Ortofon Omega 1e Moving Magnet Cartridge

This is my 3rd purchase in the past Doesn't are so years of this great Pick up As it is a most reliable performer. I have an SL 2500 professional direct professional direct drive turntable. Having spare headshells with cartridges mounted in them is a big deal to me. Then again so is sound quality. I am not only an audio file that has been around the block a viewed times over the past 50 plus years But a distracted als. When I feature the show Vinyl hour with Dwayne Eddie the reaction of my listeners was extremely positive as I could not believe vinyl could sound that good ! Setting up the cartridge is relatively easy Although the competing Audio-Technica VM95C has it beat here with its Mounting threads in the cartridge itself. Nonetheless the omega is fairly easy to mount with the supplied hardware 2 screws 2 nuts. I prefer to use the save vinyl head shells available here on Amazon As the slightly rough outer coating of the head stends to grab the nuts and bolts a lot better than others. Once the cartridge was mounted I then aligned at using the techniques overhang gauge to get it in the ballpark and then my own personal favorite 2 point protractor. This is a bit time consuming if you have not had this experience yet area and s*** with phono cartridges and turned tables but bestation you'll be fine. You may find yourself using language that you never thought possible lol. Once everything was A-line to my satisfaction I reject the tracking weight and set it to precisely 1.75 gras the manufacturer recommends. I then proceeded to give the cartridge about 25 hours of breakim time With some Broadway classical And mild rock. Then it was time to put it to the test with my professor Johnson's astounding sound show that I've had in my collection for years on reference recording records. The omega aced each and every track almost a super faction on both sides of the open yo pay with only a super more expensive hire and pick up Being able to do any better ! It has an amazing ability to reproduce vocals percussion and strings With high accuracy and correSeptember so long as you use a top quality photo stcheck like the rolls VP29. Even more impressive is the longevity of the stylus assembly itself which is a mild elliptical shape. It is well made by the manufacturerachel and I still have my 1st purchase in action after 13 years and it is still sounding quite good if not perfect. So that Bixby's plenty of quality as far as this model is concerned especially at its meager price point of 37 bucks ! Stereo separation is absolutely awesome and at least the specified mark of 25DB at 1 k. Are there better pickups on the market? Of course there are But how much more would you have to spend to attain then you might be disappointed. Hang on to your money and enjoy this lovely 5 star performer and you have to love the high visibility of the omega symbol on the stylus assembly especially if your eyes are old and weak like mine. It picks up the ticks and pops that are on your older records but not quite as annoying as other ones As the cartridge is quite forgiving and sounds very clean without without a trace of um. In fact this is the quietestcartridge in my repertoire. With a good phono preamp you will hear plenty of subtlety and nuance With this omega. You'd have to spend a lot more money my friend in order to get appreciably better performance And sound staging and I do mean much mucho more! Enjoy the music And happy listening PJS2

Terrific sound and easy installation.

I bought this cartridge because it was cheaper that a replacement needle. for an orthofon I have that came stock with my Dual Turntable... I do not play records that often any more so I saw this as a safe inexpensive bet for casual listening at least temporarily till I can afford a replacement needle for my Sure ML140 HE...I was shocked at the sound quality in my Dual turntable...After installing the cartridge and alignment and setting the counter weight... I listened for about 2 1/2 hours, to old LP's that had not been played for a long while, I was so pleased with the sound, you would probably have to pay more that $80 (retail) to get a better cartridge than this for home record playing...( Update) Since then I have noticed some flaws in the cartridge simbalance is slightly pronounced in vocals; making the upper mid-range not as detailed as some of the better cartridges... (Update this may be due to cartridge misalignment...this cartridge is not easy to align because it has no parallel lines but for the price is good and worth the extra effort and also can be upgraded with a better needle...I am now using a Shure M97XE which is a better Cartridge but also cost more....I have been temped to get the Orthofon Stylus 10 upgrade needle to see if that makes this cartridge competitive to the Shure..(Update I did this and it does make the cartridge competitive to the Shure)...I still prefer the sound of the Shure M97XE on some records but The Ortofon Omega has also improved in sound quality....I highly recommend this cartridge for beginners or someone that just bought a used Dual turntable and needs a cartridge...It should also work well on other turntable arms as well as Ortofon claims on their web pages that a lot of their cartridges of similar design are compliance neutral and will work with a variety of Arms..but it is also difficult to align properly due to the lack of parallel lines...There are lots of fascinating stories and rumors about this cartridge on the net...that it started out as a disco cartridge but was fitted with a different stylus for home use...that originally this cartridge was labeled the Ortofon OM 4E and was sold only in Europe but never quite caught on but was originally positioned between the OM 3E and OM 5E in quality....and the stories go on....but what ever the case it is a good cartridge at a bargain price....

