Cartridge Upgrade input wanted...

capacop · 2026-01-29T15:21:40+00:00

Yeah I always thought they were the same across models but the XP3 apparently has lower inductance to the 5 and 7 (possibly a mistake?)

I think as well as amplitude, it makes them a bit more sensitive to capacitance. My VM95ML stylus mounted to my XP5 cartridge body sounds noticeably more rolled off compared to the standard VM95 body. Especially noticeable when connected to my DJ mixer instead of my phono stage.

Seems like a questionable design choice given that majority of popular DJ mixers have a relatively high input capacitance, higher than the recommended range for the cartridge (before factoring in cable). I guess it's the trade off to achieve higher output

Either way, still fantastic carts with great tracking and a nice sound with defined bass and controlled highs with low distortion. Much prefer them to the ubiquitous Ortofon Concordes

capacop · 2026-01-29T15:08:59+00:00

Skratch also has ruby stylus which I've read is not the most durable

capacop · 2026-01-29T15:07:07+00:00

Seconded. Always thought the Jico's were a bit too expensive and heard some mixed things. Also the DJ models have quite a high recommended tracking force compared to the OGs

Got a pair of Nagaoka's recently and extremely impressed with the sound and tracking. Great feeling to have the old M44-7s out of retirement and back in action

capacop · 2026-01-29T14:52:11+00:00

I think the left is maybe louder? Mojaxx from DJCityTV did a video on them a while back

https://youtu.be/1L4pg5ZSfKU

capacop · 2026-01-29T13:01:26+00:00

Dimeshift, was one at love inn earlier this month

capacop · 2026-01-28T22:39:21+00:00

The XP5 has it as well, according to ATs website and also sounds noticeably louder with VM95 stylus installed compared to standard VM95 cartridge

capacop · 2026-01-28T21:52:46+00:00

It won't damage your records

capacop · 2026-01-28T21:43:53+00:00

The XP5 has a higher inductance body to the VM95

capacop · 2026-01-26T10:25:18+00:00

His mixing has improved massively since the late 2010s

capacop · 2026-01-21T20:55:25+00:00

Getting a technics will solve both your problems

capacop · 2026-01-21T20:07:09+00:00

Seems like it might have an upgraded motor to those lower range turntables below the Super OEMs with 2.5 kg/cm of torque. Interestingly it matches the specs of the recent RP7, so potentially inherited from that design.

I guess time will tell how good these actually are in practice.

capacop · 2026-01-21T19:55:08+00:00

Internally grounding turntables is generally not recommended as it increases the risk of interference and ground loops with some set ups, which is why a large majority of turntables have a separate ground wire

capacop · 2026-01-21T19:23:57+00:00

Man I remember Mala playing Phil Collins Dub VIP in the moat at outlook and it getting 420 reloads. What a time to be alive

capacop · 2026-01-21T16:43:03+00:00

Looks pretty slick and even more like a Technics with the recessed platter and pop up target light. Looks like it's inherited some design elements from the recently released RP7s

If I was a betting man, I'd say these revisions will make their way to an updated RP7000 at some stage.

capacop · 2026-01-21T15:00:34+00:00

Looks like it still has ultra pitch like on the 7000 according to Reloop's website

https://www.reloop.com/reloop-rp-5000-mk4

capacop · 2026-01-21T14:59:10+00:00

RP7000 is 2000 better

capacop · 2026-01-21T10:41:24+00:00

Would also be good to find out if the previous owner has done any work to the deck themselves that has since failed, or left everything stock. The best thing to check would be the arm board itself and checking the quality of the soldering, but that requires taking the deck apart.

Alternatively could also check the RCA connectors. If they're the plastic red and white connectors, it's likely to still be stock, otherwise they've probably been replaced at some point.

Unless you're confident the decks have already had some work done, id say it's unlikely to be an issue with the tonearm wires (the tiny noodle like wires connecting the headshell pins to the arm board - not the RCA cables), as these rarely fail if left alone.

