all setup on their own head shells as I find the tone arm of the VL12 rather light for Concordes.
Original Ortofon Concorde line has returned with Reloop and Thomann Music’s Fun Generation brandings.
I’ve got the Ortofon digitals and they are hands down the best DVS carts I’ve ever used, never miss a beat. They don’t sound great through the Mastersounds playing vinyl though, to loud and abrasive, the OM in a techs headshell sound fantastic though.
The new Ortofon digitals or some new version with the angled stylus interface? The original Concorde and OM is the exact same cartridge, by the way, just one’s an integrated style and the other requires a head shell. You mean OM Pro or 5E sounds better than a ‘digital’ model?
The new digital Concordes (the really high output ones) and the OM I can’t remember the exact model but it’s the black with a red dot and yeah it’s a Concorde stylus on a traditional style cart that connects to techs head shells
The new line of Ortofon DJ tips are entirely incompatible with the old Concorde and OM bodies, even higher inductance NCmk2 and the Super OM headshell mounted variants that could use the same stylii as the old stuff. The replacement for the NCmk2 Super Concorde, for instance is the ‘Club’, and has an angled, seemingly slightly wider interface that requires a whole new cart body to mount the new tip. So, these six or so new models are a new, incompatible line with the old. Hence, it’s notable that Reloop and Thomman have branded their own versions of the old stuff that was getting hard to find. Even KAB had run out of new original Concorde (non-Super) bodies.