As a DJ who has been professional for the last 25 years, and as a guy who loves playing classical music and jazz on vinyl (but is still broke), I am reviewing this Ortofon Cartridge and needle. First off, I purchased this for a turntable used primarily for listening to records in my workshop and not as a DJ cart, so please bear this in mind. As a user of Ortofon Cartridges and needles for many years (I own a set of Concordes and Pro-S Cartridges), and as a convert from the mighty Shure M44-7, this cart is a good compromise between both-easy to mount on a headshell, and fairly easy to set up. I have seen in some reviews that this needle can take some time to 'break in.' That may be quite true...Out of the box, I listened to David Bowie's Changes, and found it to sound, well, just okay...I found some lacking in the highs, a good sound in the midrange and the bass/low end sounded fairly nice to my ears. But I felt the highs were not defined enough (honestly it sounded like the needle may be bad...not too sure about this)...a harsh sound to the high end on most needles signals that either something is out of alignment or that the needle is going bad. So, in my 'infinite wisdom,' I decided to try out a spare needle that I haven't ever used-a yellow-tipped Ortofon 'nite club.' The difference was night and day. This cartridge will accept any of the other Ortofon 'concorde-style' cartridges including the Pro-S, which is a significant upgrade (at near the same price you'll find this cart). However, for most home turntable setups, you could do a lot worse for the price! I would recommend the Omega for anyone who has a headshell and is looking for something different, and if set up correctly I believe this needle will perform admirably and handle anything you can play (save for a 78). But I would definitely spend a little more and get another Ortofon Stylus later on if you find yourself attached...Ortofons have fantastic tracking abilities and are great in noisy, bass-heavy environments like nightclubs. I'd buy this again in a New York minute.

I recently purchased an Ortofon 2M Red to upgrade the Ortofon OM10 that came with my Pro-Ject Debut Carbon turntable. I wanted to get a firsthand experience from three offerings from Ortofon at three different price points, so I added an Ortofon Omega to the purchase, just out of curiosity. I tried different combinations. Now the Omega sits in a 35-year old Technics SL-1400, the 2M went to the Pro-Ject and the OM10 is in an Audio Technica AT-LP1240-USB turntable I recently acquired. I also use older Shure V15-RS and an Audio Technica AT92 cartridges with the Technics. I find the Omega surprisingly good regardless of price. Each Ortofon has a distinct personality. The Omega and the OM have a similar, if not identical cartridge and to my ears, they sound very similar. The sound is velvety and the music has a pleasant, forward quality and presence that allows effortless listening for hours, with excellent midrange. In contrast, the 2M has a more detached and transparent sound, perhaps due to less coloring and slightly better stereo imaging and therefore technically more accurate. Most of the music I play is old vinyl from used record stores, mostly classical piano and symphonic music. The Omega and the OM10 are good matches for this type of use. The Omega hides clicks and pops very well, perhaps because it has a slight tapering at the high end frequency response. The AT92 seems to have better high frequency response, but this translates into more background noise, not necessarily improved listening experience. The Shure is also more neutral, with more prominent background noise. The 2M is now in the Pro-Ject turntable that I use for critical listening, and I use the Omega for more casual listening. The differences in sound are more of nuance, and I have a hard time telling the difference between cartridges except in a deliberate A-B testing experiment. The slight coloring that may be present in the Omega is not bad, in the same sense that the coloring in tubed amplifiers is also sweet sounding to the ears.

