Ortofon celebrated their 100th birthday by unleashing the Concorde MKII DJ cartridges, coincidentally the same year that Shure said they'd had enough of the whole thing. Drew Bach tries out the MIX MKII and CLUB MKII to see if a birthday party is in order.
Ortofon is celebrating its 100th birthday with a reinvention of its flagship Concorde cart. The MKII comes in 5 striking models that broadly match the needs and wallets of DJs. A key element of the new model is the replaceable lifter, meaning no more low rent fixes with plastic ties.
Reloop taps into Orfoton's considerable cart skills, and brings out the Reloop Vibe — an elliptical stylussed (is the even a word?) Concorde cart for DJs.
Despite vinyl booming all over again, most of it is getting bought by people who don't own DJ gear. So while sad, it should come as no surprise that after years of rumours, Shure today announced the end of their phono range. RIP M44-7.
"I swear — it just came off in my hand". The lifter that is. And the new Play Again will not only fix your broken Concorde, but will add colour too.
US: "Is the Shure M44-7 discontinued?". Shure UK: "No it is not". And here's the full story.