I’m a fairly heavy scratch DJ and got these 2 weeks ago, so far these are by far the best carts and needles I’ve used since my last 447 bit the dust, highly recommended! Great review.
I got these super early and while they started getting out into the world other DJ homies were asking about them. The best synopsis I could give after my time with them was, they sound like white labels and handle like 44-7s. I was never a 44 dude, but understood their appeal. To me they were always too loud and bumped up. So to have a refined sound with similar handling capabilities is more than ok for me.
Thank you! We are proud of them but working hard to continually improve them as well since we’re still somewhat new to this side of it all. Any help sharing these with the DJ community would be very helpful. Peace!
You can’t hear it in the video but that’s Proper Villians’ Bmore club release on Flamin Hotz. Play anything from that when I’m on the floor and I’ll catch a groove, easy!
Provided you have a relatively light touch, I don't imagine you'll find too much difference when using any of these three styli with DVS. If your records are beat up, you may find the 1 and 2 to be more forgiving.
Overweighting any cart past the recommended pressure will definitely wear out the grooves faster, you’re right about that. I didn’t conduct any wear tests but drop a link here if you find any of interest!
The vnl says 4grams of weight. Do you think thats too much for real vinyl ? Im not a scratch dj, just solely mixing and back cueing. Any feedback is much appreciated
I haven’t found the carts to be tough on my vinyl at 4g but you could always back it off a little bit if you’re hearing any sort of cue burn. I’ve been critical of Ortofon carts in the past for chewing through grooves, but the VNL cart has been much, much better in my experience.
Hi, great review! I have just got these but I'm wondering and searching where you buy the individual stylus when you decide which one suits your style best. Ortofon are only selling the complete pack.
They aren’t in production just yet but they will be produced individually in the near future. We carry them in our shop as well and will post an update when they become available also.
@@Deckademics I'm hoping that they will loosen up over time as they are definitely not as good at holding the groove as my old shures and noticeably quieter when I swap them over.
Are you using them with vinyl or with a DVS mostly? If using with Serato etc, you can actually adjust the output within settings so wouldn’t be major issue. We use 44-7s on 7 of our turntable setups at the school and haven’t noticed major difference in output although we do notice a different sound profile. Also, which of these 3 styli are you using? We haven’t found any issues with them not staying in the grooves or tracking. Hopefully these end up working out for you!
@@Deckademics I'm using vinyl and it's not a major issue for sound as I still have plenty of gain to use. Iv briefly tried all 3 but I do remember my shures not being as good as they are now for flexibility. I was more comparing tiny scratches where you actually see the headshell move rapidly from left to right as a test and shures locked in the groove with only 2 grams. Hopefully over time they will loosen up but also I'm no pro when it comes to scratching so maybe it's Also a learning curve for myself
They will be around the same price at current styli replacements, if not a bit cheaper I was told by Ortofon - price of replacement styli was a huge factor in me getting one of these. Got one, need to test it out before buying a second @UCJVvbvHYp7evWVp-jxw43qw try leaving them on the record (not playing) overnight - this usually 'breaks in' the cantilever/stylus. You can leave it playing a locked groove too but that will wear the stylus a bit
One person said these sound like shit. I've been mixing for 20 years. I'm just now learning to scratch. I need to replace my N-447's. Im thinking of either the VNL's, Concorde scratch mk2 or concorde digitals. I scratch on a dvs a lot, but I also like to mix and listen to albums, and mix my old vinyls bangers. Any advice from anyone? Oh. Also my technique 1200 tonearm height is locked, and i might not be able to fix that. Rn the height sits a little too low for the short bottom end of an N447 to sit flush at 2.5 grams. Im hoping to buy new carts i love thar dont require me trying to fix the arm height.
Depends on what you’re really looking for but one thing that could make it an easy decision is that you get 3 styli per cartridge you order with the VNL but only get the one included on the Concorde Mk2 series. Cost ends up about the same when you buy 2 VNL carts + SH-4 headshells. deckademics.com/product-category/needles/
If you don't want a headache buying headshells and headshell leads, get the Concorde DJ Mk 2. soundcloud.com/user-660295751 comparisons, I liked the DJ cart sonically the best. Before that I was thinking of Qbert OM based on specs. Concordes are easier to set up taking to clubs etc. If you are mixing I'd say concordes. Some heavy handed scratchers hate Concordes though (but you can definitely scratch with them). The 'scratch' is more designed for scratching, the 'nightclub' is designed for sound quality (watch out though, you have to decide between spherical and elliptical for nightclub carts). Have a scratch mk1 and had a nightclub IIe mk1 that was stolen.. loved that cart though. Both VNL and Concordes will chew your records up (presumably) fairly equally since they both track at 4 grams.
