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2018 marked 100 years of business in the audio industry for Ortofon. Among DJs, the Danish company is best known for their Concorde series of cartridges, which launched in 1979 and earned them a Danish Industrial Design Award. The slimline construction allowed for connection with any tone-arm using a bayonet mounting system.
But how do cartridges and styli work? Let's take a look. The Concorde design can be broken down into 3 basic elements - The Stylus, The Cantilever and The Generating System:
The Stylus - This is the only part of the cartridge that actually makes contact with the record. Force is exerted by the tone-arm to keep the stylus in the groove, this is know as "tracking force" and is a commonly mentioned feature of any cartridge or stylus. Tracking force is always best set as per the manufactures guidelines to get the the best sound out of your setup. Too much weight can also result in unwanted record wear; too little and the record won't stay in the groove. Styli must also be made of very hard and durable materials, otherwise they would wear extremely quickly. Due to this, a high quality stylus is usually made from diamond. There are two common forms of stylus: elliptical and spherical. Spherical styli are recommended for situations where you might need something more robust, that's why they're great for DJ's who want to do a lot of scratching or heaving back-cuing and vinyl manipulation. An elliptical stylus can follow the groove oscillations of a record more accurately than the spherical. Because of this they provide higher sound fidelity, but are best for only light back-cuing.
The Cantilever - The cantilever connects to and supports the stylus and transmits the vibrations conducted by the stylus from the groove of the record to the generating system (coil/magnet assembly). The stylus, despite its size will exert up to 6000 pounds of pressure, per square inch, all while flying around the record at either 33 or 45 revolutions per minute. Because of this cantilever needs to be simultaneously lightweight, so it can react to variations in the groove and rigid, so that it won't bend and distort the sound output.
The Generating System (Magnet/Coil) - This is essentially a tiny electromagnetic generator. The generating system converts the movement of the stylus and cantilever into an output signal using a small magnet, positioned in-between two sets of fixed coils or two coils positioned within the field of a fixed magnet.
These components and their individual permutations give you different results for a standard set of technical specs common to look at when choosing a cartridge/stylus:
- Output: How loud is it?
- Frequency Range: Can the needle reproduce all the high notes or low notes in the music you play?
- Tracking Force: An instruction, determined by the manufacturer in regard to the ideal setup of your tone-arm
- Stylus Type: Usually either Spherical or Elliptical, should be chosen based on intended usage
- Channel separation: A measurement of the unit's ability to re-create the stereo image
Recently Ortofon launched a new, updated line of Concorde's, which streamlines the range into five models, each with differing technical specifications that apply to defined individual uses:
Club:
The Club boasts the best specs available and is aimed at DJ's wanting the to achieve the highest playback sound possible. This makes it an ideal choice for DJ's in any environment, club, studio or broadcasting. It's also a fantastic option for people wanting to digitize their vinyl collections as it has better frequency response and channel separation than some other models and features an elliptical stylus, meaning more accurate sound reproduction.
DJ:
DJ is an all-rounder, perfect for people who need a balanced cartridge/styli combo that’s ideal for any kind of music. It has a spherical stylus, a cantilever that provides great rigidity, accurate sound reproduction and will track well with very low record wear. Overall the DJ is very well balanced and great for a variety of applications.
Mix:
Mix is the entry-level choice, a fantastic option for those new to DJing or wanting a great cost-effective option. It features a great quality spherical stylus, decent output, high sound quality, good tracking and a solid cantilever. It also has a frequency response that rivals some of the more expensive models and overall has offers a really great price to performance ratio.
Scratch:
Scratch features increased tracking capabilities, high output, a spherical stylus and is great for scratching and heavy back-cuing. The Scratch is designed to have a higher ability to trace the grooves of a record, allowing for more vigorous vinyl manipulation such as scratching or juggling. That being said, it’s a great option for any DJ's who want something that will withstand a slightly heavier hand. It also has the highest output of the entire range, offering a big sound. Overall the Scratch gives you a robust, loud and low-wearing cartridge and stylus, aimed mostly at turntablists, but with features that may appeal to a wider variety of DJ's.
Digital:
Digital is designed specifically for use with time-coded vinyl (the kind you might use with Serato, Traktor or rekordbox DJ), optimized for all the needs of that particular format. It features very similar specs to the Scratch as the two situations require the cartridge to perform in the same areas. Like scratching, digital vinyl requires a high output to maximise the signal-to-noise ratio of the audio. That along with filtering of the frequencies where vinyl wear & crackle appear, gives your DJ software a clearer interpretation of the time-code signal. These needles are also very low-wearing - with digital, you'll be playing the same piece of time-coded vinyl repeatedly.
The new MKII range also contains replacement styli for every Concorde model and while you can physically use any of the five replacement styli on any of the five Concorde cartridges Ortofon doesn't recommend alternate combinations: "Each cartridge series is designed with a synergistic combination in mind - that is, each stylus is made to compliment the magnet and coil configuration of each cartridge body. For instance, using a MIX stylus with a SCRATCH body will not provide the full benefit of either product, and might even provide undesired results, including (but not limited to) differences in output, unbalanced sound reproduction, etc."
Finally, one of the coolest features of the MKII series is that you can now purchase replaceable reinforced finger lifts, for all models, which are easily replaced if broken!
Check out the full range of Ortofon's here.