Recommended
No
I've used this model and the black model and it's not that noticeable a difference, these work great and sound great. I have owned several sets of Ortofon cartridges in the past. They've always been a bit finicky about making a solid connection to the tonearm, and I was used to all the usual manipulations to get them to sound stereo. But this one works great and sounds good. Highly recommended.