I also reccomend the awesome Ortofon Bronze cartridge. It has the fullness of the red AND the extra detail of the blue. Money doesn't grow on trees though. I wish they sent you the Concord bronze to compare.
Hi Paul, thanks for the exstensive review. Got a question though; what about overhang? What I know is that a Concorde is made to fit in a Technics SL1200 (or sibling) It has just the right overhang. Audio Technica or Pioneer SL 1200 clones have a slightly different overhang as has the LP5X u have used for this review.
Good question, Ben. I thought I'd grab an 'official' response to this one so chatted with the Ortofon distributor in the UK, Henley Audio who said, "It's true that when you have a fixed cartridge mounting, like with the Concorde, then by its very nature it cannot be perfectly set to all tonearm assemblies. There is a compromise here, and the compromise comes at the benefit of convenient installation. Some tonearms may have further adjustments that help counteract this issue, but with others you will be working within a degree of "tolerance" and it's down to the individual user whether the exact relationship between their tonearm and the Concorde body is acceptable or not. "Of course, the only real way to get as accurate as possible with a shorter tonearm, is to have a manually adjustable cartridge, mounted in a headshell that has enough track in the mounting holes to get the exact alignment and overhang you require."
Hi dear, I have a Ortofon OM cartridge fitted with a 5E stylus. Is it possible to upgrade with OM10 or 20 stylus to that cartridge. Also have a Ortofon Concorde Mk1 fitted with a 5E, same question regarding this upgrade to OM10 or 20 stylus. I got these cartridges with a turntable I just bought. Thanks and brgds.
No I am confused, hope you get to review the Concorde Music Bronze. I was thinking of upgrading my Fluance RT85 to it, but been going back and forth between that and the 2m Bronze.
Wow.I thought tha Thorens arm wa an EMT 929! You can still clearly see the Thorens EMT DNA. My first taste of real Hi END vinyl audio was over the Radio when many stations used EMTs and Ortofnos OM broadcast E styli. Happy simpler days
I prefer the E3 sonically but - as I say in the video - don't forget the breakdown split. This cart, strictly speaking, really isn't in the same price range because you're getting a headshell too. You have to factor in the headshell. A decent Audio-Technica model is around £30 (give or take), for example. So add that to the E3 to get a better comparative price. Also, a pure cart is a different animal. I was hoping you would see that with my 2M comparison and the pros/cons that gives you. That is, with the 2M and others of its ilk, you have to think about the whole installation, set up thing which does scare some people. It's a different pathway. The plug and play Concorde here is much more than just a sonic decision. It's a lifestyle decision too.
I just want to point out that the Ortofon Concorde series was initially marketed towards the low to mid-end audiophile market before it was adopted by the dj community. The Concorde 30 was the first to be released, iirc, in 1979... 🫡
After trying Stanton and various Audio Technica carts the music red blows them all away. Amazing sound 😃
I also reccomend the awesome Ortofon Bronze cartridge. It has the fullness of the red AND the extra detail of the blue. Money doesn't grow on trees though. I wish they sent you the Concord bronze to compare.
Hi Paul, thanks for the exstensive review. Got a question though; what about overhang? What I know is that a Concorde is made to fit in a Technics SL1200 (or sibling) It has just the right overhang. Audio Technica or Pioneer SL 1200 clones have a slightly different overhang as has the LP5X u have used for this review.
Good question, Ben. I thought I'd grab an 'official' response to this one so chatted with the Ortofon distributor in the UK, Henley Audio who said, "It's true that when you have a fixed cartridge mounting, like with the Concorde, then by its very nature it cannot be perfectly set to all tonearm assemblies. There is a compromise here, and the compromise comes at the benefit of convenient installation. Some tonearms may have further adjustments that help counteract this issue, but with others you will be working within a degree of "tolerance" and it's down to the individual user whether the exact relationship between their tonearm and the Concorde body is acceptable or not.
"Of course, the only real way to get as accurate as possible with a shorter tonearm, is to have a manually adjustable cartridge, mounted in a headshell that has enough track in the mounting holes to get the exact alignment and overhang you require."
I have been using the Ortofon Concorde Club MKII for years to dj with, and they are amazing. The sound quality is first class.
Hi dear, I have a Ortofon OM cartridge fitted with a 5E stylus. Is it possible to upgrade with OM10 or 20 stylus to that cartridge. Also have a Ortofon Concorde Mk1 fitted with a 5E, same question regarding this upgrade to OM10 or 20 stylus. I got these cartridges with a turntable I just bought. Thanks and brgds.
Interesting stuff Paul, thanks for posting.
Like number 19 from me!
Jim🏴🙂
I was recommended to look at the Bronze one by a local store
No I am confused, hope you get to review the Concorde Music Bronze. I was thinking of upgrading my Fluance RT85 to it, but been going back and forth between that and the 2m Bronze.
Will you review the Music stylii further up the range?
Not sure. Only because I have a mile-long review queue.
I think it’s a great idea.
Wow.I thought tha Thorens arm wa an EMT 929! You can still clearly see the Thorens EMT DNA. My first taste of real Hi END vinyl audio was over the Radio when many stations used EMTs and Ortofnos OM broadcast E styli. Happy simpler days
It's odd seeing the Concorde on a Fluance turntable, when they are usually seen on a Technics 1200.
Comparison to Goldrings E3, which is in a similar price range?
I prefer the E3 sonically but - as I say in the video - don't forget the breakdown split. This cart, strictly speaking, really isn't in the same price range because you're getting a headshell too. You have to factor in the headshell. A decent Audio-Technica model is around £30 (give or take), for example. So add that to the E3 to get a better comparative price. Also, a pure cart is a different animal. I was hoping you would see that with my 2M comparison and the pros/cons that gives you. That is, with the 2M and others of its ilk, you have to think about the whole installation, set up thing which does scare some people. It's a different pathway. The plug and play Concorde here is much more than just a sonic decision. It's a lifestyle decision too.
Thanks!
I just want to point out that the Ortofon Concorde series was initially marketed towards the low to mid-end audiophile market before it was adopted by the dj community. The Concorde 30 was the first to be released, iirc, in 1979... 🫡
Yes indeed, thanks for the reminder.
how would you compare it to the mk2 club?
The Club has been built for DJ use and is a great tool for that environment so I wouldn't really compare it with this home HiFi cart.