lol
There has been a war (of sorts) on this before..

Generally carts come in two types:

Headshell mount (as most turntables have as factory fit)
And
Concordes- which mount directly onto the tonearm.

there are many types and many different applications for specifics (wouldnt be wise buying a scratch cart for spinning trance really)

There are pros and cons to each cart and stylus and each dj will have their own favourites..

Personally i swear by ortofon concorde niteclub 'S' (at least at work i do)and i know a lot of other proffesional djs of many genres who do also.
I would highly recommend a look at ortofons as they range from budget all the way up to pro standard (and price)

however, when im at home i use boggo stanton 500 carts and stylus

generally you get what you pay for in terms of sound and longevity- mine cost me a shedload but i do this for a job and only the best will do.

here's the thing about carts. everyone has their favorite and everyone will tell you how their favorite is the best because, whatever. try out different carts and choose the ones you like the best that suit your style the best. choose the ones that sound best and "feel" the best to you when you work the vinyl. forget price, if the cheap stanton 500 series work best for you, then get those. if the expensive ortofon nightclubs work best, then get those. don't worry about what everyone else says. since you're a beginner just get a set of stanton 500's. they work just fine for you. i used a set for years before i bought my new carts. one pair of carts isn't going to make it easier or harder for you to beat match. now if you're going to scratch then it's a different story. it's the same with headphones. getting one pair of headphones over another pair won't make you a better or worse dj. as long as they are loud and undistorted it doesn't matter who makes them, get what feels best to you. cheers.

___________________
www.takamine-entertainment.com

there is NO DOUBT about thé best needles. The Shure Whitelabels


Specs:

Replacement Stylus: N-WHLB
Stylus Color: Dark Blue
Stereo Output (1kHz at 5 cm/sec peak recorded velocity): 6.0 mV
Frequency Response: 20-20,000Hz
Typical Tracking Force: 2 grams
Tracking Force Range: 1.5-3 grams

Skip Resistance: high
Output: high
Record Wear: very low
Sound Emphasis: solid drop bass with detailed mids and highs

I haven't heard a single bad thing about it.

Next, you have the Ortofon Nightclub

A very decent needle, a little cheaper than the whitelabel, but you get what you pay for. I will buy these soon.

specs:
Output voltage at 1000 Hz, 5cm/sec. 6 mV
Channel balance at 1 kHz 1,5 dB
Channel separation at 1 kHz 23 dB
Channel separation at 15 kHz 15 dB
Frequency range at - 3dB 20-22.000 Hz
Frequency response 20-20.000 Hz ± 2 dB
FIM distortion at recommended
tracking force, DIN 45.542 < 1%
Tracking ability at 315Hz at
recommended tracking force 80 µm
Compliance, dynamic, lateral 7 µm/mN
Stylus type Special elliptical
Stylus tip radius r/R 13/25 µm
Equivalent stylus tip mass 0,5 mg
Tracking force range 2,0-5,0 g (30-50 mN)
Tracking force, recommended 3,0 g (30 mN)
Tracking angle 20°
Internal impedance, DC resistance 750 Ohm
Internal inductance 450 mH
Recommended load resistance 47 kOhm
Recommended load capacitance 200-600 pF
Cartridge colour, body/stylus Black/Yellow Neon
Cartridge weight 18,5 g

And next, you've got the ortofon Concords. That's a pretty good needle for a nice price.

I've got these now, but the advantage is, that you can easely upgrade to a nightclub by just replacing the stylus. (25€ / nightclub stylus).

