Worn N44-7's , what next?

[Tha_Disc_Eater]

Evening all,

So, my current N44-7 needles are reaching the end of their lives and I’ve just been looking online for replacements.

It strikes me that “genuine Shure” replacements are scarce and bloody expensive now, so have a few questions.

1. Anyone know any good spots to get proper Shure N44-7 needles from (within the UK or Europe) in the £30 price-range?

2. Anyone have any experience of the “generic” / copy brands - are there any good ones to look out for / conversely any you’d recommend avoiding?

3. Anyone just straight up ditched their M44-7 headshells and cartridges completely and gone for another option – if so what did you go for and how do they compare?

Ultimately, I’m not a “pro/scratch DJ” and have no desire to stand at the tables for hours on end furiously tearing my wax to pieces; I just want a decent, reliable and good sounding cartridge / needle combination that can be replaced at a fairly regular interval, that aren’t gonna break the bank.

Thanks in advance for any recommendations.

[rchecka]

From what I have heard here and according to this product testing video from DJ City, the Jico replacement styli from Japan are up to par.

[Bob Disaster]

yep Jico and they now have a better version with needle guard and better tracking for scratching

[Tha_Disc_Eater]

Cheers guys - I think I considered those Jico's a while back, but the shipping cost at their website is mental ($22 to ship something that weighs 50g)!

I will look out for a UK stockist....

[Bob Disaster]

https://www.turntabletrainingwax.com...o-m44-7-stylus

[Bob Disaster]

^^^^good people’s at this website

[Tha_Disc_Eater]

Cheers for that Bob, grabbed some.....

Damn my needles must have been worn more than I thought - the new ones sound way better!

[efi4eye]

Evening all,

So, my current N44-7 needles are reaching the end of their lives and I’ve just been looking online for replacements.

It strikes me that “genuine Shure” replacements are scarce and bloody expensive now, so have a few questions.

1. Anyone know any good spots to get proper Shure N44-7 needles from (within the UK or Europe) in the £30 price-range?

2. Anyone have any experience of the “generic” / copy brands - are there any good ones to look out for / conversely any you’d recommend avoiding?

3. Anyone just straight up ditched their M44-7 headshells and cartridges completely and gone for another option – if so what did you go for and how do they compare?

Ultimately, I’m not a “pro/scratch DJ” and have no desire to stand at the tables for hours on end furiously tearing my wax to pieces; I just want a decent, reliable and good sounding cartridge / needle combination that can be replaced at a fairly regular interval, that aren’t gonna break the bank.

Thanks in advance for any recommendations.

I've been using Ortofon Pro S carts / styli for years now and they work fantastic for me. They actually work better on slightly warped records as the bottom surface of the cart isn't as large. They seem to hold the groove really well and only run about $50 USD each

Pro S.JPG

[rchecka]

^Those are my needles too and I concur that they are nice well rounded DJ needles. They are good for back cuing and occasional scratching but not really designed specifically for it. They do however have a Concorde that is designed specifically for it that costs a bit more.

Ortofon Scratch Concorde Mk II Turntable Cartridge and Stylus



I'd say if you aren't going to scratch on the regular the Pro S red is probably good enough but these will for sure last longer and hold the groove better if that's your routine.

Ortofon has a range of Concordes for various applications. I used Shures forever and prefer them for scratching but I'm not that kind of a purist where nothing else will do so I really appreciate Ortofon's needles too.

[mrfantastic]

I found Ortofon's caused a lot of cue burn back when I last had some - although this was when they were first released so may have improved. Anyone find the same?