What is the proper procedure for breaking in the OM Serato S-120 ? Just attached it to Thorens TD 240 turntable & it is tracking at 3grms. Sounds great, but a bit sharp on the highs. Maybe just a receiver adjustment. Thank's.
Johnny D.

I think this cartridge is awesome ! But, should I go the extra mile and break it in by playing it for 12 hours ? ( overnight )
It sounds great to me right out of the box but had to mount it on the Thorens Tonearm & set anti-skate & tracking force at 3grms. The AT Cartridge was 1.5grms.
The OM Serato sounds crisper but I don't
know if I should break it in buy letting go all night on manual mmode. Anybody have a sugestion ?
Thank you,
J.D.

Are you playing real vinyl or using them with serato?

Yes. I am playing vinyl 331/3 rpm records on a Thorens Turntable. Thank you.

Like real vinyl or time code vinyl

Real vinyl.

What is time code vinyl ?
All I wan't to know is how to break in the
Serato cartridge/stylus or should I not have to. Thank you

I
Time code vinyl is the vinyl you use with serato

I'm still confused - is he using the S-120 with Serato or not?

Hi detroit,
Sorry your confused. I am using the Ortofon Serato S-120 cartridge on my new
Thorens TD 240-2 Turntable & was looking
for advice on proper tracking force & anti-skate settings. Any advice ?

Thats fine but ....ARE....YOU...USING ....IT....WITH....SERATO

Just using it to play regular 331/3 RPM records. Some are 180 grm. Adiophile high quality vinyl. Serato is the name on the Orthofon headshell. I removed the headshell and mounted the S-120 cartridge onto the Thorens headshell & onto the Thorens Tonearm. The suggested
tracking weight for that cartridge is 4grms
but I think that might be German metric system figures. My Thorens turntable is made in Germany, but the tracking force adjustment only goes to 3grms ( 1 to 3 )

With a Thorens turntable I doubt he's using Serato.
Keep in mind that the S-120 was designed to be used with Serato and time code vinyl. There are better Ortofon cartridges out there for pure vinyl.
Are you using a Concorde shell or the standard type head shell?

Here's a list of the Ortofon line:
ortofon.com
For audio quality and not using control vinyl, I would probably go with the Nightclub II or the Arkiv.
You should follow the recommendations that came with the s-120. Many also recommend a burn in time - letting the needle play for 8-12 hours, but this might not be an issue if you are just listening to vinyl for enjoyment, rather than scratching and mixing.

Well, the headshell came with the Thorens so I guess it is standard. It is playing beautifully & I set the track force in 2grms & anti-skate also on 2. My main concern is if the tracking force is too high which would shorten the lifespan & possibly damage the record. I did let it run for about 8 hrs. to break it in. I read that somewhere also. Thank's for the advice on which Ortofon Cartridge would good for my use. Any other Cartridge suggestions?
Thank you,
John D.

Hell no he's not using Serato with this turntable. This is a Thorens audiophile BELT driven turntable. I'm not sure why he's using a Serato needle with it vs Ortofon Hi Fidelity cartridges that would take advantage of the turntable's audiophile features...

ortofon.com

Probably cost prohibitive, but still...

JohnnyD. - Here is another question for you: Are you DJing with two Thorens turntables (David Mancuso style) or just playing records with one turntable?

Pretty much all Ortofon DJ cartridges have the mid-high and high frequencies boosted to make up for the thick cantilever. The thickness makes it more durable and less prone to breakage from DJing use, but less responsive from a sound reproduction standpoint. This boosting of the upper-end of the audio spectrum makes Ortofon DJ cartridges seem very bright and can suffer, like most all other DJ carts, from sibilance.

If you're just looking for decent Ortofon cartridge for listening purposes, I'd suggest the 2M Bronze, which runs about $400-450 USD. A cheaper option would be the 2M Blue (roughly $250 USD). If you're not stuck on buying an Ortofon, think of other affordable options like Grado, Denon, or Audio-Technica. And if you're on a really tight budget, consider the Shure M97XE (less than $100 USD).

Thank you for the advice. I am not a DJ.
Just a profund listener.

You're quite welcome.

:)

My advice would be to return the S-120 cartridge and use that money for something more appropriate for listening. Plus, the Ortofon S-120 needs a heavier tonearm (like that found on a Technics SL-1200 turntable) to work properly.

You mentioned an 'AT cartridge' - did that come with the turntable? If so, what is it's model number? And did you break that one in first before buying the S-120?

It came with AT 95E.
I just mounted a ShureM97XE
& it sounds great. I think the Ortofon
had a sharper higher pitch sound on the high notes.
This has a more mellow sound & I think
it's a better quality sound. I only played the AT cartridge that came with the Thorens for an hour or so before I switched
it to the Ortofon. Thanks again.