What are the best needles/stylus to get.

[Guest]

he he eh eheh eheheee

[Digital Liquid]

QUOTE (LiquidEyes @ Sep 23 2004, 09:48)

DL, Are you judging the needles solely on their quoted technical specs, or on actual experience/reviews? If you're just looking at the specs, isn't that a trifle naive?

Bit of both really...

 

My mate had the technics ones years ago and they were alot "fuller" than my more expensive ortofons. I've listened to other peoples decks too with, again, more expensive needles and they do not, imho, match original technics stylus and carts.. its my opinion, which is what Drew asked for.

 

Unfortunately, I often consider the manufacturers technical specification, attaching to that product as, for some strange reason, I kinda thought the information provided might be somewhere near accurate? It's unlikely that major companies such as Technics, Stanton, etc etc would give incorrect information with product liability in mind and their reputations!

 

At the end of the day, you like what you like and play what you play.

 

Its not a competition.

 

Simple.

 

Steve

 

 

[LiquidEyes]

QUOTE (digitalliquid @ Sep 28 2004, 17:02)

My mate had the technics ones years ago and they were alot "fuller" than my more expensive ortofons. I've listened to other peoples decks too...

Forgive me if I'm second-guessing the nature of your trials, but are we talking about a scientific test where you tried different needles on identical mixing setups? With the same records?

 

There are other elements of your setup (the mixer's preamps, the amplifier, the speakers, even the cable quality) that cumulatively make a MASSIVE difference to the sound quality, compared with the difference the choice of needles will make. So if your mate's decks sound different from yours, that could be due to any number of different reasons.

 

QUOTE

It's unlikely that major companies such as Technics, Stanton, etc etc would give incorrect information with product liability in mind and their reputations!

True, but my point is the specs don't tell you everything. A "tracking force of x grams" doesn't guarantee that the needle will stay in the groove when you backspin a certain record (surely there are other factors such as the angle/profile of the needle...?) Everybody quotes (to all intents and purposes) a roughly equivalent frequency response range but that is no guarantee of 'flat' response or 'agreeable' response or 'no distortion from heavy treble' ... etc etc.

 

As you say, these things are subjective, and not necessarily quantifiable, so a theoretical spec doesn't really amount to much in real terms, unless somebody declares that their frequency response is only 100Hz to 10kHz (not likely!) in which case you categorically know it's gonna be shit!

[Mr Moo]

Are you a train spotter Andy?

[LiquidEyes]

Most definitely!

[Clubbing Si]

drew, along with the technics ive found that Stanton discmaster II Concordes give out an AWESOME sound - the best IMO