Audio-Technica VM740ML MicroLine Dual Moving Magnet Stereo Turntable Cartridge, Red

I was surprised by how resolving this cartridge/stylus combination actually is. Paired it with a hybrid 1200 clone (Reloop Turn 5), and modest yet halfway decent quality discrete stereo system. Takes awhile to get the head-shell mounting right and adjustments all correct - which is my only real negative point in this review - but doing so very very carefully, is truly worth all of the time and effort. Even considering my less-than-ideal tonearm match, it provides all the high-end detail of the laser micro-styli (which I wasn't honestly expecting, ...and kind of left me flabbergasted) but without the added "pitch sizzle" on dynamic high frequency modulations, for lack of better vernacular. The hi-frequency response is still all there, however it comes across *much "SMOOTHER" to the ear* than the other more modern micro or ridge stylus designs to which I've listened or owned. The "presence" arrives more like flowing aural butter at the eardrums than projectile auditory razor-blades. In abstract audiophilish terms, the treble from this stylus is more "liquid crystalline" than the "crispy sizzle" which I have experienced listening to the ultra-fine-line shapes over the last 25 years or so. A few friends have literally offered interjections regarding the incredibly rich, precise bass it produces, asking "How'd ya get an old record to sound like that?!?" There is no "Ghost Bass" phenomenon occurring with this model. Although I really like the micro-line/ridge sound, if one were to ask a seasoned musician about what "Sustain" in an acoustic instrument is, and then applying that concept to styli, "ghost bass" or "phantom bass sustain" will make much more sense. The 750 is neither boomy or overbearing in the low end though, which had supposedly been a characteristic of the shibata design that kept me away from trying them in the past. It is solidly accurate, thoroughly "full" when bass strings get slap-popped, tympani drums are struck, or when a synth-key is depressed, for example. The heavier tracking of these models may have something to do with it. I am no expert, but to my ear, this design sounds well-rounded.Comparing directly with the purple (440), I must say that the 750 is just flatter across the response. The micro-lines or ridge diamonds will seem to immediately give the listener a greater sense of sound-stage "depth/dimension" but after a few minutes, it becomes evident to good ears by direct contrast that the micro-line type is simply bolstering that sense of "space" in the recording by subduing the mid-range enough to somehow triangulate the pitch timbres (I think?), hence creating illusory "depth." Not so with the 750sh. At outset, for a minute or two, it definitely sounds "shallower," than the "one-horned purple needle eater" (albeit dynamically excellent), until one realizes shortly thereafter it only seems that way at first compared to the micro, because the shibata's mids are all fully present in output level. I'm sure the materials the carts are constructed from is also playing a part as well, though to what effect I do not know. Stereo separation on the 700 body is superb. The micro contacts IME, deliver wonderfully accurate, yet "dry and crispy" detail, whereas the shibata on this cart provides the same detail and accurate subtlety (nothing's "missing), but sounds easier on the ear in a way that is "lush and silky," however still more resolute or clear than a fat-needled equivalent Nag cart (where the mids/treble sound to me as if ever-so-lightly filtered through the "underwater" clean electric guitar effect heard on so many 80's pop albums). This cart has warmed up just a touch through break in, but I haven't noticed any loss of information. I have not heard the SLC stylus, however by examining the design, it does appear that it might also possibly convey some manner of the "ghost bass." At two-hundred + dollars more in price than the shibata, I'm sure it's very nice, but without hearing it, that was a gamble I wasn't about to wager on.I would say this product may be a tonal vs. budgetary sweet spot for many folks who are still serious about the enjoyment of their LP's, but are maybe not wanting to spend or not able to afford paying to achieve "unequivocally breathtaking" sound quality, or just have no desire to engage in what really amounts to being some sort of tonearm-measuring competition for the economically well endowed, to the tune of what working people pay for new autos and prime-location tenancies. Nothing new there. In contrast to other roughly equivalent units, this model's midrange is not overly pronounced, as I've heard with one big competitor's closest offering (bronze), IMO, and the AT's slightly larger-radii shibata diamond does not seem to magnify imperfections and the like quite as much as the competing top-of-line (black) MM apparently does, nor does it come close in cost to either that or the higher tier Nag w/similar stylus. Again, the stylus/cantilever assembly is thin, fragile, and sensitive to stupidity, and to add frustration, the bolt/screw-nut mounting adjustment is finicky and time consuming, but that's the only real negative I've discovered ....yet.Sound-wise, it's been smooth sailing.This may be a "Goldilocks-Zone" cartridge for many folks out there.This cartridge is tonally not too hot, and not too cold.It's ...just right.Recommended.