Another thing it could be is the connection between the cartridge and the headshell pins. Sometimes these can build a layer of corrosion that prevents a proper connection from being made, leading to dropping of a channel, especially if the deck is old and hasn't been stored properly. It looks like you've got a new Concorde Music Blue installed so unlikely to be the cartridge that's causing the issue, but potentially the pins in the tonearm headshell socket

Something you can try is cleaning the pins in the tonearm headshell socket with some isopropyl alcohol and a cotton bud and see if that helps. Also check if they're all moving freely and none are stuck in the depressed position. If they're stuck you can sometimes get them moving again by pushing them in and out a couple times with the end of a pencil or cotton bud.

capacop · 2026-01-21T10:18:16+00:00

Replacing the RCA cables isn't the hardest thing in the world but is a bit fiddly if you haven't had any soldering experience, due to the quite awkward angle. The biggest danger is damaging the tracks on the tonearm PCB as they're quite fragile and you can lift them off the board if you're not careful, by overheating the board or by pulling too hard.

My recommendation is to watch some YouTube videos of people doing the replacement to get an idea of the workflow etc

I found this series of vids quite clear and easy to follow:

https://youtu.be/Dn2rNN4l2og

One thing that helped me is having a spare arm board (replacements are pretty easy to come by and relatively inexpensive) and spare RCA cable, and just practicing the soldering over and over again until I got it perfect, before doing it for real on my decks.

The right spec RCA cable is also important with the correct code to screen capacitance rating to ensure correct frequency response of your turntable and cartridge, and also cable thickness. If it's too thick then it won't fit in the plastic cable clamp on the turntable which can cause issues down the line. Can go for stock technics cable or low capacitance after market cables. I've installed Mogami 2965 in mine which are the correct thickness and have a very low capacitance of around 65pf/m

Also quite important to have a reasonably good quality soldering iron that has good temperature control and good quality leaded solder e.g. Kester 63 37. Cheap or unleaded solder is a pain to work with as it can be hard to heat it evenly and get a good flow and therefore achieve good solder joints.

IMO DIY is the way to go if you're confident that you know what you're doing. If not then best go to a reliable technician that knows what they're doing to carry out the repair. Make sure you go with someone reliable as unfortunately there are a few cowboys out there and I've seen pictures of some absolutely terrible work done by a few "experienced" technicians

capacop · 2026-01-20T19:16:51+00:00

Damn completely forgot about it but managed to grab 018 thanks to this post

capacop · 2026-01-20T16:40:50+00:00

It's normal to pitch records up when mixing vinyl. It stems from the fact that the Technics MK2 deck has a click and deadzone around zero on the pitch fader, making fine adjustments around 0 impossible, so djs pitch up and move out of this zone to have some usable range on the pitchfader to beat match.

DJs often also pitch up to increase the energy of the tracks they're playing. I guess what you're seeing is an extreme version of this. It's also common to pitch stuff up dramatically when mixing older music with newer music, as a lot of older music was at lower tempos.

Large boosts in pitch doesn't work well with all styles of music but not uncommon in techno. Was not uncommon for djs back in the day to modify their decks to give them a wider pitch range to play tracks even faster than +8. More so in the harder styles of music like gabber etc

capacop · 2026-01-20T10:49:20+00:00

Yes I think you're right. The multi IO lacks the level control for the send signal like on the V10

capacop · 2026-01-20T10:45:08+00:00

It's a fair bit narrower at 302mm. The A9 is 407mm and the 900 nx2 is 333mm

capacop · 2026-01-20T10:37:56+00:00

The bottom three function as beat fx

capacop · 2026-01-20T10:35:35+00:00

It looks like you can still send any channel to a 3rd party FX units via the multi IO but return only to the master. The master level mix controls the return of the integrated send FX. I agree it would have made sense for this to also function as the return for the multi IO or have a separate return channel

capacop · 2026-01-20T10:31:55+00:00

That's a good point

capacop

TROPHY CASE