The choice in store for DJs wanting quality cartridges and needles is about to get smaller, with audio company Shure bowing out of the phono game this summer after nearly a century.
The news comes at a time when even the scratch community seems to be moving away from the use of tonearms and therefore cartridges and needles, with products such as Rane’s Twelve turntable controller and MWM’s innovative Phase wireless DVS system making this type of product less relevant.
DJs will particularly miss the iconic M44-7 scratch cartridge, and the more club-oriented White Label.
Big names left in the market include Stanton and Ortofon, although with the problems being faced by Stanton’s parent company Gibson currently, it’s not hard to see a situation where sometime soon, Ortofon – which has recently launched new models into its own cartridge range – may be the only big name left in the sector.
Are you sad to see Shure go? Is this just a sign of the times? Let us know your thoughts below…
Phil Morse
