Which Cartridge Tracks the Best on Difficult Records?

Just wondering which of these is the best tracker.

 

Curious to find this out also as all I've run on my Sony has been a Shure M91E and an Audio Technica AT95E.

 

Shure V15III here with Jico SAS. No tracking issues at all. Sounds excellent too!

 

Among these there is a very clear winner in the AT440MLa, by far IMO.

 

Hi

I hope no one thinks this is a thread crap. Can "difficult" also mean damaged? I think I remember @Robin L saying he likes to use an AT440MLa for needledrops as it manages make damaged vinyl less grating (my paraphrase). I'm curious if there's any consensus on cartridge choices for used and slightly to moderately abused vinyl.

Thanks

 

Agreed. If the AT440MLa doesn't easily track (and trace) better than the others on the list, the AT is either broken, worn out, or the turntable is set up horribly wrong. IME and IMO, of course.

Yes, the AT440MLa will often get a little cleaner sound from records with groove damage than many other cartridges. The ML stylus extends so far down in the groove, it can often reach under damage caused by shorter styli, like the cheap conicals or ellipticals that were used on many a thrift store record. Some records are damaged beyond hope, though.

 

Never used the AT440MLa. I was referring to a bottom of the line AT cartridge, conical stylus, relatively high [3.5 gm] tracking force. I'm sure the AT440MLa is a perfectly lovely cartridge, as of the moment I am using Shure 97, they are more forgiving of surface noise/record wear on account of drooping upper octaves. However, the midband of the Shure is very nice and that's where most of the musical action is. In terms of tracking loud midband/bass LPs, the Shure 97 is hard to beat.

 

I can only talk about the 2m Red/Blue & was pleased with both. The 2m blue is even better. I have never heard an AT440 MLa but it has loads of good reports.

 

I've only recently owned Rega, Grado and AT and the AT was the champ. I then moved up to the 150MLX and remounted the 440 on another table.

 

If you put a SAS on the Shure 91, then you'd have something that tracks right up there with the very, very best (assuming arm mass compliance matching of course, but that's true with all arm/cart combinations).

Of the carts in the poll, I've had the 440, and it's brilliant - in both senses. Superb tracking, but a little bright.

To try and compare that to the poll, I've also tried a Grado Red (basically a Grado Blue that measured in the top 5% of that run), and a Rega Super Elys (predecessor of the current Elys 2). The AT was easily the best at tracking.

 

AT440, by a country mile...

 

Only really experience of the Grado Blue and Gold and the 2m Blue/red and the 440mla.. The Grados are pretty poor - they will hold the track (i never experienced the grado dance on any table) but the IGD is horrible and untameable.. The 2m blue is stunning no issues at all. The red tracks well but is too clinical for me and I found IGD on very long sides. The 440mla tracks perfectly but its far to sharp, bright and analytical in my system - pity.

I think the point is theirs more to it than just which tracks best though..

 

How drastic is the difference between the two ATs? I love my 150MLX. Inner grooves that were previously unlistenable due to damage sound great!

 

I've had Rega Bias2 then Rega Elys2 and now Nagaoka MP110. The nag is the best for me so far.

 

not on the list, but the Lyras are extraordinarily good.
for old records, my sumiko blue point will have grief on some of the scratches and won't manage. the Lyra Skala will track clean through, don't even notice.

 

Shure V15's are some of the best tracking cartridges ever made, regardless of the model. I'm always impressed by my Shure Ultra 500 which is a souped up version of the V15.

 

I'm no longer a man of infinite means but I found it worth every penny. Where some accuse the At 440 of being too bright*, I find that disappears in the AT 150 and proves more refined and detailed.

* Proper cartridge loading should also help any or all complaints of the AT440 being too bright, but it all comes down to system and personal preference.

 

I could not personally say, so I did not vote, as I have very little experience with any of these carts, but this thread is very interesting. I'm a Lyra MC guy. Could add that Nagaoka MP200 and 500, Ortofon 2M Bronze, and Shure V15 type III and IV have all proven to be good trackers when set-up correctly, in my experience.

 

Do those of you who voted have personal experience with all of the cartridge choices listed? I don't, so I didn't bother to vote. How can I? I've owned Grados, Shures, Sumikos and now Ortofon and I've never really had an issue with tracking on any of them. They've also covered a price range from <$100 to more than $700, so it appears from my experience that most cartridges track well.

 

I only own the AT-440 and the Grado Blue, and the AT handily trounces the Grado, especially on the inner grooves.

 

Some interesting stuff mentioned here. Looks like AT440 is it for several people.

I guess I also should've specified a price range. How about "What tracks the best for ~ $250 or less?"

 

Please elaborate.

 

To clarify, does that translate to less surface noise? What about records that are just "noisy pressings"? How do those sound with the AT440?

 

I don't know about the AT440, but if your collection includes a larger percentage of well loved vinyl, I'd suggest using, at least as an alternative, a cartridge where either a larger size(.3 x .7 or .4 x .7) elliptical, or even a conical, stylus is available. That will minimize noise a great deal. And of course, those styli are wonderful for mono playback, particularly if your preamp has a mono button and you can sum the channels.

 

Shure M97xe