Ortofon’s workhorse universal headshell: anodised aluminium, gold-plated pins, and everything you need to mount a cartridge in the box. The SH-4 is the headshell Ortofon uses for every factory-mounted cartridge it sells, which is a reasonable endorsement in itself. Ortofon describes it as meticulously crafted for seamless integration with S-shaped tonearms featuring a universal mount — in plainer terms, the standard SME-type bayonet fitting found on Technics SL-1200-style decks and most classic Japanese S-arms. It is anodised aluminium with gold-plated terminal pins, 9.2g bare and 9.4g with screws, 51.5mm long and 20.0mm wide. The mounting slots give a cartridge-to-collar distance of 36.4 to 45.4mm, and that range is what lets you set overhang properly rather than accepting whatever the slot happens to allow. Ortofon calls out the long finger lift as an ergonomic feature, and it is one — cueing by hand is far less fraught with something substantial to hold. The box includes screws, nuts, washers and lead wires, so nothing else is needed to mount a cartridge. For most people running an S-shaped arm this is the sensible default: cheap enough to own two or three so you can keep a stereo cartridge, a mono cartridge and a 78 tip permanently set up and swap between them in seconds. Features Anodised aluminium construction with gold-plated terminal pins Fits S-shaped tonearms with a universal bayonet / SME mount 9.2g bare, 9.4g including screws Mounting distance adjustable from 36.4mm to 45.4mm for setting overhang Long finger lift for easier hand cueing Screws, nuts, washers and lead wires included The same headshell Ortofon uses for its own premounted cartridges Specifications Type: Universal headshell for S-shaped tonearms Material: Anodised aluminium Terminal Pins: Gold-plated Weight: 9.2g without screws; 9.4g including screws Length: 51.5mm Width: 20.0mm Mounting Distance: 36.4mm minimum to 45.4mm maximum Fitting: Bayonet / SME. Fits S-shaped tonearms with a universal mount — the standard fitting on Technics SL-1200-style decks and most classic Japanese S-arms In the Box: Screws, nuts, washers and lead wires Combined Weight with a 2M Cartridge: 16.7g, the figure Ortofon publishes for all its premounted 2M cartridges — worth checking against your arm’s counterweight range Pin Diameter Note: Ortofon notes that its cartridge terminal pins are 1.2mm in diameter while its headshell pins are 1.0mm Origin: Ortofon A/S of Nakskov, Denmark. Ortofon states that all its cartridges are designed and crafted in Denmark Warranty: Ortofon Inc. covers products bought from an authorised US dealer for one year against defects in workmanship and materials, and excludes expendable items — which on any normal reading excludes the stylus. Ortofon’s own webshop terms quote two years instead; a US dealer purchase falls under the one-year terms Not Published: Azimuth adjustability — Ortofon makes no claim either way; the lead wire model or conductor material; effective mass or any tonearm-matching guidance; finish detail beyond “anodised aluminium” Note: Ortofon’s hi-fi catalogue lists the SH-4 in black only. Other colours — blue, bronze, silver, pink — exist within Ortofon’s DJ range and appear in its own product URLs, but there is no standalone product page for them on the hi-fi side, so availability cannot be confirmed from Ortofon’s own listings
