Thanks for explaining the differences between the spherical and elliptical stylii. I will be making sure that I get a spherical stylus in any future upgrades because I really love to go crate-digging - in other words - I love "imperfect" records. Your arguments are quite cogent and easy to follow. This was a very enjoyable vid and I look forward to digging into many more of them in the future!
@LongLostLPMan Thanks! Before you run out and buy a spherical, be sure to watch my video about the Audio-Technica AT120E cart. I got it after the Ortofon CC and it has a hyper-elliptical that produces lees distortion than most of the sphericals I've tried. However, if your going to be listening to a lot of old mono 45's, spherical is the only way to go. :) JC
@BadEditPro I'm not a pro on this and I just need to buy a cartridge for my audio tec turntable, and all i want is to listen to good regular vinyl records, no DJing or anything. Is this OK for that, cause I've been reading about serato records. I don't even know what it is but it sounds like a DJ special kind of records.
I just installed one on a ION iTTUSB turntable I was not sure if a cartridge that cost more than the turntable would improve it's performance but it is a step up. It does make quite a bit of an improvement. I have probably one of the first versions of the ION and did buy the DJ S. As I have about 1000 vinyl LP's from the 60's till the 90's this will make me dig them out now. Thanks for the post I probably would have never looked for a replacement, I had not used the ION in about 2 years.
I have to agree.. The Ortofon Pro S is a great cart. I was using Stanton 680s for a long time because I used to play live, and I liked how hot they were. I got sick of how quickly the styli were wearing out, so I took a chance on a Pro-S and the difference in sound was mind boggling. Fast forward a few years and I've tried a few others.. I got a Grado that I thought was slightly better than the Concord. I just got an AT150MLX, and WOW - it's incredible. I still use my 3 mil Pro-S tip for 78s.
Another great video about audio. I love the look of the Ortofon, and I know how careful you are with these things, so if you say "it's good", it's GOOD!
Thanks for explaining the differences between an elliptical and conical stylus. The illustration certainly backs up your suggestions and comments!
@clydesight This is a really fine cart and the stylus is very precisely engineered. It doesn't exhibit many of the negatives associated with conicals like splatter, mistracking and skipping. This might not become my main listening cartridge but it will come in very handy for playing and archiving vintage 45's or old mono LP's. :) JC
I can tell you this. I had an Ortofon OM5e on a Dual turntable 6 or 7 years ago and it sounded great on worn records as well. This cheap AT92e cartrdge I got at Radio Shack (just to test the turntable) sounds like crap on bad records. You can hear the noise and distortion over the music.
@jasonlava You might want to double check your alignment on the M92E. I have one of those and it works relatively well on worn records but I'm running mine on a linear tracking turntable so it's dead on. Still, I have to agree that Ortofon's OM p-mounts are probably the best on the market. :) JC
@BadEditPro Hmm.. Well, I'm actually a noob to aligning cartridges. I printed out an alignment protractor and used the Baerwald alignments (that's what the website said to use if you new to it. Question is... Am I aiming the tip of the stylus in the middle of the crosshairs or the actual edge of the cartridge body? On the AT92e, the body sticks out a little further than the stylus tip. It's also rated at 1.5g. That's where I have tracking/antiskate set at (after balancing the tonearm).
@jasonlava The stylus tip goes in the cross hairs and you slide the cart up or down in the head shell until you find the right position where the cart is aligned as close to 90 degrees to the groove as you can get it. The cart body should be straight in the head shell and not twisted one way or the other. Depending on the tone arm, there will be some degree of error. Alignment is more critical as you get closer to the spindle so keep that in mind while your finding a compromise. :) JC
@BadEditPro My Ortofon was a 1/2" mount and it sounded like angels singing even when the alignment was "guessed" ( moved around until I thought it sounded good, not a good method but I didn't have a protractor).
