👉 Ortofon's most affordable elliptical stylus cartridge. If you're on a budget, this is a great option and will perform better than un-marked stock cartridges.
📊 Best Turntable Cartridges By Price - TTL Levels
This guide features cartridges $500 and under. These are not DJ models.
↳ Best Budget Cartridge at $40
↳ Staple Entry-Level Cartridge at $74
👉 This model has become the standard for entry-level cartridges. Elliptical cartridge and a sturdy metal cantilever for beginners.
Pre-Mounted Model also available
Pre-Mounted Model also available
↳ Upgradeable Entry level HiFi Cartridge at $95
👉 Great sounding elliptical cartridge. When you're ready to upgrade, you can swap the OM 5 stylus with the OM 20 or OM 30.
↳ Best-selling + Most Popular HiFi Cartridge at $100
👉 This model is our top recommendation for $100 and below. An elliptical stylus connects the 2M's great engine (5V output). When you're ready to upgrade, you can swap the Red stylus for Blue or Silver.
↳ Top Value Nude Diamond Stylus at $129
👉 Nude diamond styluses are prized for their clarity and accuracy (vs. diamond-tipped, which feature a diamond tip bonded to a metal shank). The VM95en is one of the most affordable nude diamond cartridges on the market.
• Pre-Mounted Model also available
• Pre-Mounted Model also available
↳ High-End Audio + Easy Installation at $179
👉 The 2M Silver is an upgrade to the popular 2M Red. This comes factory mounted on an Ortofon headshell for easy installation. Lab-Exclusive configuration.
↳ Nude Diamond Stylus, Easy Installation at $250 Range
👉Ortofon's most affordable nude diamond stylus model. Better sound detail and forgiveness than the popular 2M Red; unmounted also available.
↳ A Step Above Elliptical, Nude Microlinear Stylus at $250 Range
👉 Microlinear stylus has a special shape that has more contact area with the grooves in the record, resulting in more sound detail.
• Pre-Mounted Model also available
• Pre-Mounted Model also available
↳ Well-Reviewed Japan-made Cartridge, $350 Range
👉 A tight-specced elliptical stylus and upgraded cantilever deliver great dynamics and wide frequency range. Sumiko's revamped Oyster series has been one of the best reviewed cartridge lines since its introduction in 2020.
↳ Nude Diamond Japanese Cartridge at $350 Range
👉 Most affordable nude-diamond stylus in the Nagaoka line. This super-light tip glides across grooves with great tracking, resulting in a sound users call "bright."
• Pre-Mounted Model also available
• Pre-Mounted Model also available
↳ Entry Point to Moving Coil Design at $400
👉 If you want to explore the qualities of moving coil (more sound detail, requires MC compatible preamp) the Quintet Red is the most affordable option we offer. The Red is known to be a well-rounded cartridge for all types of music. Ortofon describes its output as: "open, dynamic sound with a slight touch of warmth."
↳ Japanese Moving Coil Design under $500
👉 In our opinion, the best value Moving Coil (MC) cartridge. Made and tuned by a Japanese company that has been making MC cartridges for over 50 years. MC cartridges have lighter mechanisms which pick up sound details better than Moving Magnet (MM) cartridges.
This EL Model is made for preamps with MC setting, the EH model works with MM preamps.
This EL Model is made for preamps with MC setting, the EH model works with MM preamps.
🥈Honorable Mention: One-Piece Design With Choice of (5) Stylus Models
👉 Based on Ortofon's industry standard DJ cartridge silhouette, the Concorde Music offers easy installation, high quality stylus choices, and the ability to upgrade with any stylus in the line.