Buyers Guides
All DJ Store packages come supplied with carts, the model fitted depends on the deck. Changing and upgrading your carts can make a big difference to your performance and sound quality, but like everything in life, they general rule of thumb is you get what you pay for - more expensive carts hold the record better, and sound better too.
Higher up the price range you'll find carts that are aimed at different types of DJ - such as the Shure M447's which are highly regarded scratch carts, Ortofon Elektro's which are excellent for dance music, and Nightclubs, which are meant to offer the best sound quality.
When you buy carts, they always come with a stylus, but stylus are also available seperately for each cart we sell - you'll find them on the cartridge product page - under related items.
Don't forget that if you're stuck for a gift idea for a DJ, then if they play records, carts are a pretty good bet.
A stylus travels about half a mile playing one record - and like the tyres on your car will wear more if you drive like an idiot - so look after it - a damaged stylus could damage hundreds of your records - which will cost a lot more than a new stylus.
There is no ideal weight for carts and stylus - but 3 grams is usually a good starting point - although the manufacturer will give a recommended weight - this is a guide - and you may need to add more weight to get the desired amount of record holding. The more weight you add the better the record holding, but the more record wear - it's a fine balance.
If you find the sound distorts, it's usually one of two things - too much or too little weight, or it's connected up incorrectly. If your deck buzzes when you touch it, it's an earthing issue - check the carts correctly wired, and that the ground is connected to your mixer.
Wire up and set-up your cart by following the instructions supplied with the cart - there are different rules for different carts. You'll need to re-adjust and rebalance your deck each time you fit a new cart - so again follow the instructions with your deck - don't just stick it on and hope for the best.
Any Ortofon Stylus fits any Ortofon cart, but you'll only get the performance of the cheapest part of the system - fitting a nightclub stylus to a Pro cart doesn't make it a Nightclub Cart and Stylus.
Change your stylus every 600 hours if you mix - that’s about every six months if you use your decks for about 3 hours a day - more frequently if you scratch - change your carts once a year, and you'll notice an improvement in sound quality.
If you're changing your stylus - change both at the same time - just change one and the new one will sound better than the old one.
Eliptical tipped stylus will sound better than shepherical ones - and they wear your records less - but they don't hold the record as well. They are more accurately cut, making them more expensive. Most DJ stylus are spherical - if it doesn't say differently then assume it is.
