I've been using my ortofons for over 5 years now, and before that, i was using stanton headshells/styli. I would reccomend avoiding the stantons, as I have to use them sometimes in various clubs or things, and they always seem to have the same issue with one channel or the other not contacting correctly inside the tonearm (resulting in the need to take the headshell off and lick the thing for a better connection). I have never had this issue with my ortofons, and my ortofons last probably 4x longer (per headshell and per stylus).
As for the original question, I've always bought the Pro S, which at one time was the same cost as the DJ S or nightclub S. I beleive that the "S" designation has to do with teh shape of the stylus (meaning spherical) as oopposed to elliptical. The different shape of the styli affect backcueing and playing differently. Spherical styli are "more suited for backcuing or scratching" (in ortofons opinion), and the elliptical styli give a better response for straight playing (think traditional house mixing). The "concord" designation deals with the shape of the headshell itself, and is the sleek, long headshell with the little annoying lightweight arm that breaks off really easily. If i could find a cheap set of OM style headshells, I'd rather use those, simply because they don't have that little arm that always breaks off. All stylii and headshells from ortofon appear to be interchangable, but depending on the model, they only have the attributes of the original set. In other words, if you get a stylus with better frequency response, but the headshell can't recognize that frequency response, you are reduced to the lowest common denominator. For me, I've had the best luck (or best price/part) with the Concord Pro (and Pro S). I use the Pro body, and buy Pro S styli. I've been using them for about the last 5 years, and have only had issues with the little arm breaking. All of the other name headshells and styli that i've used have not sounded as "fresh" and vibrant, and have always had little mechanical deficiancies (like the problem i explained with the stanton headshells). I've found that, at least in this market, you really do get what you pay for, and i get much more mileage and better sound out of paying a little bit more on the front end. Dense. On Fri, 11 Jun 2004, Eric Kato wrote: > I'm still a Ortofon user, but the Stantons seem to be the better choice as of > late. They're cheaper, sound is richer and the contacts don't rust. Yea, > the sound could be argued, but for my ears at least, listening to them side > by side with the same piece of vinyl, I like the Stantons better. Funny, > about eight years ago when I compared the two... I liked the Ortofons better. > > > My two cents, > > > Eric > > > -----Original Message----- > From: "Rev. Jeffrey Paul" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Jun 11, 2004 2:05 PM > To: 313@hyperreal.org > Subject: (313) ortofon cart question > > > this may be better directed to 313tk, but i figured some of you guys might > know... > > i'm in the market for a new set of needles/carts and was looking at the > ortofons. however, their website sucks and i'm not able to find any good > reviews or product comparisons. > > pro, nightclub e, nightclub s, broadcast.... anyone have experience with > more than one kind of these and can recommend one over another? > > Thanks, > -j > > -- > -------------------------------------------------------- > Rev. Jeffrey Paul -datavibe- [EMAIL PROTECTED] > aim:x736e65616b pgp:0x15FA257E phone:8777483467 > 70E0 B896 D5F3 8BF4 4BEE 2CCF EF2F BA28 15FA 257E > -------------------------------------------------------- > >
