Audio-Technica VM540ML MicroLine Dual Moving Magnet Stereo Turntable Cartridge Red

I will second all of the reviewers on here touting the inner-groove distortion benefits of this cartridge and the stylus (VMN40ML red) combo. While it ameliorates most of the distortion there is still a pinch of it left, but it is a huge improvement. Like others have said, once you start hearing it in your records, you can't un-hear it. I had a particularly bad case of it with the "A Time For Love" LP by Bobby Hackett on a Project 3 record that was impossible to get rid of the distortion with anything I tried. This AT cart and stylus combo made the whole record sound much clearer. I'm in the process of dubbing my albums to USB sticks so I can play them back through my Yamaha RX-V6A, much like a record changer did back in the day. These are my relaxing patio records. This cart and stylus combo is prompting me to start over with my A1 records and re-dub them. It does come with a few caveats, but I think, even those are starting to improve as I break in the cart and stylus. One is a much more delicate-sounding high end, very clear, not shrill or sibilant, but it is brighter with a higher pre-emphasis than I'm used to hearing from an RXP3 or a Sumiko Olympia or even a Jico stylus. It is a little more scientific sounding like the Shures are, but it's starting to grow on me. I'm realizing when I process out what few pops and ticks I do have with Adobe Audition that the accuracy in which they are removed is a lot more precise, with no aberrations of Bobby Hackett's coronet, or ruining of the horns and saxes in big band arrangements, which is often the case with less accurate carts. Oft times in the past I had to skip over these sections of the music and hand remove the heavier ticks. But, now, I find the extra work isn't necessary with an improved cart and stylus and the automatic settings in the software often fare just fine with the musical material. Also the bass started out thinner on this cart, but, it's now starting to broaden out and get deeper with use. Like all new carts, it just takes awhile to loosen up and become more compliant. This stylus is a nude micro linear cut and does a sweet job tracking the groove while skipping through the surface noise like 80% of it isn't there any more when I compare it to an elliptical. This stylus effortlessly tracks down in the groove where a lot of stylii probably haven't tracked before. Some of the mint vintage vinyl I've recently acquired still plays with some surface noise on an elliptical, even after very thorough wet cleaning. This AT gets through those same passages with way less noise than the ellipticals do. So far, I'm very impressed. I'm only using this to dub my A1 vinyl, I switch back to the ellipticals for unknown records, until I get a feel for whether they are worthy of the treatment from this cart/stylus combo. As for the sound, the detail is much improved, even over my Sumiko, which I thought was a step up from my tried and true Shure carts from decades past. The delicacy of the reproduction in the speakers is reflected in the fact the stylus cantilever is also a delicate mechanism, totally able to roll with the perturbations of the groove. The mechanics of the AT remind me of some earlier MM designs from the 1960's, but I'm sure the stylus cut and higher output magnets, coupled with better hum-bucking coils have improved this cart's performance over any of those old predecessors. Another caveat, make sure your stylus is firmly seated when you get it, mine was slightly ajar, it played, but it was weak and slightly out of balance and had a light hum in the right channel. Turns out the stylus needed to be re-seated to get the full output and balance it out correctly. Also, the hum was caused by a defective new headshell. Once swapped, the AT cleared up and now plays like a champ. I was sorely disappointed at first, until I decided that a headshell swap was worth a try, and sure enough, it was worth all the effort. Another caveat, the cart body is wide, so you will need thin hex nuts or round nuts for your mounting hardware. Keep the screws as short as you can, because any screw thread protruding down will cause the stylus not to seat properly, or worse, cause it to be pushed out away from the cart body as you're mounting it, the screws have a tendency to want to toe out away from the body, if they are too long, and they catch the edge of the stylus grip on the way out as they splay. Just be aware. It's not too fiddly to get it to go right once you get the right hardware combo. Fortunately, I had plenty to choose from to make it work, from years of collecting TT hardware. Channel balance is within spec according to the computer captures I've made so far. Frequency looks to really top out at 24 to 25kHz, where the same recording on my Sumiko is extended to about 28kHz. Bass looks typical, down to about 5-15 Hz, with a -8 to -12 dB rolloff under 38 Hz. My Cambridge Alva Solo is already a tad rolled off here, too, so any drop off in bass can be noticeable on this cart, but like I said, it's starting to pick up after about 15 hours on it. It's not as warm as any of my other carts yet, but, I think it will get there in the next few weeks. As it warms up, it's starting to level out with the highs and is starting to sound more balanced. So far, sonically, it's shaping up to be a nice cart. I was fortunate to find this on Amazon as an open box, apparently someone wasn't willing to take the time with it to break it in, but I saved a bundle of bucks, so sometimes, you luck out. I know AT has a reputation for making shrill-sounding carts, while this one is noticeably bright, it is at least accurately so and it's starting to become fuller with each play. I think, in due time, this will level out to be an extraordinary player. It was definitely an upgrade for me from my already-nice Sumiko Olympia and assortment of Shure, Ortofon and AT carts. I would have likened this to the Ortofon Blue in the beginning, but even now, it's exceeding the blue by a few hundred yards in the sonic footrace. This is now my top player. Freq Resp: 20-27k, Opt 4mV, Ch. Sep. 28dB, Opt Bal. 1dB, Trk. Force 1.8-2.2g (2typ), Coil Imp. 2.7k(1kHz), DC Ohms 800, Load Imp 47k (typ), Load Cap. 100-200pF, Coil 480mH(1kHz), Static compliance 40x10(-6)cm/dyne, Dynamic compliance 10x10(-6)cm/dyne, Stylus Curve Radius 2.2 x 0.12mil, Aluminum tapered pipe cantilever, VTA 23 deg., Cart wght. 6.4g (almost a half gram heavier than the Sumiko).