The vnl is a dope cartridge straight for turntablist oh mix DJ they sound great it is a battle cartridge ortofon did a good job for turntablist DJ oh regular DJ man this are crazy dope it stay in the groove lest skip with real vinyl I was shock how they don't skip n the price is fresh 😎👍
@@Deckademics I'm still using vinyl to do turntablist at home I'm a old DJ n tried so many cartridge in the past the ortofon vnl is a great cartridge for the DJ that can't afford a laptop oh pay for the service to have all those good music on the web site cuz they can't afford it but still love to do there own routine on real vinyl record they track really nice too damn this are great cartridge for truntablis battle DJ since the sorato pop up the world 🌎 of DJ have changed for the new generation of DJ that love the art of turntablist ortofon save my life they cartridge are great I have Concord ortofon too like the Q Bert the blue horse those save my life so I keep up doing my own routine I learn by watching other DJ I learn by myself n I still have more to Learn different style is good to know all type of style anyway ortofon vnl did it again n save the turntablist DJ n mix DJ too from the boogie down Bronx 👍😎 Peace ✌️ out
Bought this today, sounds good, decent bass.. but no weight range at all, you have to go at the end with the tonearm roll to have the recommended weight and they advice a maximum of 6,5 grams with extra weight which is not making sense, if you use a standard head shell you can have a 4,5 as a maximum weight. Tracking is nice , it’s a between into the 44’s and the stanton 680
How about the jico on scratch Whit real vinyl records did you check it out n they sound loud let me know do they skip a lot oh jump cus I want to buy one to check it out first I want it to work both way let me know thanks
Jico sounds ok but don't track amazing and are around the same price if not more expensive for styli. Not that impressed with Jico or Tonar considering need to track at 3.5-4g. Club = glow in the dark (paying for that extra money..??). DJ = 3-4g 'dj' model. Improved = stylus guard. 'vanilla' 447 Jico = '1.5-3g' tracking range (but they are said to need 3-4.. why Jico made the 'DJ/club/skratch' series it seems..). Skratch = 3-4g dj model with different colour/branding. 44G DJ /Club = 447 DJ / Club with different colour. 44G vanilla = unknown, meant to track at 0.75-1.5g, have not found a report of if they sound at all like the Shure N44G.
The output is garbage compared to M44's which were made by a company that's been around longer than the people who made the Shure M447! Not to mention NONE of the retailers, reviewers or Ortofon is mentioning what that large difference in output means for dj's who use digital vinyl like Serato. It creates a much lower, much less stable signal!! Considering Ortofon's prices, that's ridiculous. I would drop my Ortofons like a hot rock if there was a decent alternative. Unfortunately, turntablists are now basically at the mercy of this one crappy company.
@@Deckademics I used Jico's on my M447's until the entire cart started falling apart because they were easy 10 or more years old. There are no M447 carts left to buy so the Jico replacement tips do me no good. Unfortunately, turntablists in 2022 are pretty much stuck with Ortofon and in my experience they have great products, but terrible prices and terrible service.
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Serious question, How you get your environment so dust free????
So this comes with 3 different stylus? Which one would be best for scratching?
I’m a fairly heavy scratch DJ and got these 2 weeks ago, so far these are by far the best carts and needles I’ve used since my last 447 bit the dust, highly recommended! Great review.
Ayy Waxer, thanks for checking in here!
Me too
Thanks for sharing. I’m thinking about buying these.
It’d be a solid choice for sure! We have them in our shop here as well: deckademics.com/product/ortofon-vnl-cartridge-3-styli/
You combined science and DJing. Two of my favorite things. I’m glad I stumbled across this channel. Definitely gained a sub.
Dope review!
Excellent description of how a needle works
Thanks Fred! Glad you dig the video and hope you find some of our other ones useful. Feel free to subscribe if you haven't already.
@@Deckademics was a dj in the 90s I sure miss playing sets on wax
@@Deckademics What head do i use if I buy those? I do not think it is going to fit what i have.
These here (and we have them in stock in both black and blue): deckademics.com/product/ortofon-black-dj-cartridge-shell-sh-4/
Great video, thank you!
Great Video! It is always good to get information on How something works, in regards to determining Why you should buy something.
Awesome, thank you!
I found these sound cleaner than the 44s plus even though 6mv still pack a big punch.
Lex went super in depth with this one. Another great review!
I got these super early and while they started getting out into the world other DJ homies were asking about them. The best synopsis I could give after my time with them was, they sound like white labels and handle like 44-7s. I was never a 44 dude, but understood their appeal. To me they were always too loud and bumped up. So to have a refined sound with similar handling capabilities is more than ok for me.
‘Sounds like a WL, handles like a 447’ is actually a perfect TLDR
@@coolhandlex and is what they should put on all promo material if they wanna make ducats.
Best DJ gear reviews on the planet.
