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Ortofon Cartridge Questions

So I have a Rega P1 I was thinking of updating the stylus, but I have a question of the cartridge. The P1 comes with the Ortofon OM5E and I know you can simply update the stylus to say the OM30 which is an easy update, my question, however, is this, I have noticed through research that the cartridge on the OM5E is not the same as the Super OM-30, I know the stylus is interchangeable but will I gain anything by switching the whole cartridge to the Super OM? It's only 20 dollars more for the whole cartridge vs the stylus so it's not a big expense.
chasev37
fap
32 posts
 
Good morning, an interesting question. Having used the Super OM model myself, I think an upgrade to the Super OM model cartridge is worthwhile.

The situation is confused by the fact that that the styli will fit any similar Ortofon model. However the general cartridge specs are somewhat upgraded on the Super OM cartridges, apart from the stylus itself. Regards, Fap
chasev37 OP
1 posts
 
Thanks a lot. This is what I suspected. I just couldn't find a clear answer anywhere. So Thanks again!
bondmanp
1,816 posts
 
Chasev37 and Fap: I have a Super OM10 on my stock Thorens TD-166 MkII. Have either of you upgraded to the 20 or 30 styli? If so, can you describe the differences you noticed with the upgraded stylus? Thanks in advance.
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
If it's that little money to get an OM Super body, definitely do that. One reason to stick with the OM series is that the OM carts with their head weights removed are *very* light (under 3g, I believe), and it's my understanding that the P1 tonearm is balanced for that cartridge. Therefore, if you change to a heavier cart it might require adding an auxiliary tonearm weight.
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