Spin And Groove

If you’re a fan of vinyl records, you know that choosing the right cartridge for your turntable is crucial. Not only does it affect the sound quality of your records, but it also affects the lifespan of your stylus and records themselves. A popular and affordable cartridge on the market is the Ortofon DJ cartridge, which is designed specifically for use by DJs. However, I found that it is quite suitable for general listening, particularly on my Technics SL-1200 turntable.

Designed for DJs, this cartridge is built to withstand heavy use and abuse. The original stylus came with this cartridge was a spherical stylus. However, I changed it to an Arkiv elliptical stylus for its better sound quality and I don’t need to scratch or back-cue. The Ortofon DJ cartridge has a relatively high output level, which can handle bass-heavy music.

So, is the Ortofon DJ cartridge a good option for general listening? My answer is yes, especially if you can upgrade to an elliptical stylus. I found that it can handle the styles of music that I like very well, such as R&B, funk, soul, rock, and jazz. For example, check out this Marvin Gaye’s R&B classic track:

Also, check out this record from the legendary jazz article of Stan Getz:

Why I chose to use the Ortofon Arkiv elliptical stylus

While the original spherical stylus come with the Ortofon DJ cartridge is great for general listening and are more forgiving of imperfect record surfaces, they don’t seem to provide the same level of detail and accuracy as elliptical styli according to the info I found on the Internet. Therefore, I was itchy to give the cartridge an upgrade. After doing some research, it seemed like the Arkiv was a good choice. According to the info I found, an Ortofon dj style cartridge could take all the styli that fit the cartridge.

The reason that I chose an elliptical stylus was because of its more complex shape, which allowed it to better track the grooves of the records and therefore we should be able to hear more detail and nuance in the music. If you’re looking to upgrade the stylus of your Ortofon dj style cartridge, I highly recommend to get an elliptical stylus. Go ahead and give it a try – you won’t be disappointed!