Gemini HDCN-15 Turntable Headshell and Cartridge (Silver), Headshell and Cartridge, 20.00 x 20.00 x 20.00

This cartridge and headshell package is a Fantastic Deal! And it sounds GREAT! And, according to the package, this has an ELLIPTICAL stylus! ( the product page does not specify) I felt thel need to share a very positive review to advise anyone seeking to restore an old turntable, that they need not spend an inordinate amount on a cartridge. This especially after reading several negative reviews. It really makes me wonder what some people are thinking or are they reviewing some other product? Anybody reviewing anything must have the proper perspective (relative cost) and context (usage). I initially purchased an Audio Technica AT95E based on customer reviews for my Technics SL-Q2. I purchased this combination out of curiosity and the cost ($9.50!). Upon arrival I mounted the AT95E and gave it a spin (on one of my most recent records, though purchased several years ago, it was only played once to digitize it with my now unusable Shure V15 II). The AT95E sounded great. Then I tried the Gemini HDCN-15 and I was surprised to find that it sounded essentially the same as the AT95E! I have played several other records, some old and some newer, country, pop, rock and classical, comparing the two cartridges, facilitated by the 2nd headshell and found I really could not discern much of a difference if any at all. At 63, my hearing is very good and have been enjoying records since I was a teenager when I sold stereo equipment (Marantz, Sony, Pioneer, Technics, AR, KLH, Advent etc) in a retail store before the big chain stores became prevalent. I am not sure what an audiophile is so I would not claim that pedigree to convince anyone of my credibility. Regarding perspective, the Gemini CN-15 cost 1/4 what the AT95E cost. The headshell is aluminum (another reviewer claimed it was plastic? and another called it pot metal?) and well made, maybe not finished as well as the original Technics headshell which was the pattern for the Gemini headshell, except for one extra lightening hole. This headshell threaded to the tonearm very easily. I did have to reverse the wiring to match my original, so I would not know how it would have sounded if I had not. Regarding context, I have no plans to purchase any new record, not at $25.00 and up, so I am really going tp play my 400 + record collection of 50 years, which, though in good to very good condition, I would not consider pristine and therefore not warranting an expensive cartridge. Which, by the way, is not going to make an old record sound any better. I have also found that records purchased at a Goodwill store, if they appear to be in good condition will play and sound quite good, despite not knowing what they were played on previously. Again perspective and context. I hope this helps, in fact I am going to purchase another!

Bought this for my vintage Fisher MT-6310 turntable, based on many positive reviews. It replaced a working "Empire" stylus/cartridge of unknown hours or quality, but was sounding just fine. The replacement took less than 1 minute. After a new counter balance / weight and tracking adjustment to the recommended 2.0, I dropped the needle and was quite amazed at the clarity that wasn't there before. Michael Jackson - Thriller if you're curious. So good, I researched the "elliptical" stylus and that's all I will buy from now on. If it's compatible and you're still reading, just buy it. Outstanding Cartridge!

This is the best value in phono cartridges today! It has sound quality and tracking ability that will hold it's own against many far more expensive phono cartridges. I would say it's a bit warm in character and perhaps slightly soft in the top end. Clarity is surprisingly good, though. Noise, sibilance distortion and IGD are negligible. The reason why I'm giving the pre-assembled Gemini headshell w/cartridge 4 stars instead of 5 is because the wiring is incorrect, and the overhang distance varies wildly. This has been the case on both samples I have purchased. This is nothing a knowledgeable turntable user can't sort out, but it may be a bit more challenging for a vinyl beginner. Don't expect this product to be plug-and-play right out of the package! The quality of the headshell is also not the finest, but that is to be expected. The little pin at the top of the headshell socket may need to be bent a little to compensate for incorrect azimuth on some units. One of mine was dead-on, the other was a little off. I corrected it pretty easily. It's worth taking a little extra time, considering that you are getting a headshell, cartridge and wires for cheaper than most headshells will cost on their own. (In my case, I paid less for the package deal than i would have for just the cartridge.) Once the details are sorted out, this Gemini headshell/cartridge sounds great! I used this on an S-arm Technics SL-1300. Oh, and as others here have mentioned, the tip is conical, not elliptical. While it technically is mislabeled, I would be a little leery of such a cheap cartridge having an elliptical tip, anyway. A decent quality conical will be easier on your ears and your vinyl, than a poorly cut or mounted elliptical tip.

I recently just pulled out my Numark TTusb turntable to convert my vinyl into MP3, and I noticed it stopped playing out of my left speaker, so I tried everything. I replaced the wire, and I messed with the cartridge. I did everything I could. I messed with the software and settings, and nothing worked. So I ordered this, and sure enough, this thing fixed everything. I've got sound coming out of both speakers, and it sounds very high quality, and my records are not even skipping anymore. This thing's awesome!

