Cartridge

Recently I made a topic about turntable and the pre-amp, got that thing cleared out and and now it's time to buy a cartridge.
Yes, you can find many topics from internet about the best cartridges for sampling and DJ purposes but I still want to ask this;

So I'm pretty much considering to buy either an Ortofon Concorde Pro S, Shure Whitelabel/M44 series OR the Grado Prestige Gold, which is about in the same price range.

I'm not going to scratch or mix, it's strictly for sampling and listening purposes.
I don't think I need to back cue either, although it could make the sampling easier.
But sound quality first.

Which one of those 3 would you prefer?

I've had white label n m44, currently using concorde arkiv...outta the 3, concorde and white label are my top choices...but I know m44 is very popular n I think you can scratch with it...personally I didnt like the sound quality in comparison to white label...as soon as m44 went bad picked up another white label

konc3pt wrote:I've had white label n m44, currently using concorde arkiv...outta the 3, concorde and white label are my top choices...but I know m44 is very popular n I think you can scratch with it...personally I didnt like the sound quality in comparison to white label...as soon as m44 went bad picked up another white label

How about the Concorde, how would you describe it?
Does anyone have any experience of the Grados cartridges?

I've DJ'd for years using Ortofon's Concorde Nightclubs (black and florescent yellow tip). I've used a friend's M44 but to me the Ortofon's had more punch and volume.
The best cartridge/needle I used to use for sampling was a Pickering. Unfortunately I lost it in a move back to states so I don't remember the model #.

n4l wrote:

konc3pt wrote:I've had white label n m44, currently using concorde arkiv...outta the 3, concorde and white label are my top choices...but I know m44 is very popular n I think you can scratch with it...personally I didnt like the sound quality in comparison to white label...as soon as m44 went bad picked up another white label

How about the Concorde, how would you describe it?
Does anyone have any experience of the Grados cartridges?

I like concorde tad more than white label, but they're both really good imo...put it this way. if they didnt have concorde in stock, white label would be my second choice. no experience with grados, sorry.

JUKE 179r wrote:I've used a friend's M44 but to me the Ortofon's had more punch and volume.

that was my impression too, overall sound is much clearer n more detail than m44 imo

the whitelables sound really great - very flat (not a lot of colouration to the sound).
they dont really last long - but if you're just sampling - it should last a long time.

the m44s are TANKS. they can withstand anything and just keep going. they hype the highs and the lows a little bit, so it will colour your samples some. this isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it is worth noting.

since you are just sampling and likely going to be in a controlled environment, tweaking your samples anyway later, you will be able to get a way with almost any decent cartridge.
dont get stuck in the 'high quality' trap because that is going to be different from person to person and situation to situation.

Yes the M44 series boost highs and bass but the reviews don't really recommend them for listening, especially for jazz, I've read they're harsh.
So I already know I'm not going for the M44's.

The whitelabels are 80 euros, Concordes are 70 and I can get the Grado one for 65.
And my environment is anything but controlled
Basically all I have is MPC 2500 now (sold my 1k) and the turntable (Technics SL-B3), and pre-amp.

The preamp is still on it's way but I bought the cheap ass Art preamp for 50 euros, reviews say it's good for the money.
Don't know about the turntable yet is it good or not.

Honestly I don't know where all my money goes I suck at saving and counting my money, I already planned like a year ago I would have monitors, a GOOD turntable, audio interface, everything by now but I guess I just spent all the money on weed and all the stupid shit, it just disappeared

You should always search for good combinations of cartridge and turntable. Not every cartridge works well with any turntable... the design of the turntable kind of dictates what cartridges will work well with it.

I think you can't go wrong with any of the mentioned models however.

I've always had Ortofon Nightclub (yes, they are loud and punchy, as described above by someone else already), then i got a Shure V-something-15 (old cartridge but sounded pretty nice)... in the end i got a Shure m97xe and i'm really happy with it so far as i feel it gives the most neutral results (no coloured samples).

I'd do a search for what people with the same turntable as you have are using.

I use an M44....I like it pretty well. I sample a lot of jazz and fusion, seems to do alright, but then again, I don't have another cartridge to compare it to. M44 sounds good in my ear.

n4l wrote:Yes the M44 series boost highs and bass but the reviews don't really recommend them for listening, especially for jazz, I've read they're harsh.
So I already know I'm not going for the M44's.

i get you are trying to make the 'best' decision, but as i said that doesn't exist.

ponder for a second on the absurdity of 'im not going to buy something because of the sound it has that i read about'.



if somehow you got the chance to demo a 44 in your setup, and you liked it (the boost can be very nice for sampling), then would you still want to skip it based on someone else' opinion?

you're thinking too much about this - any cartridge is better than the one you (dont) have now

tapedeck wrote:

n4l wrote:Yes the M44 series boost highs and bass but the reviews don't really recommend them for listening, especially for jazz, I've read they're harsh.
So I already know I'm not going for the M44's.

i get you are trying to make the 'best' decision, but as i said that doesn't exist.

ponder for a second on the absurdity of 'im not going to buy something because of the sound it has that i read about'.



if somehow you got the chance to demo a 44 in your setup, and you liked it (the boost can be very nice for sampling), then would you still want to skip it based on someone else' opinion?

you're thinking too much about this - any cartridge is better than the one you (dont) have now

I get your point, but because I never before have owned a turntable I just need some suggestions and reviews what COULD be a good cartridge, I know it's just as much an opinion as having an argument over which one is better MPC2k or MPC1k, or whatever.

By the way the turntable already has Technics EPC-270C cartridge, but like I said I have no earlier experience of turntables so I have nothing to compare to.

And I'm just very precise and always want to make sure I buy the right thing, even if it means asking stupid questions. I just don't have any spare cash to spend on something that I have no use for or that is no good.

n4l wrote:I get your point, but because I never before have owned a turntable I just need some suggestions and reviews what COULD be a good cartridge...

By the way the turntable already has Technics EPC-270C cartridge.

i would say a Technics EPC-270C is your best bet.

especially if you are having a hard time saving your money

Based on some reviews, the EPC-270C is not a bad cartridge at all... i'd start out with that too and see if you feel the need for upgrading later on...