View Full Version : New stylus for Ortofon 540 MkII
This is a long shot I know but does anyone know where I can get one of these for sensible money? Cheapest I can find is £175 which is more than I paid for the whole cartridge brand new. By sensible I mean £120 or less.
I would buy a whole new cartridge which I used to do every couple of years but then I had the luxury of a local dealer who would fit it for me but now they are gone :( and I daren't attempt it myself).
Stratmangler
01-05-2010, 12:38
Cheapest I can find is this http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/moreinfo.cfm/Product_ID/667?gclid=CIDEo4n6sKECFR6Z2Aod1CzyDw
Some importers/distributers as well as manufacturers really do like to slurp the punters as much as possible. Where other makers have doubled their prices, if not decreased them in the case of denon's popular cartridges, Ortofons have nigh on tripled, which is a huge shame, as the 500 range, the 540 in particular, are really good for "mm" style cartridges and probably more refined than, say, a denon DL160 which sells for £150 or so. Ortofon's tonarms would be great for SME M2 money (they're made by jelco, so can't cost much per unit), but they've been priced as high as they feel the market will pay, which may be good business practise of old, but not so much today IMO..
Good luck with your "needle-hunt.."
Thanks Chris - £150 is still a bit of a painful hit, though. Especially for a cartridge which I have always thought is just 'okay' sounding.
Best I've ever tried on this deck was a Nagaoaka MP30 which I think was about £75 back in 1990-something, really regret trading it in.
Save for an MP300. It can't be worse than the old version and has hopefully been tweaked for modern, higher mass arms.....
Save for an MP300. It can't be worse than the old version and has hopefully been tweaked for modern, higher mass arms.....
Dave, I have considered it but £325 and I've already blown this years hi-fi budget on a holiday:doh: (and a new amp) and then I would probably bust it fitting it on...but it's good that you're egging me on:) What do you think I could get for the Ortofon on trade-in?
You'd have to sell the 540 privately, as it wouldn't be worth anything to a dealer as wear cannot be guaranteed..
I'm still a fan of the AT440MLa. less strident than its predecessor and easy to listen to once set up carefully, it should offer much of the Nagaoka's speed and Dave Cawley used to offer a good deal on them to "us," far less than ebay IIRC. Hopefully, he's still pre-disposed to AOS members and it wouldn't hurt to ask him nicely.
P.s. HOLIDAY????? What's one of those? I've not been away for more than a decade :(
Perhaps that explains it...
I always used to trade in my old cartridge and get money off - so they don't do this anymore?
Stratmangler
01-05-2010, 13:49
Try Mantra Audio - they've always been good to deal with.
https://shop.mantra-audio.co.uk/acatalog/Audio_Technica_Cartridges.html
hifi_dave
01-05-2010, 14:27
I always used to trade in my old cartridge and get money off - so they don't do this anymore?
I'm not aware of any company doing this other than Rega with their fixed styli assemblies or with certain expensive MC's having a p/x scheme.
The 500 Series Ortofons haven't been manufactured for a few years, so any styli are NOS. The price now is £180 but you might save a bit if you can find a dealer with one hanging around on the stock shelf.
Prices of Ortofon products are high now as are those of Nagaoka - that MP300 was the equivalent of a £100 cartridge not so long ago. I don't believe it is just the importer making money, it is more down to the state of the Pound, which is worth naff all nowadays. The best bargains are now British Hi-Fi.
I'm not aware of any company doing this other than Rega with their fixed styli assemblies or with certain expensive MC's having a p/x scheme.
The 500 Series Ortofons haven't been manufactured for a few years, so any styli are NOS. The price now is £180 but you might save a bit if you can find a dealer with one hanging around on the stock shelf.
Prices of Ortofon products are high now as are those of Nagaoka - that MP300 was the equivalent of a £100 cartridge not so long ago. I don't believe it is just the importer making money, it is more down to the state of the Pound, which is worth naff all nowadays. The best bargains are now British Hi-Fi.
Must be me loosing it then! In fact I just opened up the box my Ortofon came in to find it contains a Goldring Eroica MC whcih I thought I traded in for the 540...:doh:
Anyone want an Eroica MC?:)
No thanks, but dave has just reminded me that the rega Exact may be worth a punt. the Vital tip isn't too difficult to work with and the cartridge lacks the bassy sludge of its cheaper siblings..
hifi_dave
01-05-2010, 22:00
The Exact is an excellent cartridge. I have recently re-discovered it when I had nothing spare to fit on a new TT. It's fast, exciting, dynamic, clean and detailed and it images exceptionally well. What it loses out on slightly to a good MC is spatial info but for that you would need to spend double.
The Exact is an excellent cartridge. I have recently re-discovered it when I had nothing spare to fit on a new TT. It's fast, exciting, dynamic, clean and detailed and it images exceptionally well. What it loses out on slightly to a good MC is spatial info but for that you would need to spend double.
what I'm wanting is someplace I can drop the deck off, have it serviced new cart fitted and then go back and pick it up again (like I used to when the Systemdek dealer was just 2 miles away) . You lot down south don't know how lucky you are with a hi-fi dealer on every street corner:)
There's a Rega dealer about 15 miles up the road from me in Congleton (Synergy) I will have to see if they will offer that service. 15 miles out into the sticks and back is a pain when you don't have a motor:( They do the Exact but want £250 notes...On the WTF on line review they price it at £195. Lukewarm review too, for what that's worth. 'Lacks Bass grip'. But I suppose prices may have gone up since it was written.
I still fancy the Nag Mp300 for no valid reason though. Discovering I still had the Goldring makes me wonder if I still don't have the Nag MP30 stashed away somewhere. Might start a search of the junk room later on:)
Thanks for the advice lads, always appreciated:cool:
It may be worth asking Nag's distributors (Musonic) if the bodies are the same, in which case you could get away with a stylus if you can find the MP30.....
Rega's MM's have always had too much bass, to better match their lean-toned speakers and decks, but the Exact was never quite like that. I suspect in WTF's over damped office dem room it wouldn't be brash enough, where I suspect they'd love the Sumiko BPS, as do I..
I think most MM types (except Decca's) lose spatial info and/or drama when compared to good MC types. I haven't tried the latest top end Grado's and AT's though..
hifi_dave
02-05-2010, 11:30
what I'm wanting is someplace I can drop the deck off, have it serviced new cart fitted and then go back and pick it up again (like I used to when the Systemdek dealer was just 2 miles away) . You lot down south don't know how lucky you are with a hi-fi dealer on every street corner:)
Pity you don't live closer because you could bring it here.
The Exact was £298 but Rega dropped the price to £249 a couple of years ago and this has resulted in a lot more sales. It is a very good cartridge you don't have to make excuses for.
As for the WTF review - I wouldn't even consider it with a massive pinch of salt.
Pity you don't live closer because you could bring it here.
If I did, I certainly would:)
These sellers are good IMO -
http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/Williams-Schallplattennadel-Shop_Original-Ersatznadeln_W0QQ_fsubZ3QQ_sidZ24926996QQ_trksidZp 4634Q2ec0Q2em322
A bit cheaper than you suggested and the M20 FL Super stylus I bought from them last year was brand new (old stock?) and in perfect condition..
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