Introduction
Headshells are usually considered a solved problem. Plate with some holes in and a lever, bayonet connector, shiny paint job. Ortofon, however, weren't satisfied with their own SH-4 headshell, so they decided to try something a little edgier.
The Ortofon Evolution is a headshell with some serious industrial design chops. In a field of fundamentally same-old products, the Evolution grabs DJs by the eyeballs.
Build Quality and Electricity (the original 7” version)
The Ortofon Evolution is a relatively solid headshell. It is made from one-piece die-cast aluminium with a standard stainless steel bayonet and gold-plated interconnects.
Unfortunately though, the Evolution is missing the standard Ortofon polish. The silver paint is a bit coarse, with some flecks from poorly mixed paint showing up in the finish of the review model, and the underside of the headshell reveals five mould flashings, very unusual in a modern cast product and a definite cosmetic flaw in this premium product. Cosmetic build quality is definitely poor, and the metallic paint-based finish will scratch, fade and wear much quicker than that of an anodized headshell. The tonearm wires are also relatively average quality, lacking the gold plating and more permanent crimping technique used in other headshells at this price point, including some of Ortofon's own.
Aside from cosmetic issues, the cast-aluminium build of the Evolution is very rugged. The headshell has a significantly thicker aluminium cast than most headshells. While this adds to the weight, the durability does go up as a result. These headshells will not be leaving this mortal earth in a hurry.
Thisaway-no-Thataway
The Evolution has interchangeable weights, one of the drawcards of the Stanton H4-S and many hi-fi headshells. You can leave the shell as-is, or clip in the yellow one gram weight or the red two gram weight to boost the headshell’s original seven grams of mass to a total of eight or nine grams.
While it's certain someone will know why a heavier headshell is desirable, and under what circumstances, normally it's just not an issue for your average disc jockey. You float the tonearm, and dial in the down-force to whatever you wish. If your headshell weighs more, it just changes the counterweight position slightly. Two grams will not make a whole lot of difference, and the number of DJs likely to be worried about resonance in their headshell – the reason weights originally were introduced – is likely to be vanishingly small.
Fashionista
Few people might know what the weight is for, but it's certain is that almost everyone who buys these carts will use one of the two clips for purely cosmetic purposes. The splash of colour on the Evolution sets off most carts very nicely, especially if you happen to have something in red. The clip does not serve any particularly useful purpose otherwise.
In general the Evolution is a bit love-or-hate in terms of looks. It's definitely different from anything else out there, but it's a bit Star Wars. If you like it, great, but it's not something for everyone.
Tooling Around
If I may be permitted to break into first person...
The Evolution comes packaged with a strange chunk of aluminium, pictured below... There's no manual or specification sheet included, the box fails to mention it... Some digging around online illuminated things as far as that it's probably a “New OM mounting tool for easy mounting”. That's copy I hope did not come from Ortofon itself.
I spend a lot of time around tools (literally and figuratively), have installed many-a cartridge into an OM mount headshell, and I am still completely and utterly stumped as to what I'm meant to use this thing for. While mounting a headshell I came up with two or three ways I might use it, but in each way it's, well, it's a poking stick really. After prodding my half-mounted headshell in a variety of fascinatingly contorted ways, I put the tool down and used a much more suited device: my thumb.
So either my humble digit has already out-evolved this “OM mounting tool” or Ortofon's piece of aluminium so advanced it requires a user manual to operate - a scary thought!
Or maybe it's for crushing your DJ enemies? Or at least poking them and giggling? Maybe that's just me.
While we're on topic of things that don't come in the box, the Evolution does not come with headshell screws, a noted oversight. While most cartridges come with screws, they're easily lost, and it's a nice thing to have included in the box. I for one missed Ortofon's super-excellent obsessive-compulsive headshell thumbscrews from the SH-4.
Feeling The Pinch
While the build quality is average and there's a strange lump of aluminium in the box, the Evolution does maintain one major difference between the Evolution and your average headshell past cosmetics. The difference is all in the tonearm lever.
Standard issue headshells generally use a straight, short lever with a nubbin for grip on the end. Difficult to balance on your finger, but not particularly comfortable to pinch either.
The Ortofon SH-4 headshell Ortofon's 'normal' (and excellent) headshell uses a lever protruding at a 90 degree angle from the top of the shell, and on profile forms a reasonably steep 'loop' that hooks over the index finger and rests there – the thumb is only used if more grip is required.
However, the Evolution uses a mixture of the two – a forward-hooking, slightly curved in profile lever, a half-way mix of the loop type design and the parabolic curves floating in an Ortofon industrial designer's mind. The Evolution also has the straight-lever style tiny nubbin on the underside of the tip that provides some texture to 'pinch' the lever for cueing. The net result is that the Evolution is significantly more comfortable to cue with a pinch grip than the standard straight-arm style of headshell. It's still not that great for resting on the finger to cue – it sort of works, but you need to use your thumb.
This may seem like a completely trivial distinction, but ergonomically speaking it may make a difference to the way in which you cue your records and generally how 'nice' a headshell is to use. If you tend to rest the tonearm on your finger then grip with your thumb to drop the needle, a loop design tends to be more pleasant to use – as found on the Ortofon SH-4 and Vestax HS-1. If you rapidly cue records for scratching, or you immediately pinch the lever to cue a record out of habit, the improved nubbin type design of the Evolution will make for a better headshell over any of the short-straight lever designs on the market..
Requisitioning the Style
The Evolution has a Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price of £25, but can be acquired for £20, slightly cheaper with a bit of research.
Citizens of the USA and sundry Americans may have to order this one from Thud Rumble – Qbert's shop seems to be the only US-based online store stocking the Evolution, it seems Ortofon's US distributor didn't pick it up. Thud Rumble sells it for U$27 and change.
This street price places the Evolution as a cup of coffee more expensive than Ortofon's 'normal' headshell, the SH-4, and around twice the price of the cheap Numark or OEM headshells. While the Evolution is definitely a product you would want to use on your primary decks, the price is mostly up to the looks - other headshells at the same price point have significantly better build quality.
Conclusion
The Evolution is a difficult product to review. It's very different from every other headshell on the market, but largely only cosmetically. Once you get past the weird shape and the clip in coloured doodads it's a remarkably unremarkable headshell – cheap headshell wires, mediocre build quality and a painted finish.
To use though the Evolution is a different story. For rapid cueing it's surprisingly nice to use, a definite improvement when using the pinch grip traditional for short-lever headshells. For a more relaxed 'rest on the finger' style though, it still required a bit more grip than the SH-4. If the distinction has to be drawn, the Evolution is a better headshell for DJs who need to work fast, and the SH-4 is a better headshell for DJs snooty about build quality and who don't mind relaxing a bit while they work.
It's a shame that Ortofon didn't carry over the Japanese-made build quality and anodized finish of the SH-4 to the Evolution, which would have made it a truly special product. If you really dig the Evolution's unusual looks though, it's a fundamentally decent headshell so go ahead and grab yourself a pair.
Strengths:
- Quick pinch-style cueing for breaks and scratch Djs
- Unique style
- Same price as other 'name brand' shells
Weaknesses:
- Poor build quality
- 'Rest' style cueing is difficult
- Few stockists outside the UK
Better than: Numark HS-1
Worse than: Ortofon SH-4
But: The pinch-style cueing may work well for you, and the looks are one-of-a-kind.