Fantastic information. You taught me alot today. I was really considering buying the shure m97xe, but now I am going to hold off. My records are nice, but in no way prestine. Like you said "real world". I have often heard that spherical is far better but I was always sold on ellpiticals providing more detail. I'm currently running a Dual 1209 with an AT 111E cart and a Garrard SL95 with a stanton SL720EE. Any good ideas on upgrades?
@acrttdriver Thank you! Those are nice tables... If you'd like to see what a spherical will do for you, I would suggest trying a Shure M44-7. They track nicely at 3 grams and they also make a version that tracks at 1.25. Stanton has whole line of professional carts that will work beautifully on the Dual, too. I am assuming you Garrard is p-mount so that would mean using either an Audio-Technica AT300 or an Orotfon OM5P. :) JC
@BadEditPro Thank you for the great info! My Garrard is actually a 1/2 inch mount and the stanton cart came with an adapter. Not sure if you remember but I bought that stanton L720ee(you recommended) last year for an old Realistic LAB 2100 linear tracker that took a dump on me and has since been resting comfortably in the landfill...LOL. Ok then I will look for the Shure M44-7.
@acrttdriver How has the Stanton worked out for you? I really like the sound of that cart and if you're liking it just leave it in place. Please let me know. :) JC
@BadEditPro Hey JC! The stanton seems to work pretty good. It seems to have a bit of a flatter sound than the A-T cart thats on the Dual, but it seems really rugged and it tracks really well. This afternoon I was playing Aretha Franklin's lp "Aretha's Gold" and it sounded fantastic. I saw your new TT in your other vid and might have to have one of those sometime this year. This audio stuff is like an obsession!!....:)
What a amazing video!!! You are so informative and anybody wanting to upgrade their cartridge should watch this video...I will post this video on my channel as the featured video if you don't mind..Many things I was'nt aware of have been answered..Thank you for the shout out!! Merry Christmas...
i'm having a problem with my right turntable.. i hear frequency noises from it when i turn the volume up... i check all the plugs and wire and dont understand what could be the problem.. i have a set of numark tt200.. i have a ortonfon OM elecktro needle on the right table and it also gives me static when i play.. if you or anyone knows what the prblem may be, please help... thank you
JC, What exactly does "Professional" mean when it comes to turntables & cartridges? It seems like a term of art that means whatever the manufacturer wants it to mean.
@dpsinoh A professioanl turntable has a start/stop switch that allows you to stop the record and move the platter back so you can 'cue' a song and have it start playing just by starting the platter again. Also, they are completely manual without any sort of auto return. These tables have robust tonearms that will track at very high tracking forces. Most home models won't track much above 3 grams. The cartridges are made for cueing and have very strong cantilevers to withstand hard use. :) JC
@BadEditPro Thanks for the info there JC. I figured it was something along those lines. As far as pure audio quality goes, is manual better than automatic?
I still don't get why elliptical styli should be able to get more detail. Technically, the detail shouldn't be down in the groove, it should be in the waveform produced by side-to-side vibrations caused by the dragging of the stylus through the groove. Therefore, elliptical styli and spherical styli should make the same thing being amplified. The only difference should be maybe that elliptical styli could have a higher output.
@UnchainTheNight1 Good point. Theoretically, ellipticals should keep closer contact with the grover walls but that assumes perfection. I find spherical styli have high output... Go figure. :) JC
Nice cartridge. I have a Gem Sound turntable that has an Audio-Techna cartridge with a headshell, but it can be used to rip LP's into MP3's. I also have a GE Wildcat portable stereo record player, and it does have a ceramic cartridge which is a GE model C-660 which it came with a one-sided needle rather than a flipover needle where you can switch from "LP/45" to "78". The GE C-660 ceramic cartridge can also be playing on any record from the 50's through the 80's and even newer records as well.
@BrooklynMouseReturns On my GE Wildcat, the tonearm is black with the GE logo in the center, and it was made of polystyrene and it was straight, not "S" shaped like they did on modern turntables. The needle for the GE Wildcat is a + shaped, if you can see between the elliptical and spherical stylus, the tonearm on my GE Wildcat plays very well on LP's and 45's and it weight from 4 to 8 grams, the reason for the stylus that it cannot be played 78 RPM with an LP needle, it doesn't track well.
