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Ortofon Arkiv vs. Shure M97xE

mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
edited June 2007 in Strut Central
Anyone have experience with either? I'm looking for a good (though affordable) audiophile cartridge.

  Comments

  • spelunkspelunk 3,400 Posts
    Btw I'm starting to dislike my M97xE, which I know I heartily reccomended to you before. It hides surface noise really well, but compared to my whitelabels it just sounds weak and analytical. It's a taste thing though.

    I'm wary of all these new carts that Ortofon has been putting out, at this point they have almost a dozen different models that all basically do the same thing, but are all marketed differently. They really haven't shown why there are differences between any of the models.
  • drewnicedrewnice 5,465 Posts
    I really like my Shure needle. I've been using it since November and am fully satisfied. It gives off a pretty flat/even sound compared to the Trackmaster club needles I had before. The needle itself is very fragile, so I wouldn't even think about back cuing with it. Another thing is that the needle picks up a lot of pops/ticks, etc. As a result, I've been steadily upgrading the VGish records in my collection that I really enjoy. If that bothers you, I'd check out some other options. But, overall, I would purchase the Shure again.
  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    sounds weak and analytical.

    I love that idea of a needle sounding "analytical." I know exactly what you mean though.

    I might just cop another White Label in that case.
  • ZEN2ZEN2 1,540 Posts
    I can't attest to the specific models you mentioned???44-7s have always been good to me, but I think we're after different things.

    That said, I would strongly advise you to avoid the banana style integrated headshell Ortofons. For some reason Ortofon likes to make their contacts big as fuck, which over time can push back on the contacts inside your tonearm. So down the line, if you decide to switch brands, you're going to have problems with dirty connections and channel dropouts. Unless you like licking dirty carts you'll want to avoid this.
  • spelunkspelunk 3,400 Posts
    I can't attest to the specific models you mentioned???44-7s have always been good to me, but I think we're after different things.

    That said, I would strongly advise you to avoid the banana style integrated headshell Ortofons. For some reason Ortofon likes to make their contacts big as fuck, which over time can push back on the contacts inside your tonearm. So down the line, if you decide to switch brands, you're going to have problems with dirty connections and channel dropouts. Unless you like licking dirty carts you'll want to avoid this.

    Yeah I never understood whether they got this problem resolved or not. The other problem is the stylus overhang issue, but this if you get the OM cart it doesn't matter (but also takes away the benefits of the integrated design)

    It's the kind of thing where no matter what cartridge is technically better, or is made at subzero temperatures using polar bear skin or whatever hi-fi enthusiasts like, it's about what your ears hear. I just wish there were still hi-fi shops where you could go and get a reccomendation or *gasp* hear it before you buy it.
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