Ortofon Setup Question

[mixx941]

Hello everyone, I just received my Ortofon Concorde Pro DJ "S" cartridges.

I have Stanton STR8 100 turntables, and I am wondering the proper height and anti-skate settings.

I have the weight set to 3g, anti-skate to 0, and am playing around with the height a little bit.

Please tell me the optimal settings for mixing, scratching, and least record wear.

Thanks

-Mark

 

[Peasant Nikon]

Because you have straight arms, setting is not as important. No matter what, you are going to lose sound quality and have record wear, but get good skip resistence. There should be a guideline in the manual about ideal mounting though. As far as height, make sure the arm is parallel to the platter.

 

[mattu]

I say: try to have your weight as low as possible. As long as the needle doesn't skip and sound quality starts to fade, you'll be alright.

 

[mixx941]

So on the height thing, this would be the proper alignment?

At "0" height settting that matches that little diagram pretty good, but still is a bit high.

Thanks

-Mark

P.S. I've noticed with one of my cartridges, it sometimes fades to one channel for a second, then goes back to both. Any ideas on this?

 

[mixx941]

Here is a pic of the one setup with "0" height, just to be sure

-Mark

 

[nukles]

actually, with Ortofon Concorde you should set the tonearm angle (stem height) to have the bottom of the cartridge parallel to the record.

 

[mixx941]

actually, with Ortofon Concorde you should set the tonearm angle (stem height) to have the bottom of the cartridge parallel to the record.

I'm not really sure what you are saying, that's kinda a hard refrence point....the bottom of the cartridge where the stylus is will always be "paralell" to the record .

-Mark

 

[nukles]

this is what i mean

but in this diagram i made it too far, it should be set paralell when the needle is in the groove and the desired weight is already set.

 

[DeezNotes.com]

With those carts, I've had the best performance around 3.5g to 4g on a Tech 12. This may not apply to a straight arm. Less is always better, but I don't think you'll get by with anything lighter than 3g.

I've always heard that the tonearm needs to be parallel with the record, but lately I've been hearing the bottom flat part of the cart where the needle is needs to be parallel, which makes a little more sense to me, but I cannot confirm this.

The issue with your channels going in and out is due to the contacts on the Ortofon Concorde. The back of the contacts are flat instead of round like other carts, which does not allow for a good connection to your tonearm - since your tonearm connectors are also flat. This is why most DJs prefer the OM Ortofon instead of the Concorde. Although the Concorde is sexy, the OM is more reliable. A solution to this may be to wipe down both contacts with alcohol, and then lube them with Calilube using Q-Tips. Some just lick the contacts, which may work as a quick fix, but may cause corrosion down the road... and it's kinda nasty.

 

[nukles]

my previous Concorde were the first ones that came out and they had the flat connectors, they lasted me over 8 years without problems but i often cleaned them with alcohol.

but the recent ones do have ball-cup connectors.

here is a pic of my current ones

 

[DeezNotes.com]

my previous Concorde were the first ones that came out and they had the flat connectors, they lasted me over 8 years without problems but i often cleaned them with alcohol.

but the recent ones do have ball-cup connectors.

DAS WHAT'S UP!

 

[nukles]

oh yeah, try to clean the connectors inside of the tonearm as well...

but don't dismiss the possibility that it could be a faulty stylus as well.

do some tests with your other table and interchange the cars and the styli from one cart to the other. try all combinations.

 

[Ortofon Inc]

Mixx...tonarm parallel to the record surface is correct (bottom of stylus assembly also correct, but much harder to "eyeball")

Mattu...light as possible isn't necessarily a good idea. Styli (needle) does not track perpendicular to the record surface, it is at a 20 degree angle. This angle is only maintained within the manufacturer's recommended tracking force range(and parallel TA) and yields the best peformance. Interestingly, you can do more record damage/wear by tracking too light than too heavy. (too light and the stylus bounces against the groove walls)

deeznotes/nukles.... good comments. The ball type connectors combined w/a new gold alloy coating a few yrs ago has improved contact problems tremendously. The factory recommends cleaning those contacts, and the ones inside the TA, w/a q-tip lightly moistened w/WD40.

 

[DJ GINSU D]

You can also remove the rubber (O) ring from the headshells that came with your turntables and slip them on the back of your concords. That will keep you from over tightening your tonearm barrel and improve contact with the terminals.