@BrooklynMouseReturns As for 78's playing with an LP needle, it will give a lot of distortion in the grooves as well has hisses in the background, it has no grams, but it doesn't reach the groove walls. The 78 needle is the best hope to find.
@BrooklynMouseReturns The Audio-Technica cartridge you are speaking of is an AT-3600. It appears very commonly in modern turntables by brands such as Sony, Pioneer, Teac, American Audio, and on the Gem Sound USB turntable you speak of.
P.S. is there any flipover stylus out there that is compatible with your GE Wildcat? Cause that way you could play your 78's without having to listen through all that hissing and distortion.
That cleared up something that puzzled me about stylis shapes. I always thought eleptical or sperical meant that thats the shape it would be if you took a cross-section of it or if you were looking at it right from underneath or above.
@CoolDudeClem Technically, you are correct. The stylus is fatter from grover wall to grover wall. Looking up at at it, it would be a wedge shape. :) JC
@SlimeTron5000 This would be a fine cart for on-the-air use. It's very well made... It would seem to be resistant to the bumps and thumps a busy studio puts equipment through. Happy Christmas! :) JC
records, comparably playedf with elliptical and spherical cartridges present to you aurally the difference sonically, for instance; you play a record that was played more with an elliptical stylus, with a spherical stylus.
but which shape still preserves the highest frequencies intact to the thermoplastic molecules? what about moving micro cross, stanton moving iron and audio technica microline styli?
@SlimeTron5000 I believe the spherical would be kinder than any other shape. The advanced shapes are interesting but prices make it unpractical to run them. I have no clue about record ware with those. :) JC
I got this needle today. So far I have to say I am very impressed!!
Drummerboy3123 2 months ago
mam to!
BBbit1200 4 months ago
Is the Ortofon CC DJ S a spherical stylus?
DollaTwo 11 months ago
@DollaTwo Yes. It's a damn good sounding one, too. :) JC
BadEditPro 11 months ago
@BadEditPro So would you prefer the Ortofon CC DJ S or the Shure Whitelabel?
DollaTwo 11 months ago
@DollaTwo I've not heard the Shure but I haven't had great luck with their products. :) JC
BadEditPro 11 months ago
@BadEditPro Ill take your word for it, ill be purchasing the dj s a soon.
DollaTwo 11 months ago
They banned Phil today... :'(
UnchainTheNight1 1 year ago
@UnchainTheNight1 Sorry to hear that... He''l pop up again for sure. :) JC
BadEditPro 1 year ago
@BadEditPro Yeah, I really hope he comes back. He was good to be subscribed to, he updated it every day.
UnchainTheNight1 1 year ago
@BadEditPro He's already back at it over at his new channel, "Vinyl12s"
Slayd5K 1 year ago
@BadEditPro His new account is vinyl12s.
OldMusicOnVinyl1 1 year ago
YAY IM THE 4,000TH VIEW IM SPECIAL lol
urbanexplorer1996 1 year ago
Thanks for explaining the differences between the spherical and elliptical stylii. I will be making sure that I get a spherical stylus in any future upgrades because I really love to go crate-digging - in other words - I love "imperfect" records. Your arguments are quite cogent and easy to follow. This was a very enjoyable vid and I look forward to digging into many more of them in the future!