Microline stylus,which means a long life and no inner groove distortion, and it has amazing sound quality. The only thing that some may not like, is that while being less pronounced than an AT440ML cart, the signature hike above 1Khz can be a bit fatiguing to many listeners until the stylus breaks in. It dims down some but is still prevalent. A nice tube preamp or EQ in your system can solve it altogether. I don't mind it, though.PROS: Fantastic sound, when set up properly it can eliminate IGD on even the loudest records, tracks like a champ at a light tracking force. Best value for a cart of this price that I've ever seen.CONS: Sound profile can be fatiguing for some listeners. The cart can also be sensitive to anti-skate adjustments, so make sure it's set properly. Use a CD or Laserdisc to help with that. Thanks to the type of stylus, more worn, dusty, and noisy records will show their flaws easier. Can be hard to install for a beginner.BOTTOM LINE: A well made, fair priced intro to Microline styli, and a solid upgrade above similar competition from Ortofon and Grado, for people who are already into vinyl. If you're not familiar with an Audio Technica sound profile, you probably won't like this cart right off the bat. This also isn't the cart for you if you play records that aren't in decent enough shape or not cleaned properly.

Purchased this cartridge as a backup cartridge for my Dual 1229. Read the many reviews and decided to buy this cartridge. Always had great satisfaction with the AT cartridges I've purchased in the past, so decided to give this one a try. Note: I currently have six turntables and I have AT, Pickering and Shure cartridges mounted and as spares.Mounting this cartridge was very easy. If you've never mounted your own cartridge, they are quite simple to mount as long as you take your time and pay attention to what you're doing.Calibrating was also quite simple. I use the Turntable Phono Cartridge Stylus Alignment Protractor Tool Mirror, followed by the Neoteck Digital Turntable Stylus Force Scale Gauge 0.01g Blue LCD Backlight for Tonearm Phono Cartridge. Mounting and calibrating took all of fifteen minutes. I've mounted many, but if you're new to this, maybe 30 minutes tops.Played a new album I recently purchased, Eye In The Sky, Alan Parsons Project. I wanted to see how clearly the various instruments were produced and how effectively, harmonically, they were presented. I was quite pleased. A few minor adjustments on the EQ to make adjustments for room acoustics and the music sounded as I had hoped that it would.Next I played another new album. New, but I've listened to it many times all ready. Orgy Of The Damned. This album has so much to offer music-wise that I knew the cartridge would be put to the test. Once again I was quite pleased. The music clean and instrument separation and personality unquestionable.Bottom line, and this knowing that this cartridge is new and will only get better as the hours of play increase, I highly recommend this cartridge. Since mounting, I have played many of my favorites and have not been disappointed.Now the question is do I put the old cartridge back on? I did buy this one as a backup after all and the original cartridge, a Shure, is a dynamite cartridge on the Dual. Ah, I'll give it a few weeks.