Needles for turntables
- Thread starter Hobbz
- Start date
jyri
Moderator
Yes. You didn't mention what you are going to do with it so can't recommend anything precisely.
Shure m44-7 is great for scratching, bass-heavy sound might not be ideal for sampling
Ortofon OM Qbert for scratching/listening/sampling
Shure m44g for listening/sampling/scratching
Grado Black (or Green if you can afford it) for listening/sampling, will produce a nice accurate sound
Just a few suggestions.. There are plenty of options in that price range.
ProducerJC
IndieHost
Define inexpensive, would you? We need exact numbers here...
jyri
Moderator
I'd guess "(10-80)" means $10-$80 price range.
ProducerJC
IndieHost
If you need assemblies also, then I don't think you can find them that cheap. $10 is completely out of the question for and I'd question needles at that price. Maybe you can find needles only for $80, no assemblies...
First determine which needle is going to best for your application. As you mentioned, you will most likely be doing it for sampling and listening as opposed to scratching, if that is the case, get an elliptical style needle. Although they typically are going to cost a little more, remember, we all want the music to sound good, otherwise, what's the point in even listening to it 
Ortofon has some decent ones that start around $30, depending on what tables you are going to slap them on. Here's a little cheat sheet on what to consider when needle/cartridge shopping:
Spherical needles
1. Pros: They are cheaper to make.
2. They are the more popular choice of needle (see point 1).
3. They have a lower drag, due to smaller contact area, and this makes them better for scratching.
1. Cons: Higher record wear, because of lower contact area (the smaller the area, the more pressure).
2. Less of a high frequency response, also due to lower contact area.
Elliptical needles
1. Pros: Larger contact area, therefore less pressure, therefore less record wear.
2. Better high frequency response, due to higher contact area.
1. Cons: More expensive to make
2. Not as popular as spherical needles, you're not likely to find them in a club setting (see point 1).
3. Higher drag because of higher contact area. Not a good choice for scratching.
Ortofon has some decent ones that start around $30, depending on what tables you are going to slap them on. Here's a little cheat sheet on what to consider when needle/cartridge shopping:Spherical needles
1. Pros: They are cheaper to make.
2. They are the more popular choice of needle (see point 1).
3. They have a lower drag, due to smaller contact area, and this makes them better for scratching.
1. Cons: Higher record wear, because of lower contact area (the smaller the area, the more pressure).
2. Less of a high frequency response, also due to lower contact area.
Elliptical needles
1. Pros: Larger contact area, therefore less pressure, therefore less record wear.
2. Better high frequency response, due to higher contact area.
1. Cons: More expensive to make
2. Not as popular as spherical needles, you're not likely to find them in a club setting (see point 1).
3. Higher drag because of higher contact area. Not a good choice for scratching.
jyri
Moderator
OP did mention that he might get into bit of scratching so I would recommend a spherical needle for starters so there won't be a need to cop another for getting into scratching.
Grado Black is also a nice elliptical needle within the price range. And can be upgraded to sound even better as the more expensive needles from the series can also be mounted on the cartridge.
Oops.. my bad, I accidentally overlooked that part.
You are right though, if scratching is going to come into play, spherical would be the way to go.