Audio-Technica VM540ML Moving Magnet Cartridge,Red

Product Information

These diffferences led me to rearchive my entire collection with the VM540ML after having spent years on collecting and archiving it with the AT440MLa/b. From the graph above, you see below 8kHz the process is only good enough for a 20dB (10 to 1) separation.

The piano was also in its element producing clean notes that were deftly dancing around the bass flute creating a lovely sonic contrast between the two instruments. The only other explanation which springs to mind is whether some iron debris has got lodged or attached itself to the moving magnets, but that's much more common with MCs.

I am trying to get a useful image of the 540 stylus from my usb microscope as I type, and I'll post it as soon as I can. I looked at two obvious options, the Cambridge Audio and the Rega Fono MM, but I had a few reservations on the flexibility of the former and the alleged poorer build quality of the latter. Distortion is low even on the inner circumference of a record because the curvature radius of the stylus tip does not alter even if the stylus becomes worn. I bought a VM540ML as I kept seeing snd hearing it being raved about, even though I’d recently bought the ML stylus to upgrade my AT LP120XUSB.

Getz’s saxophone sounds appropriately big and powerful out of the left channel but is still handled with the proper finesse in that I could make out all the subtler details in his playing as well. The VM540 sounds just fine with other records, regardless of whether they are coloured/clear or black, including, strangely, the black vinyl version of the 2022 edition of Joni Mitchell's For the Roses!Audio-Technica’s internationally-patented Dual Magnet design replicates the structure of the cutter head. This is mostly with older secondhand records like the Emmylou Harris album I mentioned in my original post. However, if this was the sole cause and of the issue I am raising, then I would expect at least some crackling in the left channel with the 540 and there is none.

I duly read reviews and bought this 540ml to replace a two month old Pick-pro that sounded horrible with hot cut records. This was one of the only measurements that were not close to state of the art, but it appears to be some sort of strange distortion peak centered at this frequency. After having run the VM540ML on my Marantz TT6200 in quite an intensive way, starting with a 2g VTF on the first 50h and reducing it to its current 1. These steps were all done through an ART DJPRE II at the 100pF setting except the VTF change, when I’d plugged it into a Graham Slee Revelation which initially seemed better than the DJPRE but is a little high in capacitance on paper. The AT150MLx and Shure V15V/MR were put through the same series of tests creating a big picture view of the performance.is state of the art with the AT440MLa and yes, we have a complete chart for the Shure V15/VMR which we will publish separately. Then when being disappointed once more playing Dark side of the Moon, i read that best way to play this album was with a micro line stylus. From the opening notes of “Corcovado” you are greeted with an enveloping amount of room ambience and Ms. Founded in 1962 by Hideo Matsushita, Audio-Technica positioned itself immediately as a leader in the manufacture and design of innovative audio products - Its expertise in innovation quickly spread to various new fields and led to the development of tone arms, microphones and headphones. It is really worth having a cheap but adequate microscope in situations like this because if it's not the record and it's not the connections it's worth looking to see if there is any crud embedded around the shaft of your diamond, or as has been suggested, a badly mounted diamond.