LongLostLPMan 1 year ago
@LongLostLPMan Thanks! Before you run out and buy a spherical, be sure to watch my video about the Audio-Technica AT120E cart. I got it after the Ortofon CC and it has a hyper-elliptical that produces lees distortion than most of the sphericals I've tried. However, if your going to be listening to a lot of old mono 45's, spherical is the only way to go. :) JC
BadEditPro 1 year ago
@BadEditPro I'm not a pro on this and I just need to buy a cartridge for my audio tec turntable, and all i want is to listen to good regular vinyl records, no DJing or anything. Is this OK for that, cause I've been reading about serato records. I don't even know what it is but it sounds like a DJ special kind of records.
primaryspiral 2 months ago
I am using still using Audacity v 1.3.12 and am on Windows and Linux but looking for some other software. .
wings19fan 1 year ago
I just installed one on a ION iTTUSB turntable I was not sure if a cartridge that cost more than the turntable would improve it's performance but it is a step up. It does make quite a bit of an improvement. I have probably one of the first versions of the ION and did buy the DJ S. As I have about 1000 vinyl LP's from the 60's till the 90's this will make me dig them out now. Thanks for the post I probably would have never looked for a replacement, I had not used the ION in about 2 years.
G
wings19fan 1 year ago
@wings19fan The CC should be a really good match for that TT. :) JC
BadEditPro 1 year ago
I have to agree.. The Ortofon Pro S is a great cart. I was using Stanton 680s for a long time because I used to play live, and I liked how hot they were. I got sick of how quickly the styli were wearing out, so I took a chance on a Pro-S and the difference in sound was mind boggling. Fast forward a few years and I've tried a few others.. I got a Grado that I thought was slightly better than the Concord. I just got an AT150MLX, and WOW - it's incredible. I still use my 3 mil Pro-S tip for 78s.
PJDooWop 1 year ago
Another great video about audio. I love the look of the Ortofon, and I know how careful you are with these things, so if you say "it's good", it's GOOD!
Thanks for explaining the differences between an elliptical and conical stylus. The illustration certainly backs up your suggestions and comments!
great video, thanks!
clydesight 1 year ago
@clydesight This is a really fine cart and the stylus is very precisely engineered. It doesn't exhibit many of the negatives associated with conicals like splatter, mistracking and skipping. This might not become my main listening cartridge but it will come in very handy for playing and archiving vintage 45's or old mono LP's. :) JC
BadEditPro 1 year ago
I can tell you this. I had an Ortofon OM5e on a Dual turntable 6 or 7 years ago and it sounded great on worn records as well. This cheap AT92e cartrdge I got at Radio Shack (just to test the turntable) sounds like crap on bad records. You can hear the noise and distortion over the music.
jasonlava 1 year ago
@jasonlava You might want to double check your alignment on the M92E. I have one of those and it works relatively well on worn records but I'm running mine on a linear tracking turntable so it's dead on. Still, I have to agree that Ortofon's OM p-mounts are probably the best on the market. :) JC
BadEditPro 1 year ago
@BadEditPro Hmm.. Well, I'm actually a noob to aligning cartridges. I printed out an alignment protractor and used the Baerwald alignments (that's what the website said to use if you new to it. Question is... Am I aiming the tip of the stylus in the middle of the crosshairs or the actual edge of the cartridge body? On the AT92e, the body sticks out a little further than the stylus tip. It's also rated at 1.5g. That's where I have tracking/antiskate set at (after balancing the tonearm).
jasonlava 1 year ago
@jasonlava The stylus tip goes in the cross hairs and you slide the cart up or down in the head shell until you find the right position where the cart is aligned as close to 90 degrees to the groove as you can get it. The cart body should be straight in the head shell and not twisted one way or the other. Depending on the tone arm, there will be some degree of error. Alignment is more critical as you get closer to the spindle so keep that in mind while your finding a compromise. :) JC
BadEditPro 1 year ago
@BadEditPro Thanks!
jasonlava 1 year ago
@BadEditPro My Ortofon was a 1/2" mount and it sounded like angels singing even when the alignment was "guessed" ( moved around until I thought it sounded good, not a good method but I didn't have a protractor).
jasonlava 1 year ago
Fantastic information. You taught me alot today. I was really considering buying the shure m97xe, but now I am going to hold off. My records are nice, but in no way prestine. Like you said "real world". I have often heard that spherical is far better but I was always sold on ellpiticals providing more detail. I'm currently running a Dual 1209 with an AT 111E cart and a Garrard SL95 with a stanton SL720EE. Any good ideas on upgrades?