Thank you! We are proud of them but working hard to continually improve them as well since we’re still somewhat new to this side of it all. Any help sharing these with the DJ community would be very helpful. Peace!
That’s amazing praise, there are some incredible people covering this part of the industry right now. Thank you!
just picked this up from deckademics! really liking this cartridge & stylus
Which level of the vnl is good for convert records to mp3?
Good review..I think it's time to change out my WB right about now !
We have plenty of them in the shop whenever you’re ready: Deckademics.com/shop/
That needle was very stable on the cut !!!!!!!
Awesome video!
How are the vnl for cue burn?
Awesome video mate! Thank you for the review. -DjSmokinSantana
I'll expect that dance in the future...😆🤣
You can’t hear it in the video but that’s Proper Villians’ Bmore club release on Flamin Hotz. Play anything from that when I’m on the floor and I’ll catch a groove, easy!
does the needle skip a lot when scratching
Nope, we didn’t experience that. Check our videos for a quick video that 5 of us filmed using the VNL’s on wax. Zero skips from any of us.
If you wanted to buy this for just playback could it be done. Would vinyl be damaged?
I’ve found they have very low record wear so you’ll be good!
@@coolhandlex how so?
Just wandering which one is best for DVS?
Provided you have a relatively light touch, I don't imagine you'll find too much difference when using any of these three styli with DVS. If your records are beat up, you may find the 1 and 2 to be more forgiving.
I feel like the overweighting is going to wear out your vinyl faster.. do we have any tests on vinyl wear?
Overweighting any cart past the recommended pressure will definitely wear out the grooves faster, you’re right about that. I didn’t conduct any wear tests but drop a link here if you find any of interest!
Technically they are not overweighted but I’m guessing the heavier weight will wear more
Is this stylus just for scratching or does it give a good sound I'm whole?
It sounds great... And handles even better...Good clarity and overall response
The vnl says 4grams of weight. Do you think thats too much for real vinyl ? Im not a scratch dj, just solely mixing and back cueing. Any feedback is much appreciated
I haven’t found the carts to be tough on my vinyl at 4g but you could always back it off a little bit if you’re hearing any sort of cue burn. I’ve been critical of Ortofon carts in the past for chewing through grooves, but the VNL cart has been much, much better in my experience.
Hi, great review! I have just got these but I'm wondering and searching where you buy the individual stylus when you decide which one suits your style best. Ortofon are only selling the complete pack.
They aren’t in production just yet but they will be produced individually in the near future. We carry them in our shop as well and will post an update when they become available also.
@@Deckademics I'm hoping that they will loosen up over time as they are definitely not as good at holding the groove as my old shures and noticeably quieter when I swap them over.
Are you using them with vinyl or with a DVS mostly? If using with Serato etc, you can actually adjust the output within settings so wouldn’t be major issue. We use 44-7s on 7 of our turntable setups at the school and haven’t noticed major difference in output although we do notice a different sound profile. Also, which of these 3 styli are you using? We haven’t found any issues with them not staying in the grooves or tracking. Hopefully these end up working out for you!
@@Deckademics I'm using vinyl and it's not a major issue for sound as I still have plenty of gain to use. Iv briefly tried all 3 but I do remember my shures not being as good as they are now for flexibility. I was more comparing tiny scratches where you actually see the headshell move rapidly from left to right as a test and shures locked in the groove with only 2 grams. Hopefully over time they will loosen up but also I'm no pro when it comes to scratching so maybe it's Also a learning curve for myself
They will be around the same price at current styli replacements, if not a bit cheaper I was told by Ortofon - price of replacement styli was a huge factor in me getting one of these. Got one, need to test it out before buying a second @UCJVvbvHYp7evWVp-jxw43qw try leaving them on the record (not playing) overnight - this usually 'breaks in' the cantilever/stylus. You can leave it playing a locked groove too but that will wear the stylus a bit
One person said these sound like shit. I've been mixing for 20 years. I'm just now learning to scratch. I need to replace my N-447's. Im thinking of either the VNL's, Concorde scratch mk2 or concorde digitals. I scratch on a dvs a lot, but I also like to mix and listen to albums, and mix my old vinyls bangers. Any advice from anyone? Oh. Also my technique 1200 tonearm height is locked, and i might not be able to fix that. Rn the height sits a little too low for the short bottom end of an N447 to sit flush at 2.5 grams. Im hoping to buy new carts i love thar dont require me trying to fix the arm height.
