The Perfect Needle

[drift9]

I'm currently in the process of converting all of my records to MP3s/WAVs using some old-ass Stanton Trackmasters. As far as fidelity goes, i know these things aren't doing me justice. Any recommendations? I'm thinking about going to Ortofon but sht is pricey. Any tips on a stylus that will get me great fidelity and not have my ass broke?

[Rarebug]

hi, If you want quality buy Ortofon

[josephjobling]

i use ortofon and they are sweet - nice warmth

[Jay Pace]

Ortofon

Maybe elektro - lovely needle and not too expensive.

[DannyBlack]

Ortofon all the way.

[People_Mover]

I suppose it all depends on the quality you are trying to achieve with your archiving. There is no cheap and cheerful solution whichever route you take.
Ortofons can be good, but even then you get what you pay for; I use the standard Pro-S cartridge for playing generic dance music and it seems to work okay, but is not ideal. The tracking force is (in my opinion) too great - I feel that a significant amount of detail is sacrificed in order to achieve a punchier sound with that needle.
I am in the process of archiving my acid techno collection and for that, my cartridge of choice is the Shure Whitelabel. It's expensive but then again I am trying to get the most out of the groove without carving a new one in the process. The Whitelabel uses far less tracking force than most DJ cartridges and is subtle enough to reveal lots of audio info, whilst at the same time providing lots of attack in all the right places.
However it doesn't stop there; my vinyl habit started back in the mid 70s with funk, soul and disco, and has grown to include jazz, house, electro and so on. Most of the albums I bought back in the day have a very delicate groove and require a more softly-softly approach. I transfer them to PC by way of a Goldring hi-fi elliptical cartridge.
It's also important to have a good, stable turntable, good interface leads and patience when cleaning up the recorded signal on your PC (which you will have to do).

[mattboyslim]

Ortofon

Maybe elektro - lovely needle and not too expensive.

I have these. Immense sound

[drift9]

cheers guys, really appreciating the feedback. i'm definitely thinking it's going to be Ortofon at this point in the game.

[Barely Human]

These are awesome...



























On a serious note, I'd reccomend Shure WhiteLable for recording work.

[basslinejunkie]

These are awesome...


















On a serious note, I'd reccomend Shure WhiteLable for recording work.

bingo. shure all the way. i think if you are after the less expensive ones go for the m44-7's, they are ace......

[...Dave...]

after using nightclub e's for years one got broken. i got a pair of elektros and was amazed at how good they are. different sound the the nightclubs but really pick out the bass sounds nicely and the hats are crisp as ****.

well worth the dosh.
much louder that the nightclubs too

[APC]

I used Ortofon Nightclub E,s they have served me well but I'm gonna have to replace them soon I think. They are about 2 years old now so must be due replacement.

[Andy]

My advice would be Ortofon Elektro if you scratch or do anything involving alot of back/forward motion on the vinyl

If your a straight up mix dj then Ortofon Nightclub E