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Review of the 'Quest 20' Ortofon/Digitrac

markshan said:
My Digitrac came today. No time to hook it up today, but I put a meter and got about 800 ohm on each side, so I guess I got one that works.

Does anyone know where to get a cheap p-mount adaptor?
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Some of those have one in the bottom of the cartridge box. If not, eBay would be my best suggestion.
 
I know that many have said that this combination would improve after 30 hours or so, but I've got to say it sounds quite nice right out of the box.

I put the stylus on a Dual CS 620Q direct drive with it's stock Ortofon/Dual ULM 65E cartridge. This is playing through a Marantz 2230 feeding a pair of Grado SR-60s. I set it up with the overhang gauge included in the manual downloaded from Vinyl Engine. It is tracking at 1.5 grams with anti skate at 1.

I am currently listening to a Half Price Books buck bin copy of The Police Synchronicity. I figured that the African and electronic drum selections on songs like Walking in Your Footsteps would provide a nice tracking test. The sound is very balanced. Bass is tight without being too loud and the highs are very articulate. The midrange is a bit louder with this than with my AT 440 MLa. I prefer a bit of a smiley curve, but I suspect that some folks would actually prefer this sound to the 440. The fact that I can even talk about this $20 cartridge credibly along side that hundred dollar model is wonderfully ridiculous!

Anyone who thinks that CDs sound better than records should hear this dollar record on this $21 dollar table and cartridge! I am hearing things on this album that I have never heard before.

I'm giving this to a college student who has helped me out with the song ministry at my church. She has never experienced the whole BSR - Soundesign low fi nightmare that I grew up with and that made CDs so appealing initially. I hope she can fully appreciate how nice of a starter system she will have.
 
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Nothing quite so satisfying as doing someone a good turn. I can't help wondering how many of those carts they have. I ordered four (that's one on my LT-20 over there <--), and will probably get a few more. I have a vision of a closet stacked floor-to-ceiling with tiny boxes...
 
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I love my Digitrac the more I hear it. It sounded superb out of the box and after around 30 hours settled into a more refined midrange character. Tracks everything well I play on it. Recommended for those who like a romantic sound in their vinyl playback. Excels on most all music and doesn't get flustered playing back symphonic recordings.
 
I just ordered myself one to see how it is. Unfortunately I could only afford one. So if it comes without a working body then I guess im out of luck. Anyone with a spare working digitrac body just in case?
 
Have you tried it on your 1200? This is the table mine is going on when it gets here.

Brian



KentTeffeteller said:
I now am the proud owner of a Digitrac NE 200. Mine works just fine and sonics and tracking are as described. Any idea of break-in time on one? I have an OM 10 Super on the way with a duff stylus and will try a "Quest 20" approach to vinyl playback on my SL-1200 Mk II. Thanks, gentlemen. I ordered mine on Sunday night and got it today from Texas. Excellent service from Jett Sales and good communications from them. :tresbon:
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I am very pleased to say that i just got my digitrac 200ne mounted and the cartridge works. The sound is amazing for the price. Like others have said it is a neutral sounding cart. Bass is tight, mids are neutral, and highs are smooth. No distortion whatsoever. Im amazing I got a working cart hearing that most of them dont work.

Im goin to order at least two more when i get more money. Tracking at 1.25 grams and after playing a couple records im convinced this is a wonderful cart for 20 dollars.
 
Yes, I am using my Digitrac 200 NE on my Technics SL-1200 Mk II. It is excellent sounding and tracks superbly out of the box. 30 hours of break-in time smoothed it out some and improved it's bass resolution. I am still using it with the P-Mount adapter and tonearm height at 1 1/2. I track at 1 1/2 grams Vertical Tracking Force. Anti-skating is set at 1 1/4 grams. It is now my daily cartridge for good records. I love its sound. Best audio bargain out there next to the SL-1200 Mk II I paid $50 for. And they make superb music together.
 
Following right behind, I too have jumped on the wagon and fully agree that for $20, nothing I know can beat it. I'm tracking at 1.25 g and so far haven't had tracking trouble. Luck was with me and my cartridge body was a good one. Had the devil of a time getting it out of the packaging, however.

No P-mount adapter was included. I don't think any of the recently-sold units have had this.
 
I've done some vinyl archiving and they sound utterly fabulous with this beauty, smokes cd, tracks superbly too.

I've read so many reviews on Ortofon OM20/30/40, AT440 etc, and all contain a degree of negativity, but I can't find any on the Quest 20!

I think I should consider getting another before they all go.
 
wualta said:
Following right behind, I too have jumped on the wagon and fully agree that for $20, nothing I know can beat it. I'm tracking at 1.25 g and so far haven't had tracking trouble. Luck was with me and my cartridge body was a good one. Had the devil of a time getting it out of the packaging, however.

No P-mount adapter was included. I don't think any of the recently-sold units have had this.
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Mine came with a sheet of instructions on how to unlatch the carts from the package. Is Jett Sales stripping that out of the package along with the p-mount adapters these days?
 
No, the instruction leaflet is still there; it's just surprising how much force is needed to pull the cartridge away from those two plastic stubs if you don't realize that the instructions try to tell you to slide the lock so the cartridge can be removed!
 
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I spent about ten minutes trying to get it out. I took my stylus off and just pulled hard and it popped right out.

Mine also came with a brush, two sets of screws, a driver, and the p mount adapter. WONDERFUL!
 
Yes, you find out it won't break anything and you just yank it out. Is Jett adding adapters to the shipments again? I've ordered a second 200 NE; we'll see how that one fares.
 
wualta said:
Yes, you find out it won't break anything and you just yank it out. Is Jett adding adapters to the shipments again? I've ordered a second 200 NE; we'll see how that one fares.
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My box looked like it was opened, which i didnt mind everything was nice and neat and clean other than that. Cant wait to order more. Anyone know how many he has left?
 
Dunno how many 200 NEs he has left. I think my next step will be to jam a 300 SE stylus on the Digitrac body. At 3 times the cost, I hope it'll be worth it.

UPDATE: the second 200 NE arrived with a nonworking body (right channel kaput) and no P-mount adapter.

UPDATE: the third (and final) 200 NE arrived with a working body AND a P-mount adapter. Had to use DeoxIT to get it working, but it works.

And just as Sleep points out in his posts later in this thread, if your Digitrac came with a half-inch adapter, there will be a blue dot on the cantilever and it will have a round-shank stylus. If it didn't come with the adapter, it will have a green dot and the remarkable "tombstone" rectangular-shank stylus, aka square shank. That's the way mine came too. Interesting!
 
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Their back on ebay, I just ordered another for a spare. I have found the 200NE stylus to be a little loose even on my working Digitrac body, one channel will go mute, I wiggle it and it's fine again. A dab of blue tac might be in order. Still a darn nice sounding combo.
 
eteller said:
Their back on ebay, I just ordered another for a spare. I have found the 200NE stylus to be a little loose even on my working Digitrac body, one channel will go mute, I wiggle it and it's fine again. A dab of blue tac might be in order. Still a darn nice sounding combo.
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After adding it to my "watch list," it shows 494 still available, after 6 had already sold.
 
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