MkII Orotofon or VNL? Thx
Depends on what you’re really looking for but one thing that could make it an easy decision is that you get 3 styli per cartridge you order with the VNL but only get the one included on the Concorde Mk2 series. Cost ends up about the same when you buy 2 VNL carts + SH-4 headshells.
deckademics.com/product-category/needles/
If you don't want a headache buying headshells and headshell leads, get the Concorde DJ Mk 2. soundcloud.com/user-660295751 comparisons, I liked the DJ cart sonically the best. Before that I was thinking of Qbert OM based on specs. Concordes are easier to set up taking to clubs etc. If you are mixing I'd say concordes. Some heavy handed scratchers hate Concordes though (but you can definitely scratch with them). The 'scratch' is more designed for scratching, the 'nightclub' is designed for sound quality (watch out though, you have to decide between spherical and elliptical for nightclub carts). Have a scratch mk1 and had a nightclub IIe mk1 that was stolen.. loved that cart though. Both VNL and Concordes will chew your records up (presumably) fairly equally since they both track at 4 grams.
The vnl is a dope cartridge straight for turntablist oh mix DJ they sound great it is a battle cartridge ortofon did a good job for turntablist DJ oh regular DJ man this are crazy dope it stay in the groove lest skip with real vinyl I was shock how they don't skip n the price is fresh 😎👍
They were better than we were expecting as well. GREAT replacement for the Shure M44-7
@@Deckademics I'm still using vinyl to do turntablist at home I'm a old DJ n tried so many cartridge in the past the ortofon vnl is a great cartridge for the DJ that can't afford a laptop oh pay for the service to have all those good music on the web site cuz they can't afford it but still love to do there own routine on real vinyl record they track really nice too damn this are great cartridge for truntablis battle DJ since the sorato pop up the world 🌎 of DJ have changed for the new generation of DJ that love the art of turntablist ortofon save my life they cartridge are great I have Concord ortofon too like the Q Bert the blue horse those save my life so I keep up doing my own routine I learn by watching other DJ I learn by myself n I still have more to Learn different style is good to know all type of style anyway ortofon vnl did it again n save the turntablist DJ n mix DJ too from the boogie down Bronx 👍😎 Peace ✌️ out
Bought this today, sounds good, decent bass.. but no weight range at all, you have to go at the end with the tonearm roll to have the recommended weight and they advice a maximum of 6,5 grams with extra weight which is not making sense, if you use a standard head shell you can have a 4,5 as a maximum weight. Tracking is nice , it’s a between into the 44’s and the stanton 680
I use VNL for dvs and m44-7 for scratching on real vinyl
🏆🤜🏻🤛🏻🥂
Hi, thanks for this video. At the end of the day, which is the most stable on the groove, VNL I, II, or III?
1:15 troo
Peace Vishnu!
The VNL sound flat. I prefer the JICO sound profile and output. Dope review ✌🏾
How about the jico on scratch Whit real vinyl records did you check it out n they sound loud let me know do they skip a lot oh jump cus I want to buy one to check it out first I want it to work both way let me know thanks
@@thehunterofdeath2180 The JICO sound just as good if not better on regular vinyl ✌🏾
Which jico specifically?
@@DV91 The club series: N-44-7/CLUB
Jico sounds ok but don't track amazing and are around the same price if not more expensive for styli. Not that impressed with Jico or Tonar considering need to track at 3.5-4g. Club = glow in the dark (paying for that extra money..??). DJ = 3-4g 'dj' model. Improved = stylus guard. 'vanilla' 447 Jico = '1.5-3g' tracking range (but they are said to need 3-4.. why Jico made the 'DJ/club/skratch' series it seems..). Skratch = 3-4g dj model with different colour/branding. 44G DJ /Club = 447 DJ / Club with different colour. 44G vanilla = unknown, meant to track at 0.75-1.5g, have not found a report of if they sound at all like the Shure N44G.
I swear to god I’d better not hear shit about m44
Lmao anyone catch that joke?
The output is garbage compared to M44's which were made by a company that's been around longer than the people who made the Shure M447! Not to mention NONE of the retailers, reviewers or Ortofon is mentioning what that large difference in output means for dj's who use digital vinyl like Serato. It creates a much lower, much less stable signal!! Considering Ortofon's prices, that's ridiculous. I would drop my Ortofons like a hot rock if there was a decent alternative. Unfortunately, turntablists are now basically at the mercy of this one crappy company.
Consider giving Jico needles a try. They seem to be a good substitute for the M44's as well.
@@Deckademics I used Jico's on my M447's until the entire cart started falling apart because they were easy 10 or more years old. There are no M447 carts left to buy so the Jico replacement tips do me no good. Unfortunately, turntablists in 2022 are pretty much stuck with Ortofon and in my experience they have great products, but terrible prices and terrible service.
@@Deckademics I didn't even know Jico made carts. I was under the impression they only made stylus tips. I will give them a look. Thanks!
Control vinyl? Hell nooo what waste! Plenty good vinyl out there dont be chepskates and buy vinyl
You do realize that most working DJs using turntables still use DVS and control vinyl, no?
Yeah im just trollin