New Ortofon Cartridge! - Ortofon VNL

I'm sure that DJ cartridges and record needles are the next thing that vinyl-loving DJs want after vinyl records. I'm sure I'm not the only one who says that purchasing sound sources and equipment motivates them to go to events and practice! I'm sure I'm not the only one.

By the way, here is the cartridge I usually use.

■ ORTOFON / OM NIGHTCLUB

The sound of this cartridge is powerful in both high and low frequencies, and is recommended for dance music, especially for DJs of 4-beat HOUSE and TECHNO. It is also a good point that you can choose the needle tip shape between NIGHTCLUB "S" and OM Night Club "E". The production and supply of the OM Night Club "E" has already been discontinued by the manufacturer, but I really wanted the limited edition model with the yellow headshell, so I looked around for it at various street stores and got it (lol).

Speaking of ORTOFON, the Concorde series below is famous, but the OM type is also irresistible not only for its sound quality but also for its design.

■ ORTOFON/Concorde MKII Series

ORTOFON/ Concorde MkII MIX TWIN
ORTOFON/ Concorde MkII DJ TWIN
ORTOFON/ Concorde MkII SCRATCH TWIN
ORTOFON/ Concorde MkII DIGITAL TWIN
ORTOFON/ Concorde MkII CLUB TWIN

Now, this month, a new cartridge will be released from ORTOFON, a standard brand of cartridges!

■ ORTOFON / VNL

https://www.ortofon.jp/product/2/173
A new OM type cartridge is now available. The simple design based on black and white is very cool. It is said to be a new DJ cartridge from Ortofon for skilled DJs.

■ Features

＜Specifications＞
●Output voltage (1kHz, 5cm/sec.): 6mV
●Channel separation (1kHz): 20dB
●Frequency response (20Hz-20,000Hz): -2dB/+4dB
●Tracking ability (315Hz, under proper needle pressure) ●Tracking ability (315Hz, under proper needle pressure): Exchangeable needles "I" 100μm, "II" 90μm, "III" 90μm
●Horizontal compliance: Interchangeable needles (I) 16μm/mN, (II) 15μm/mN, (III) 14μm/mN
●Stylus type: Spherical　
●Stylus tip radius: R 18μm　
●Cantilever material: Aluminum　
●Appropriate needle pressure: 4g　
●Internal impedance: 700Ω
●Internal inductance: 450mH　
●Recommended load resistance: 47kΩ　
●Internal inductance: 450mH
●Recommended load resistance: 47kΩ
●Recommended load capacitance: 200-600pF　
●Dead weight: 6.5g

It is designed to provide excellent resistance to severe scratching and backspin, and to minimize record wear. It also provides high tracking performance both when using control records in a DVS environment and when using normal records. It has also been tuned to achieve the best balance between cartridge output and sound quality. The output level is 6mV, the same as the Concorde MKII series mixes and DJs, which will allow you to play with a sense of volume, and it will be beautiful no matter what genre of record you play. The appropriate needle pressure is 4g, which is the same as the DIGITAL and SCRATCH products in the Concorde MKII, so tracing seems to be very stable. I love NIGHT CLUB, but I'm really looking forward to hearing what this VNL will sound like, and I can feel the passion of ORTOFON in it! And the black and white design. The black and white design matches perfectly with the black ORTOFON SH-4 headshell, and it makes me want to own one.

■ Three types of interchangeable needles are available!

The first model will be sold in a limited package that includes one cartridge and three types of interchangeable needles marked "I", "II", and "III". The three types of interchangeable needles differ in the softness of the suspension mechanism including the damper, with "I" being the softest and becoming harder as the number increases. The three different types of interchangeable needles can be used in different ways depending on the DJ's style of play, allowing for a more ideal performance. I'm sure you'll love it.

Product Images
Replacement Needle	VNL I	VNL II	VNL III
Product Images
Output voltage （1kHz, 5cm/sec.）	6mV	6mV	6mV
Channel Separation（1kHz）	20dB	20dB	20dB
Frequency response	20Hz-20,000Hz(-2dB/+4dB)	20Hz-20,000Hz(-2dB/+4dB)	20Hz-20,000Hz(-2dB/+4dB)
tracking ability （315Hz、 Under proper needle pressure ）	100μm	90μm	90μm
Horizontal compliance	16μm/mN	15μm/mN	14μm/mN
Stylus type	Spherical(丸針)	Spherical(丸針)	Spherical(丸針)
Stylus tip radius	R18μm	R18μm	R18μm
Appropriate needle pressure	4 g	4 g	4 g
Needle pressure range (recommended value)	3 – 5 g	3 – 5 g	3 – 5 g
Internal impedance	700 Ohm	700 Ohm	700 Ohm
Internal inductance	450 mH	450 mH	450 mH
Recommended load resistance value	47 kOhm	47 kOhm	47 kOhm
Recommended load resistance value	200 – 600 pF	200 – 600 pF	200 – 600 pF
Recommended anti-scaling value(during back-queuing)	0	0	0
Cartridge weight	6.5 g	6.5 g	6.5 g

■ summary

As a DJ, it can be hard to find the right equipment when you have to spend so much money on sound sources, but it would be great if you could enjoy music with great cartridges.