The Absolute Best Cartridge for an Audio Technica LP120 TT?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by marcob1963, Mar 29, 2015.

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  1. marcob1963

    marcob1963 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    I have an AT-LP120 which came standard with an Audio Technica AT-95E cart, not a bad cart. I will however be wanting to upgrade sometime soon.

    I would appreciate your thoughts on what the best possible MM cart for my TT would be?

    I run the TT through a Rega Fono MM Preamp, to an Onkyo Integra TS DX898 Receiver which runs my favorite vintage Bose 601 speakers. I also use good headphones.

    I love good bottom end in my music and natural mids & highs (my speakers expose shrill/unpleasant highs & mids). I listen to The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Floyd, Zeppelin, Cheap Trick what you'd call classic rock.

    Thanks.
     
  2. Brother_Rael

    Brother_Rael Senior Member

    Ortofon 2M Blue price range tops. Anything more would be better spent on a better turntable.
     
    GetHappy!! likes this.
  3. machinestool

    machinestool Forum Resident

    Location:
    Crawfordville, FL
    you can't go wrong with the AT 440MLa.
     
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  4. My personal favorite is the M97xE/Jico SAS combo.
     
    Dr. Metal MD, Jeffczar and MrRom92 like this.
  5. Ben Adams

    Ben Adams Forum Resident

    Location:
    Phoenix, AZ, USA
    This. It's what I use, and it sounds fantastic.
     
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  6. Brother_Rael

    Brother_Rael Senior Member

    Or the 440MLa, terrific cartridge. Killer tracker. Currently, this is around £170 in the UK I think, but seeing as that's nearly the £250 the deck costs...but a great cartridge.
     
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  7. Captain Wiggette

    Captain Wiggette Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle
    Big fan of the AT440MLa here, but will warn you that it is bright out of the box, you will want to tweak the resistance with plugs to tame the brightness, as you mentioned not liking shrill/unpleasant highs.

    I used a stock M97xe before the AT440MLa and didn't look back after switching to the AT, the Shure was just muddled and awful in comparison. I have no opinions on its sound with the JICO stylus, FWIW.

    All are on a stock Technics SL-1200MK5 into a Musical Fidelity V-LPS II.
     
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  8. marcob1963

    marcob1963 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    I've read other posts by you I think, and if I remember correctly you also have a Nagaoka MP500. I know its pricey, but how does it compare to the Shure M97xe-Jico SAS combo?
     
  9. Ben Adams

    Ben Adams Forum Resident

    Location:
    Phoenix, AZ, USA
    After a lot of time spent with each, I prefer the M97xE/Jico SAS combo. Cheap at less than half the price.
     
    DaleH likes this.
  10. RollinHard843

    RollinHard843 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Fort Worth, TX
    I use a Grado Prestige Gold 1 and I like it quite a bit. Only thing I don't like was the stylus cover for it. I ended up breaking the stylus cover in my first week of owning the cart for some reason. It's probably going to be everyone's favorite choice for this table, but I think it's awesome. So much dimension to the sound. I just replaced the stylus and the cart sounds awesome once again :)

    My only comparison was to the AT120ET cart, which I also really enjoyed. I think the Grado got just a little bit more detail in the midrange and bass. The AT was very good, and also started off quite bright, but when I got a defective replacement stylus, I decided to use the money for a new cart instead.

    PS: do you like acoustic guitars? They sound GREAT on the Grado cartridge.
     
    bru87tr likes this.
  11. JWew

    JWew Currently thinking of a clever Custom Title...

    Location:
    KC, MO USA
    I second the earlier reply suggesting the Ortofon 2M Blue. I have the AT-LP1240 turntable with the 2m Blue. Also listen to mostly classic rock and I love the sound quality I've been getting (I've become a bit addicted to vinyl as a result).
     
    GetHappy!! likes this.
  12. OcdMan

    OcdMan Senior Member

    Location:
    Maryland
    You could replace the stylus on the AT95E with the LPGear-produced AT95SA stylus. Otherwise, the Shure M97xE/Jico SAS is an excellent choice. The 2M Blue and AT440MLa might be too bright for your liking.
     
    dconsmack likes this.
  13. Brother_Rael

    Brother_Rael Senior Member

    The 440 isn't bright. Detailed but not bright. Perfect for classic rock.
     
    Pieter Kozak likes this.
  14. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    An extremely happy AT-150MLX owner, the micro line styli does wonders on my transfers :)
     
    Wally Swift likes this.
  15. thommo

    thommo Senior Member

    Location:
    London, England
    Shure SC35C and a Jico SAS.

    Use the standard stylus with the headshell weight for older, knackered records, monos etc.

    Then remove the weight and put the SAS in place for more pristine vinyl. Unlike the 97 (unless I was unlucky of course), the SAS is the same length/distance as the Shure stylus, so same alignment exactly.

    And when I tried a Grado on the ATPL120, it hummed.
     
  16. marcob1963

    marcob1963 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Thanks, my AT 95E sounded bright, somewhat abrasive on the highs and not great with bottom end when new. However, it has just worn in and now sounds quite good. Does the same occur with the AT440MLa?
     
  17. marcob1963

    marcob1963 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Thanks all for your opinions, definitely all informative. At the moment I've at least narrowed the contenders down to the AT 440MLa; Shure M97 xE with Jico SAS or Nagaoka MP200.
     
    Brother_Rael likes this.
  18. Brother_Rael

    Brother_Rael Senior Member

    Not in my experience. I used to listen to the turntable for hours on end when I used mine. Wouldn't have lasted five minutes if it'd exhibited those characteristics!
     
    Pieter Kozak likes this.
  19. I'm very partial toward Nagaokas, mainly because I feel they give a very natural, warm sound. And this is because of one reason: While Audio-Technica cartridges are great, they mostly have a tendency to give a "smiley" EQ curve: Strong bass, bright highs, but somehow subdued middle frequencies (not that mids aren't there, of course). I feel that Nagaokas give a more balanced frequency response, with slightly mellower highs and more middle frequencies presence. Lots of people prefer the Audio-Technica approach (and 20 years ago it would have been my preference for sure), but nowadays my preference points to a balanced, natural sound. It may not be as "pretty" as the "smiley" sound, but it's definitely richer and livelier. Here's a video in which you can check a Nagaoka MP-110 and a Nagaoka MP-500 in action:

     
  20. missan

    missan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Stockholm
    Personally I´m very fond of the AT7V type that LP-Gear have. It has a nude square shank needle 0.2x0.7mil like the ones found on many very good cartridges from AT. Like, AT15XE, AT130E, AT13 and also some Signets. It´s really good and a real bargain IMHO.
     
  21. The Slipperman

    The Slipperman Forum Resident

    How long did your AT95E take to break in? I have an AT-LP120 player arriving next week and am wondering how long this break in period lasts before I can finally do some quality needledropping.
     
  22. marcob1963

    marcob1963 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    I'm a tad harsh with my adjectives, what I call bright & abrasive, means its highs & bass are not very sweet.
     
  23. marcob1963

    marcob1963 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    I didn't precisely time it, but I noticed a far better balanced sound at about 45 to 55 hours.
     
  24. Jeffczar

    Jeffczar Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    The LP Gear AT95 with the shibata stylus is absolutely crazy good, easily worth 3 times the price. The best bargain in cartridges period.
     
  25. Dr. Metal MD

    Dr. Metal MD Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    I am another big fan of the Shure M97xE cart with a JICO SAS stylus. This combo sounds amazing. I was using it on my AT LP120 and now my Technics 1200.
     
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