I installed an Ortofon Omega cartridge on my vintage and very reliable Technics SL Q3 and have been enjoying what I hear! These carts do ride low(suspension and the angled body profile) but amazed at how well they hold their own(recommended tracking force of 1.5~2g---preferred is at 1.75,which I have mine set to).This little sleek and slick budget priced Ortofon sounds pretty good out of the box.The synergy is fantastic between the Technics SL Q3 and the Ortofon Omega. No sibilance(no "spitty" or distorted consonants,especially the words with the letter 'S',etc.) and NO inner groove distortion(IGD)---It will track those last two songs and tightly packed grooves towards the end of a record side without displaying that annoying screeching sound that lesser quality carts have;It tracks the grooves comparable and confidently akin to a few audiophile cartridges costing twice and even triple its price! Highs and mids very pleasant to the ear---no overt brightness,harshness.Bass is presentable and clean, not "boxy" or bloated.Imaging is decent---just don't expect to hear a wide stereo stage like what is often heard with the Audio Technicas (instruments will not sound like they are playing from beyond or out of your speakers).A very decent elliptical stylus-cartridge indeed.It also looks right at home aesthetically on the Technics. A friend in Michigan asked me how does the Ortofon Omega compare to "pricier" audiophile cartridges...Honestly, it compares favorably in that it tracks exceptionally well and confidently close in tonality to some audiophile carts costing double(my Shure M97xE) or triple(an AT 440 ML that I own).However,the Shure has a smoother tonality and the AT is brighter with a wider stereo stage! Still, you cannot beat the budget price for an entry level audiophile cart such as the Ortofon Omega!---and, NO, it is NOT a DJ scratching cart---geared and marketed towards casual audiophile listening applications---and that's what it is; A great entry level audiophile(non-dj) cartridge that will leave you with plenty of $$$ to buy more VINYL...or ANOTHER Ortofon Omega...and another!

I recently discovered my vintage stereo equipment from the 70s stacked in the corner of my attic, which included 4 turntables and a cigar box of old cartridges and stiffened styli (Some Grado, an ADC XLM III, Nagaoka and Akai; decent cartridges in their time...). The first turntable I decided to try and get going again was a basic Technics SL-23 that was in good shape but with belt in multiple disintegrated pieces. I replaced the belt but as expected, the cartridges sounded like crap. I went on-line to look for a replacement cartridge; a cheap one to start off with. I was about to buy a yellow Audio Technica cartridge with a conical/spherical tip. Just before hitting the purchase button to clear my cart, I decided to have another look at similarly priced cartridges and was intrigued by all of the good reviews for the Ortofon Omega. So I ordered one and just finished setting it up. Put on Chuck Mangione's 'Feels So Good', turned it up and wow, just WOW!!! Nice, smooth, balanced character with a nice, realistic soundstage. It could just be that I was first trying to listen to some old, stiff cartridges before setting this up but I know for sure that you can't go much wrong for around $30 with this Ortofon Omega! I don't know if the slightly cheaper yellow AT cartridge would fare any better but I am very happy with this 'cheap' cartridge. I think you'd have to spend a hundred bucks more to get substantially better sound. Though I was skeptical at first, I agree with the other positive reviews of this cartridge; I am a believer. For the record (pun intended, LOL), I am running this through a Luxman Receiver (R-1050), EPI 100s, Dynaco A-38XLs and Yamaha subwoofer. Fully re-living the age of Stereo HiFi, with a lot of help from an affordable, impressive Omega Cartridge by Ortofon!

Was the perfect fit for a Fisher MT-125 I picked up at a thrift store. Was getting ready to purchase a AT-VM95C, but after the price jumped form $40 to $50, I decided to take a chance on the Omega 1e and I'm glad I did, the Omega 1e has a much better elliptical stylus and it's higher compliance making it better suited for turn tables with low mass tonearms. Overall quite pleased with my purchase, the Omega 1e punches well above it's price point offering exceptional sound quality and almost no surface noise except for the occasional pops and clicks which is to be expected with 45s and LP's that aren't in mint condition. One of my LP's has a slight surface scratch that would cause the original cartridge to skip, with the Omega 1e, skipping is no longer an issue.

Exelente

Exactly what I needed. Shipped promptly and packed well. Even though this isn't a premium stylus, the cartridge offers an excelkent uograde path. That said I'm really satisfied with the Omega. Sounds great.

Una excelente opción para obtener calidad de sonido a un precio accesible. Es una gran opción para quienes van iniciando en el mundo del vinil y quieren mejorar su tornamesa.

Next step up from a basic cartridge. Wonderful warm sound.

Me gusta mucho la marca de hecho, en cuanto recibí el cartucho lo instale en mi Tornamesa Teac y a disfrutar de ms acetatos Sustituí un cartucho de otra marca también muy buena, que ya estaba muy gastado.