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Ortofon Concorde cartridge - please help me ID it.

R

ranch 22b

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I bought a Technics SL-1210 M3D today. Mounted on the tonearm is a jet black Concorde style cartridge with simply "ortofon" on one side and "Concorde" on the other. The writing is kinda small, in white, and up near the nose of the cart. The stylus that is currently mounted on it is a Nightclub "S" - non functional as the needle is missing.

I just flipped it over and with a magnifying glass, on the bottom it says: "Ortofon patent Denmark pending". Near the sllver collar, there is a sunken circle with a "2" in it.

Can anyone please tell me what I have here? Is it worth buying a new stylus for? If so, what would you recommend?

Thanks
 
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The Concord is a line of standard mount bodies integrated with an arm mount. There are quite a number of styli that will fit from the Club series to the better OM styli and I think the Digitrac styli will fit to (with minor clipping). What do you want to do with this? Hi-Fi or DJ?

Something like this would be the std DY needle: http://www.turntableneedles.com/Needle-541-PROS_p_1139.html

This would be an inexpensive tester with decent sound (but not up to true Ortofon capability): http://www.turntableneedles.com/Needle-541-DE-copy_p_3796.html

And, this would be a pretty good hi-fi needle: http://www.turntableneedles.com/Needle-541-DEX_p_1130.html

Keven at KAB USA sells Concords refit for hi-fi use and has more selections too :)
 
By only looking at photos, it appears that I have an Ortofon Concorde "Pro". As has been suggested in other threads, it seems that any Ortofon "OM" stylus will fit it. Looks like they begin with OM-5 and go up to OM-40.

I also see that both Turntable Needles and LP Gear have "copies" available for less money than the genuine Ortofons. These copies are made in Japan.

Has anyone tried any of the elliptical replacement styli for the Concorde Pro with a Technics 1200 arm?
 
Thanks BrocLuno - I think we were posting at the same time. I'll check out the links you provided. In answer to your question, the use would only be at home in an overall modest "Hi-Fi" system.
 
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At this point, I'm thinking the 541-DE-copy for $29.95 just to get the ball rolling. The turntable didn't come with a head shell and it's killing me not to be able to play it!
 
'Just a brief update. I just ordered the 541-DE-copy from Turntable Needles. After it's mounted on the Concorde Pro, and up and running on the 1210, I'll post some feedback.

'Time to clean up the "new" 1210 and get it ready!
 
You will find the copies do work, but are not as clear and clean as either the ORTO OEM styli (by considerable margin) or the JICO Ortofon after market styli. It'll get you going and allow you to sort out your gear :)

This is the same path I took when exploring Ortofons. Not Concord, but OM and OMSuper bodies. Once I got my hands on real OEM styli I discovered there is noticeable difference.

Others have had good luck with the JICO styli and they are cheaper than the OEM's. If you go OEM eventually, the sweet spot is between the STY20 (good elliptical) and the STY30 (line contact). I'm at the STY20 stage. Once my piggy bank is full enough, I'll be getting a STY30 for the Super :)
 
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I think you'll like that stylus. I think you'll find its strength is in the lower registers. Mids are good, highs are OK, maybe a tad grainy. But for the money, its an excellent value.
 
bumping this thread - just bought a used concorde and it appears that the black sleeve is loose and can be pulled back away from the silver area a bit.

anyone know of any disassembly instructions for these things? id like to take a look and check that all the connections are still intact.

thanks!
 
The older Concorde cartridges, without the big silver weight around the base, had a set screw on top that could be loosened so the overhang and azimuth could be adjusted. I've got one that I loosened up, pulled out several millimeters and then tightened back up, to get the proper 52mm distance from the "headshell base" to the tip of the stylus for my SL-1700M2 turntable. These early Concordes are also lighter then the current models, and came with an alternate lighter counterweight which I also have to use with my 1700Mk2.
 
here's a pic of the ortofon and one of the seperation.


DSC_1776-2.jpg


DSC_1779-2.jpg


thats as far as i can get it to slide without encountering any resistance. once i felt a little tension, i stopped pulling on it.
 
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