Output voltage at 1000 Hz, 5cm/sec. 5 mV
Channel balance at 1 kHz 2 dB
Channel separation at 1 kHz 20 dB
Channel separation at 15 kHz 15 dB
Frequency range at - 3dB 20-20.000 Hz
Frequency response 20-18.000 Hz + 3 / - 2 dB
FIM distortion at recommended
tracking force, DIN 45.542 < 1%
Tracking ability at 315Hz at
recommended tracking force 70 µm
Compliance, dynamic, lateral 7 µm/mN
Stylus type Spherical
Stylus tip radius R 18 µm
Equivalent stylus tip mass 0,5 mg
Tracking force range 3,0-5,0 g (30-50 mN)
Tracking force, recommended 4,0 g (40 mN)
Tracking angle 20°
Internal impedance, DC resistance 750 Ohm
Internal inductance 450 mH
Recommended load resistance 47 kOhm
Recommended load capacitance 200-600 pF
Cartridge colour, body/stylus Silver/Silver
Cartridge weight 18,5 g
Replacement stylus unit PRO


You to decide, you want THE best, the best or the best

___________________

quote:

Originally posted by Push2005 Ik ben net terug begonnen met cassettes op te kopen... Die pitchcontrol is echt ongelofelijk !

I don't think they answered your questions correctly.

1. are all cartridges universal to tables...

A1: YES, unless you end purchasing needles for those cheap tables you get at RADIOSHACK.

2. whats a better brand...

A2: The answer is this...THERE IS NO BETTER BRAND just personal preference and mixing style. Finding needles is like taking a shower. You twist the knobs until you find perfection.

3. do you need to have to spend more in order to get more...

A3: Not really. When you're playing at a venue or recording, it is ideal to have higher end needles. If you're playing at home, you might as well play with some of the mid to lower end needles.

That's all really.

___________________
[ ALL THIS B!TCHIN` IS MAKIN` ME SKRATCH! ]

quote:

Originally posted by T:REBEL I don't think they answered your questions correctly.

other then the "are the universal" i answered his questions.

___________________
www.takamine-entertainment.com

quote:

Originally posted by VIO other then the "are the universal" i answered his questions.

I know. LOL. Really, how constructive is it when someone tells the guy to GET a certain type of needle when all he wanted was general information and not what the best needles are?

I should expand but only if he replies back.

___________________
[ ALL THIS B!TCHIN` IS MAKIN` ME SKRATCH! ]

I started off with some headshell mounted Shure carts (SC-35Cs), and they've done the trick so far. Frankly, I've beaten the crap out of them, so it's probably a good thing I didn't start with primo carts.

At this point I'm starting to look at improving my set-up with the goal of improving quality, so I'm probably going to be picking up some Concorde carts in the next few months. Not sure which model yet, as I don't exactly have loads of cash, but probably the mid-range one.

___________________
DJ Kibon



Click below to download my most recent trance set:
DJ Kibon - August 2004

ok i've read what everybody said....and yes telling my to buy a certain kind is quite confusing because their is so many out their to choose from...
now what i also got was that all carts have needles with them...so i am guess buy perchasing needles i am just perchasing needles for carts that need new needles on them.....right?
so for now im going to go with something not to pricy....untill i can afford to buy the things that are better in some ways...but thats beside the point....
anyway thanxs for all your help....

___________________
Rayv/Teraform/Chem-X
DJ Fav's
Paul Van Dyk
Ferry Corsten
Sasha
Rank 1
Tiesto
Armin Van Buuren...
just to name a few...and those are in no particular order

ive heard that there is one possible problem with concordes...

i dont own concorde carts, but not too long ago, i heard that there was a small problem with the way it screws onto the tone-arm...

because of this, channels can drop out sometime, and there are only two ways to fix it... either wet the connections on the back of the cart (which will corrode the ends). or really crank it onto the tonearm, which will eventully strip the tone arm.

i dont know if ortofon has fixed things since then (i assume so) or if it was even that commom of a problem. but i guess it isnt that big of a problem, because so many people swear by them...

___________________
huh?

yes that can happen with concordes (happened to me a few months back in front of 1600 people ) Thank god mixer has mono buttons on each channel!

Basically you need a very very fine grade of sandpaper- need to very slightly rub the terminals on the top and the side.

Simple fix and hasnt happened since...happened to others and they have done the same fix and it solves it.
There are other ways to fix it also-

Happens due to corrosion and constant unscrewing and screwing in.

im using shure whitelabels on my finalscratch. i was using the numark ones that came w/my shi**y turntables & they kept skipping & distorting the sound. when i got the whitelabels everything was perfect