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2013 Cartridge for general listening/sampling

uttersutters 321 Posts
edited October 2013 in Strut Central
Accidentally snapped the stylus off my ortofon arkiv yesterday

Always thought it sounded terrible anyway. Distorted and harsh mids... On a properly setup technics 1210 too

Any recommendations out there for a hi-fi but durable cartridge? I don't DJ or do scratching but do a lot of needle dropping with the sampling etc

Sorry I know there are a few threads on here about this but they're old kinda old... The arkiv is discontinued now for example

  Comments

  • HorseleechHorseleech 3,830 Posts
  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    What do people think of Grado?
    That is what I have been using.
  • HollafameHollafame 844 Posts
    on the white label
  • asstroasstro 1,754 Posts
    I just set up one of my 1200's for listening only and used an Audio Technica AT120E cart, sounds great and not too expensive at all. Not sure how durable it would be for repeated needle drops and such, but for listening it's really nice.
  • ppadilhappadilha 2,236 Posts
    I'm gonna piggyback on this thread and ask one of those DJing 101 questions:

    when playing out your beat up old records, what's the best way to prevent skipping?

    I used to dj regularly in two places in NYC, one was a bar with a nice set up (1200s and whatnot) and only occasionally would I have a problem with a record skipping, even though it played fine at home. The other place was a caf??/restaurant that had crappy numark TTs and I would always have all sorts of problems, not just with slightly beat up records, but also the needle skipping or skating across the first or last track of a perfectly good record. A few weeks ago I had the same problem at a friend's place, where I was trying to record a set. He has almost brand new 1200s, and a few records that play fine at home skipped when I was playing them there. Tried futzing around with the weight and the anti-skating thing, but didn't help that much. I have a pair of Shure cartridges that are pretty heavy, and they even come with +2g weights for added heavyness. I would think a heavy cartridge wouldn't skip as much, but maybe I'm wrong about that. What's better, heavier or lighter cartridge? And do you put a lot of weight or a little weight at the end of the tonearm? Or is this just par for the course considering I'm not playing NM records?
  • DB_CooperDB_Cooper Manhatin' 7,823 Posts
    HOLLAFAME said:
    on the white label

    Thirded. I've used them for years and have zero complaints. Nice balanced, full sound.
  • uttersutters 321 Posts
    The white labels look interesting yes... Has anyone used both the arkiv and white label and able to compare?

    Collective online wisdom seems to point to the needles being a bit fragile, any truth there?

    @padilha this might seem obvious but if you have a one-sided 12" use the blank side to set up the anti-skating on the TT?
  • piedpiperpiedpiper 1,279 Posts
    The white labels are great multi-purpose cartridges for all things dj-related.

    If you are looking for a "real" hifi needle it??s worth investigating a bit further. Shure, ortofon and others carry a broad range. You may or may not care about the difference in sound.
  • uttersutters 321 Posts
    I guess what I'm looking for then is an incredibly durable audiophile cartridge that will survive all my needle droppin
  • Seq_OneSeq_One 11 Posts
    This Grado DJ200 cartridge is the shit.

    http://www.needledoctor.com/Grado-DJ200-Cartridge?sc=7&category=932

    It sounds excellent. Its not meant for scratching but it is meant to back spin a record when you hear something you want to sample. Its really durable Ive had it for over 2 years.
  • uttersutters 321 Posts
    Seq_One said:
    This Grado DJ200 cartridge is the shit.

    http://www.needledoctor.com/Grado-DJ200-Cartridge?sc=7&category=932

    It sounds excellent. Its not meant for scratching but it is meant to back spin a record when you hear something you want to sample. Its really durable Ive had it for over 2 years.

    that sounds perfect for my needs! will check it out
  • HorseleechHorseleech 3,830 Posts
    Grado stuff sounds great, but these carts are not always a great match for a 1200 if that's what you have. A lot of users report the "Grado Hum" as the cart gets close to the end of a side. They aren't shielded and pick up the field from the motor. I'd be wary if you are using this for transfers etc.
  • uttersutters 321 Posts
    Horseleech said:
    Grado stuff sounds great, but these carts are not always a great match for a 1200 if that's what you have. A lot of users report the "Grado Hum" as the cart gets close to the end of a side. They aren't shielded and pick up the field from the motor. I'd be wary if you are using this for transfers etc.

    Yes been reading about that. My turntable is next to all sorts of other gear, amps, cables etc so I might have to give it a miss...
  • DJBombjackDJBombjack Miami 1,665 Posts
    Been using one of these for a few years now. Excellent sound. Definitely not meant for any DJ use though.



    http://www.amazon.com/Shure-M97xE-High-Performance-Magnetic-Cartridge/dp/B00006I5SB/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1383228734&sr=8-2&keywords=shure+stylus
  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    DJBombjack said:
    Been using one of these for a few years now. Excellent sound. Definitely not meant for any DJ use though.



    http://www.amazon.com/Shure-M97xE-High-Performance-Magnetic-Cartridge/dp/B00006I5SB/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1383228734&sr=8-2&keywords=shure+stylus

  • covecove 1,566 Posts
    LOL
  • Seq_OneSeq_One 11 Posts
    Horseleech said:
    Grado stuff sounds great, but these carts are not always a great match for a 1200 if that's what you have. A lot of users report the "Grado Hum" as the cart gets close to the end of a side. They aren't shielded and pick up the field from the motor. I'd be wary if you are using this for transfers etc.

    In my experience the cartridge has been super quiet, I never knew that people were having problems with these cartridges because mine has been excellent. I would imagine these carts were designed to be used on a 1200 as they are a "DJ" cartridge. I got my 1200 hooked up to a musical surroundings phono pre into my MPC and mostly listen through reference headphones (live in an apartment) and I have never noticed any hum.

    You can always call up needle doctor the are really helpful / knowledgeable and they can recommend a good cartridge for what you need.
  • parallaxparallax no-style-having mf'er 1,266 Posts
    White Labels for me.
  • RisingsonRisingson 696 Posts
    Another vote for the Shure White Labels here
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