acrttdriver 1 year ago
@acrttdriver Thank you! Those are nice tables... If you'd like to see what a spherical will do for you, I would suggest trying a Shure M44-7. They track nicely at 3 grams and they also make a version that tracks at 1.25. Stanton has whole line of professional carts that will work beautifully on the Dual, too. I am assuming you Garrard is p-mount so that would mean using either an Audio-Technica AT300 or an Orotfon OM5P. :) JC
BadEditPro 1 year ago
@BadEditPro Thank you for the great info! My Garrard is actually a 1/2 inch mount and the stanton cart came with an adapter. Not sure if you remember but I bought that stanton L720ee(you recommended) last year for an old Realistic LAB 2100 linear tracker that took a dump on me and has since been resting comfortably in the landfill...LOL. Ok then I will look for the Shure M44-7.
acrttdriver 1 year ago
@acrttdriver How has the Stanton worked out for you? I really like the sound of that cart and if you're liking it just leave it in place. Please let me know. :) JC
BadEditPro 1 year ago
@BadEditPro Hey JC! The stanton seems to work pretty good. It seems to have a bit of a flatter sound than the A-T cart thats on the Dual, but it seems really rugged and it tracks really well. This afternoon I was playing Aretha Franklin's lp "Aretha's Gold" and it sounded fantastic. I saw your new TT in your other vid and might have to have one of those sometime this year. This audio stuff is like an obsession!!....:)
acrttdriver 1 year ago
@acrttdriver I thought you'd like it. That is a very good sounding cart for the money. :) JC
BadEditPro 1 year ago
What a amazing video!!! You are so informative and anybody wanting to upgrade their cartridge should watch this video...I will post this video on my channel as the featured video if you don't mind..Many things I was'nt aware of have been answered..Thank you for the shout out!! Merry Christmas...
rare12inchsingles 1 year ago
@rare12inchsingles Thank you! Your pages are the bomb... I would be honored if you would post this video. Merry Christmas to you, too. :) JC
BadEditPro 1 year ago
i'm having a problem with my right turntable.. i hear frequency noises from it when i turn the volume up... i check all the plugs and wire and dont understand what could be the problem.. i have a set of numark tt200.. i have a ortonfon OM elecktro needle on the right table and it also gives me static when i play.. if you or anyone knows what the prblem may be, please help... thank you
DJJoeyBadaBoom 1 year ago
@DJJoeyBadaBoom Don't know about the static but it sounds like you're getting some feedback. Move the speakers a bit further away. :) JC
BadEditPro 1 year ago
JC, What exactly does "Professional" mean when it comes to turntables & cartridges? It seems like a term of art that means whatever the manufacturer wants it to mean.
dpsinoh 1 year ago
@dpsinoh A professioanl turntable has a start/stop switch that allows you to stop the record and move the platter back so you can 'cue' a song and have it start playing just by starting the platter again. Also, they are completely manual without any sort of auto return. These tables have robust tonearms that will track at very high tracking forces. Most home models won't track much above 3 grams. The cartridges are made for cueing and have very strong cantilevers to withstand hard use. :) JC
BadEditPro 1 year ago
@BadEditPro Thanks for the info there JC. I figured it was something along those lines. As far as pure audio quality goes, is manual better than automatic?
dpsinoh 1 year ago
@dpsinoh That;s what the audiophiles say but I've had a bunch of automatics and I have never run into any audio related issues with them. :) JC
BadEditPro 1 year ago
I still don't get why elliptical styli should be able to get more detail. Technically, the detail shouldn't be down in the groove, it should be in the waveform produced by side-to-side vibrations caused by the dragging of the stylus through the groove. Therefore, elliptical styli and spherical styli should make the same thing being amplified. The only difference should be maybe that elliptical styli could have a higher output.
