Buyer's overview
DJ cartridges: 7 devices at a glance
The cartridge is the part many people forget with a first vinyl setup — and without it no sound comes out. For DJs what counts is not the last bit of resolution but that the needle stays in the groove, even when the record is handled. That is why DJ cartridges come pre-mounted on a headshell and are tuned differently from hi-fi styli. And here too: two decks means two cartridges.
up to €100
Ortofon
Concorde MKII Mix
A DJ cartridge in the Concorde shape — mounts straight on the tonearm without a headshell.
- Mounts on the tonearm without alignment
- Made for mixing, not for hi-fi listening
- You need one per turntable
Ortofon
Concorde MKII DJ
The entry to the Concorde range: spherical, robust, cheap — for everything except scratch battles.
- The cheapest Concorde
- Spherical, forgiving
- Less detail than Mix and Club
Audio-Technica
AT-XP3
An entry-class DJ cartridge — the alternative to Ortofon when the turntable brings none.
- Pre-mounted on a headshell
- Built for DJ use, not for the hi-fi shelf
- Less resolution than the pricier Concorde models
€100 to €200
Ortofon
Concorde MKII Club
The club variant of the Concorde: elliptical stylus, high output, more precise than the Mix.
- Elliptical stylus: more detail, less wear
- Loud enough for any mixer
- Less stable in the groove when scratching than Scratch and Mix
Ortofon
Concorde MKII Scratch
Built for back-cueing and cuts: spherical stylus, very high tracking stability.
- Stays in the groove, even backwards
- Spherical stylus, robust
- Sounds less detailed than the Club
Audio-Technica
AT-XP5
The middle DJ cartridge of the range — above the XP3, below the XP7.
- Pre-mounted on a headshell
- Built for DJ use
- Two decks means two cartridges
€200 to €350
Audio-Technica
AT-XP7
The biggest DJ cartridge of the range — built to stay in the groove under rough handling.
- Built for tracking stability
- Pre-mounted on a headshell
- The dearest of the range
Frequently asked questions
The questions people actually ask before buying — answered from what we can back up. Daily prices are deliberately not part of it.
- How does a DJ cartridge differ from a hi-fi one?
- A DJ cartridge tracks at a higher force and has a sturdier stylus assembly. It is meant to stay in the groove when you touch, pull back or scratch the record — exactly the loads a hi-fi cartridge is not built for. The price you pay is more wear on the record.
- Do I need two cartridges?
- Yes, one per turntable — and ideally the same model twice. Two different cartridges differ in level and in brightness, and you would end up compensating for that by hand on every single transition.
- What do SP-mount and headshell mean?
- Two mounting styles. An SP-mount cartridge screws straight onto the tonearm and sits lower — common for scratching. A headshell cartridge sits in a holder you can detach and align. Both fit common DJ turntables; the question is whether you would rather swap or rather adjust.
- When do I need to replace the stylus?
- The stylus is a wear part, and how long it lasts is something the manufacturer states for its own model — a general figure in hours would be guesswork. You hear it before then: the highs get rough, loud passages distort, the cartridge skips more easily. At that point a replacement is overdue, otherwise the record takes the damage.
Other categories
Everything together, filterable by setup and budget, is in the catalogue. Why we recommend what we recommend is in the buying guide. To the equipment catalogueTo the buying guide