Before ordering this headshell cartridge I tried ordering a replacement stylus, as that was all that actually needed replacing. Unfortunately, in attaching the new stylus, I inadvertently moved the cartridge out of alignment. This sent me down the rabbit hole of just how involved it is to correctly align a turntable cartridge. After multiple attempts to align, with the sound only worse than before, I returned the stylus and put my old cartridge back on. Surprisingly it sounded better than before, but only for a little while; it still needed replacing. That was when I remembered that when DJing we used to swap out headshell cartridges all the time, with no issues. I didn't want to spend $100 again, when the turntable itself is only about $150, so was intrigued that this headshell cartridge, at this price, had so many positive reviews. I decided to take a chance and am really glad I did. I just threaded it onto the tonearm and resumed playing records, and it sounds great. I immediately ordered another one as a backup for next time. Many have mentioned that it is wired backwards, i.e., what is coming out of the left speaker should be coming out of the right and vice versa. This was not initially an issue but it became obvious when listening to Iggy Pop's The Idiot, so I looked up how to rewire the cartridge correctly. It was easy to do but you have to be careful. I'm no audiophile but I am particular about good sound quality and have hundreds of records in a range of condition. For my purposes this cartridge is great, once the wiring was corrected.

My son purchased a vintage turntable from good will (crazy cheap - $3.50). An Akai AP 207 that needed a little love. Mechanically it worked great, but needed fine tuned. The cartridge and stylus worked OK, but sound was lacking. Since I did not want to put a ton of money into it, I decided to try the gemini headshell and cartridge. Great price with a retro look (and fast shipping!) WOW! what a difference. Clear, crisp and great range of sound. Restore is complete with about $50 invested. No need to spend a bunch of money to get quality. This is an amazing value and an item I will return to purchase in the future!

I have an old 70s turntable, which is basically better than 90% of new models (direct drive, angled arm, auto return, available speed tuning dials, adjustable arm weight, sturdy). Only thing missing was a cartridge with a needle. Instead of trying to fiddle with a 50 year old cartridge, I went ahead and got this new headshell and cartridge combo. I could've got just a new cartridge, but being new to turntables, and not wanting to fiddle with the flimsy wiring on the old headshell, I bought this new headshell. Absolutely worth it in my opinion. It simply was a case of turning the twist screw off the old headshell, adding this new headshell in the same connector (its a standard fitting) and playing some vinyl. I did an A/B comparison of Beck's "Colors" record vs Spotify on good tower speakers, and there was no discernible quality difference. You wouldn't be able to say which is which if you don't know what input was selected, so that's really impressive. For the price paid, that's awesome. The only issue I have with my player now is that vocals are coming out scratchy on some records. It is unclear whether that's poor mastering of the record, or the needle. For now, 5 stars because simply for the price alone and what it offers is worth it.

I'm so impressed at the sound quality I'm enjoying from my old LP's using this unit. I had to do some work on my 17 year old AT PL 120 turntable as the spring loaded lid hinges gave up the ghost. Devised a work-a-round and in setting it all back up again I decided to replace the old stylus. Original stili from audio technicia for this cartridge are $85.00. The knock-off from Needle Daddy was about the price for this entire unit. That stylus had one bad review. To replace the entire head for $25.00 was a no-brainer. I followed a You Tube turorial to set tracking & anti skating after leveling out the turntable. I'm unsure if I can leave a link... there are a number of tutorials out there explaining how to do this. Previous reviews tipped me off to make sure the wiring was corrected between the channels which was easily done. The channel wires need to switched on the back pins. The cartridge had to be aligned using the easily found grid template on line. My unit did not slip right into the tone arm. The pin was just a bit oversize. A few swipes with a watchmakers escapement file made it right. A bit of fine sandpaper should suffice if needed. I'm enjoying records I've not played in decades......

Muy buen precio. Utilizado en tornamesas Technics. No es un fonocaptor de gama alta, el cabezal es de plástico, aunque luce muy bien. El cartucho es Audio Technica, y suena bastante decente. Por el precio, vale la pena, muy buena compra. Como consejo, calibrar el contrapeso a 2.5g. Otros usuarios recomiendan 3g. Todo dependerá del estado en el que se encuentren tanto la tornamesa, brazo, contrapeso, anti-skating y el sistema de elevación del brazo. Y por supuesto, el estado del vinilo. Para los vinilos recién salidos de paquete, la aguja funciona perfectamente bien. Para discos seminuevos de música electrónica, existen mejores opciones para empatar y scratch. Esta aguja denota notablemente el sonido si el vinil tiene detalles o rayones.

This cartridge came in a plastic bubble pack with few spec's so using it is a bit "try and see". With my arm and turntable it seems to need a tracking weight of at least 3 grams to reduce the distortion. There's no indication whether it has a sapphire or diamond stylus, but at the low price I'd guess sapphire, and although it says elliptical on the back it might be a spherical or elliptical stylus depending where you attempt to find some information. I think it is intended as a DJ cartridge, so it's probably robustly designed to withstand 'scratching' back and forth.

Good quality from this

Using on a Technics SL-D202 where I messed up the original needle. Decided to buy a whole new basic cartridge. Guess what? You won't notice a sound difference from higher priced cartridge/needle combos unless you have an audio system that brings out the nuances in the sound. Playing regular classic vinyl and don't want to be gouged by price explosion from this current trends of everyone buying vinyl? Then just get this cartridge and need.e

You get what you pay for , really good better than the cheaper replacements