UnchainTheNight1 1 year ago
@UnchainTheNight1 Good point. Theoretically, ellipticals should keep closer contact with the grover walls but that assumes perfection. I find spherical styli have high output... Go figure. :) JC
BadEditPro 1 year ago
@UnchainTheNight1 As far as I know elliptical styli are more able to follow the grooves esp. at high frequencies, so you get a better "resolution".
HotelBloedel 1 year ago
That's the one i use on all my YouTube videos too :)
lz2k7 1 year ago
Nice cartridge. I have a Gem Sound turntable that has an Audio-Techna cartridge with a headshell, but it can be used to rip LP's into MP3's. I also have a GE Wildcat portable stereo record player, and it does have a ceramic cartridge which is a GE model C-660 which it came with a one-sided needle rather than a flipover needle where you can switch from "LP/45" to "78". The GE C-660 ceramic cartridge can also be playing on any record from the 50's through the 80's and even newer records as well.
BrooklynMouseReturns 1 year ago
@BrooklynMouseReturns On my GE Wildcat, the tonearm is black with the GE logo in the center, and it was made of polystyrene and it was straight, not "S" shaped like they did on modern turntables. The needle for the GE Wildcat is a + shaped, if you can see between the elliptical and spherical stylus, the tonearm on my GE Wildcat plays very well on LP's and 45's and it weight from 4 to 8 grams, the reason for the stylus that it cannot be played 78 RPM with an LP needle, it doesn't track well.
BrooklynMouseReturns 1 year ago
@BrooklynMouseReturns As for 78's playing with an LP needle, it will give a lot of distortion in the grooves as well has hisses in the background, it has no grams, but it doesn't reach the groove walls. The 78 needle is the best hope to find.
BrooklynMouseReturns 1 year ago
@BrooklynMouseReturns I had one of those many years ago... They actually performed quite well and were good to records. :) JC
BadEditPro 1 year ago
@BrooklynMouseReturns The Audio-Technica cartridge you are speaking of is an AT-3600. It appears very commonly in modern turntables by brands such as Sony, Pioneer, Teac, American Audio, and on the Gem Sound USB turntable you speak of.
P.S. is there any flipover stylus out there that is compatible with your GE Wildcat? Cause that way you could play your 78's without having to listen through all that hissing and distortion.
OldMusicOnVinyl1 1 year ago
Looks like you should adjust your tonearm height at 1:30
VinylReelToReel 1 year ago
@VinylReelToReel I don't think that's his turntable.
UnchainTheNight1 1 year ago
@VinylReelToReel Not my machine... It's just a picture I found on the web. However, these carts seem to sound best slightly head down. :) JC
BadEditPro 1 year ago
That cleared up something that puzzled me about stylis shapes. I always thought eleptical or sperical meant that thats the shape it would be if you took a cross-section of it or if you were looking at it right from underneath or above.
CoolDudeClem 1 year ago
@CoolDudeClem Technically, you are correct. The stylus is fatter from grover wall to grover wall. Looking up at at it, it would be a wedge shape. :) JC
BadEditPro 1 year ago
can this be ideal for radio broadcasting?
hi jc its already christmas eve here. and its cloudy!
SlimeTron5000 1 year ago
@SlimeTron5000 This would be a fine cart for on-the-air use. It's very well made... It would seem to be resistant to the bumps and thumps a busy studio puts equipment through. Happy Christmas! :) JC
BadEditPro 1 year ago
@BadEditPro hi JC
records, comparably playedf with elliptical and spherical cartridges present to you aurally the difference sonically, for instance; you play a record that was played more with an elliptical stylus, with a spherical stylus.
but which shape still preserves the highest frequencies intact to the thermoplastic molecules? what about moving micro cross, stanton moving iron and audio technica microline styli?
SlimeTron5000 1 year ago
@SlimeTron5000 I believe the spherical would be kinder than any other shape. The advanced shapes are interesting but prices make it unpractical to run them. I have no clue about record ware with those. :) JC
BadEditPro 1 year ago