MY RECORDS: I have been collecting LP records since the middle 1950s, mostly classical, these mostly symphonic, with a few experiments, and all I could find of Nancy Sinatra. I have over 400 records, and I've cared for them and play them still, often. Over the years, I've had many different rigs and over a dozen earlier stereo cartridges, including the very first General Electric GC-7 and probably every one ever made by Shure. The older among you may even remember the name Sonotone.I know what my records sound like, and, for good measure, I regularly recalibrate my ears by subjecting them to the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the best symphony orchestra in the land in the best concert hall in the land. I also attend chamber performances and have a son-in-law who sings in a fine master chorale group. I know what natural, unamped music sounds like.MY RIG: I have a state of the art audio rig, this without climbing into the realm of the preposterous. If you're reading this review, you know what I mean. I have full range speakers all around, with both 12" and 15" woofers and horn drivers up front, a powerful receiver/amp, and the Audio-Technica AT-LP120-USB manual turntable. It came originally equipped with the AT95E dual moving magnet elliptical stylus cartridge. I do not use headphones with this rig.The installation of the VM740ML was very quick and easy, as it physically resembles the AT95E, and all I had to do was make certain the stylus position was the same and reset the arm height, tracking force, and anti skate settings. This is also an endorsement for the Audio-Technica AT-LP120-USB manual transcription turntable.RIGHT UP FRONT: If all you have is some old Beatles records and a few by that other Sinatra, you'll probably be equally satisfied with the AT95E, which, at about fifty bucks, is deliciously smooth and capable. If you have a serious LP collection and wish to hear them as cleanly and clearly as possible, even better than they sounded when new, go for the VM740ML. This cartridge is so good, I can hear the evolution of the recording industry in my collection. As they came by wider range and more noise-free mag tape and learned about better microphones and microphone placement and mixing, the records kept improving, the newer they got. I can frequently hear the difference in the recording halls. Carnegie Hall, for instance, is a giant, bass-eating shoebox which the Columbia recording engineers of the 1960s never mastered, and there are other halls so cold and cavernous their reverb swamps the original sounds.Hearing all this stuff, just as it was recorded, is brain-blowing.It does something else. The AT MicroLine stylus is said more closely to match the shape of the original cutting stylus than the old conical ones or the early elliptical ones, and the result is that it apparently fits cleaner and deeper into the groove and actually ignores previous wear and damage. My records have quieter surfaces than they did before. Some of the oldest ones were played on primitive record players with crystal cartridges and sapphire needles. These bore down with a weight of more than ten grams. These old records still play with unbelievable clarity with the VM740ML. It also ignores stylus-linked inner groove distortion, altho I have a few records which are so blown out, nothing will save them.FINALLY: Never forget that LP records were (and still are) made like waffles, and the occasional air bubble or dust particle or stray eyelash is going to find its way in. LP records are what they are, and even the VM740ML cannot work miracles. You'll hear the THOK of an air bubble or the tic tic tic of an eyelash with perfect clarity. Today's new, remastered and carefully processed LPs have audio CD quality sound on them, and with this cartridge, the two are indistinguishable.The VM740ML has no sound of its own. It draws whatever is in the groove of the record and passes it, unchanged, to your first stage preamp. Whatever happens to it after that is up to you.

Bought this to replace an old Audio Technica shibata stylus and am very pleased with the audio quality.