Om pro S vs. buying N35S styli for Shure SC35C

[alencr]

Hey peeps, I'm still kicking about, just haven't had time with university. Also money is tight so I'm asking you all for advice here.

Alright, I’m looking to buy myself some new carts or at least 2x styli for my Shure SC35C. I was stupid enough to buy them used for almost the same price for a pair of OM PRO S’s and I didn’t know where to even start looking.

I can buy a pair of Om Pro S on Juno or in my city (in Croatia) for about 55 quid, or I could buy a pair of Shure M35S styli for my SC35C for around 45 quid (I have three carts without the styli haha).

I’m just looking for advice on what to go for. I will wear these out along with my records eventually so sound quality isn’t THAT important (I will buy some more used house / techno records because they are cheaper and slower to learn proper beatmatching with).

Also gonna need a couple of slipmats but gonna buy a couple of generic ones. I’m using Reloop 4000-mk2 turntables, only downside is that the tonearm height isn’t adjustable and I need to seriously clean them…


I'm heading to a university DJ group / thingy, where they teach new DJ's how to mix, and I could use that while I save up for my stuff. They also organise events, they have an entire cafe and events so just can't wait to get there today and talk to them and see what it's all about.

[pete]

I bought some Ortofon concorde cartridges years ago.
You can replace the stylii fairly cheaply with any of the stylii from the OM/concorde range.
I wish I'd bought the OM version, because the little bit of plastic for raising the needle is prone to snapping off.

But they have served me well for 20 years. So my advice for you would be to get the Ortofons even if you will pay a little more money. They will save you money in the medium to long term. You could probably pick up some carts second hand cheap enough.

[alencr]

Thanks, I thought that would be a better option anyway.
BTW should I worry about one platter being slightly warped?
When I brush my finder along the platter to slow it down, it gets raised a bit each time it rotates.

[pete]

No idea mate, I've never touched your tables. You'll soon know if something is up when you play a record.

As for slipmats, get some slipmats designed to be good slipmats. Something like table cloths or butter-rugs. They are fit for purpose and not much more expensive than other poorer-quality generic mats.

[light-o-matic]

Cool me and my gf got to visit Zagreb last summer, awesome city.. the whole country is really cool (we then went to Slunj, Plitvice Lakes.. Split, Brac all the way to Dubrovnik and back)... But we really liked Zagreb.

About the turntable.. yea if it is visibly warped when it is normally playing that's not good. If it's just when you're pressing, it's not as bad.. but try being more gentle.

[alencr]

@pete, thanks, I will try and get them checked out by someone professional, but it will be a bit later. I'm just so anxious to finally get the setup running haha, I should ask my parents for some cash because I haven't really bought any equipment. Will probably buy some decent slipmats.

@light-o-matic, yeah, I live in Zagreb, and I was actually in Brač this summer. Yeah, I'm trying to be gentle with the turntables. Will probably use the tonearm lift thingy until I get good at getting the needle in the groove.

[light-o-matic]

Yea use the lift if you're not confident.. but the way to do it is.. don't actually HOLD the arm with your two fingers and try to put it down then let go. Instead, just put a light pressure against the little handle (front to back) with your thumb lift with just the one finger, place it on the record and pull your finger away.

[alencr]

Ah yes I remember doing it that way, just lifting the needle, it's been so long I don't recall haha...
In a week or two I will start getting mentoring with how a typical club soundsystem works, ins and outs of all the equipment that's there, and then it's mixing lessons. In time I will get to play there sometimes, looking forward to that as well as practicing at home alongside with producing music.


Thanks for the reminder!

[light-o-matic]

I ended up buying an SC35C cart this weekend to put on a turntable I gave as a gift to my nephew, it's my first real experience with that cart and my impression of it is that it's a solid beginner cart.. the sound did not offend me but it didn't exactly excite me either. And the 4-5 gram tracking weight is not something I would want on my vinyl in the long term. However in the short term I think they are just fine for learning and their tracing weight may actually be helpful to you at this stage of the game. I don't know your financial situation but I think maybe it would be wiser to just replace the styli for now and plan for upgrading later to something really nicer once you're confident in your handling of them...the OM S also being a fairly budget level cart it's not likely to be a mindblowing upgrade.

[alencr]

Yeah, the Shures aren't bad, I can put either Shure M35S or M35X styli in them so the tracking weight isn't a problem. I'm just going to wait until I save up, and until then I might borrow a couple of other carts just to make sure everything's working on my turntables well.