Numark CC-1 vs CS-1 vs Ortofon Concorde MK2 Mix

[88KK]

Complete newbie here who doesn’t even have a set up yet, I have one turntable lol

While looking at cartridges I compared the cc1 vs cs1 and reading the tech specs the only difference I found was channel separation nominal which is 28db for cc1 and 32db for cs1

After googling what channel separation was I found out higher is better (in a nutshell)

Why is the cs1 cheaper than the cc1?

Then I looked at the mk2 mix and the channel separation wasn’t there

Of all the tech specs listed for the mk2 mix they all matched the cc1 except frequency range which was:

Cc1 20-22000 hz
Mk2 mix 20-20000 hz

Am I wrong or are the numarks better than the mk2 mix? Is the cs1 really better than the cc1?

[Daniel S]

Here's the spec for the MK2 Mix:

Output voltage at 1000Hz, 5cm/sec. - 6 mV
Channel balance at 1kHz - 1,5 dB
Channel separation at 1kHz - 20 dB
Channel separation at 15 kHz - 15 dB
Frequency range at -3dB - 20-20.000 Hz
Tracking ability at 315 Hz at recommmended tracking force - 100 μm
Compliance, dynamic lateral - 14 μm/m N
Stylus type - Spherical R 18 μm
Tracking force range - 2 - 4 g
Tracking force recommended - 3 g
Cartridge weight - 18,5 g
Replacement stylus unit - MIX


Channel separation is lower than the Numarks but it's not really the most important spec of a cartridge. Ortofon have been making cartridges for a long time and I think they make pretty good cartridges. Numark is a bit of a low budget brand, but I guess that doesn't have to be the case with their cartridges. However, I would still go with the Ortofon, since I have positive experiences with their products.

[pete]

Are you listening to a DJ cartridge for sound quality?
For that matter, are you listening to vinyl records looking for sound quality?

DJ equipment are tools. If you are really comparing these two cartridges then there may be a slight difference in sound. You may even be able to notice it.
But there are more important things that could improve the sound such as using a digital source or the quality of amps/speakers.
But really the most important feature of a DJ cartridge is the tracking on the record and how skip-resistant it is. Ortfon do sell some eliptical cartridges, but again they will objectively sound worse than any hifi cartridge and certainly worse than a digital source.


All that being said, Ortofon make better carts than Numark. I'd literally take the worst Ortofon cart over the best Numark.

[88KK]

Thanks for the input, like i said I’m new to it all and I did think Ortofon would have been better but didn’t want to just chase brands and labels, wanted to have some rational thought behind decision making