Which Cartridge Tracks the Best on Difficult Records?

Most of my collection is a combo of new stuff and records that are at least VG, grading very conservatively. I have a few records that look fabulous, but are just noisy for some reason, despite being cleaned. Examples of those would be the standard US pressings I have of 3 Moody Blues albums. The vinyl looks pristine, but there are sections on the records that are noisy. It's not just IGD either. I think it may be that the pressing quality on those just isn't that good. UK pressings are not easy to come by in my area and I'm unlikely to shell out the $ to hunt them down. So I was wondering if there was some sort of solution for those. If not I'll probably just seek out decent CD pressings of those albums at some date and enjoy the LPs for what they are.

My current stylus is a .3x.7 elliptical. I have curious about trying a line contact type stylus and plan to do so in the new year.

But the main purpose of this thread was to get some opinions on stock cartridges that come with entry level Pro-Ject, Rega, etc. turntables as I may decide to add one of those in the new year as a second turntable.

 

The AT440MLa needs to be carefully matched to the preamp to deliver the smoothest response. Audio-Technica specifies an impedance of 47k Ohms and 100 to 200 pF of total capacitance (tonearm wire, cables, and phono stage). At no more than 150pF, it's not extremely bright. While still at 47k Ohms and getting up near 200pF or more, it will yield a pretty bright sound. The boosted treble can accentuate clicks and pops. Not that there's more clicks and pops per se but the boosted treble amplifies the sharp leading-edge of the existing clicks.

But, IMO, an AT440MLa paired with the low-capacitance Hagerman Bugle2 phono stage set at maybe 32k Ohms (give or take), is pretty impressive even at today's prices. Setting it at 32k Ohms, coupled with lower capacitance, flattens out the cartridge's treble peak. Loaded right, the 440MLa is a very smooth sounding cartridge while tracking and tracing better than similarly priced competitors.

After a good cleaning with something like the SpinClean, I've found that AT's ML stylus (like on AT440MLa and AT150MLX) is actually a good deal better than elliptical and conical styli at simultaneously reducing surface noise and getting underneath old groove damage. That's been my personal experience with multiple AT ML cartridges when playing thrift store and yard sale records over the years. And on decent pressings, I can play entire sides without hearing a click or pop. With an ML stylus, clean LPs and careful setup are critical.

With all that being said, if you want a smooth sound without getting too finicky over cartridge setup and loading, the AT440MLa is not the way to go. Off of your list, I'd get the 2M Blue just to relax and spin some records. But if you're ready to dive in head first and start playing around with different cartridge loadings to extract whatever you can from your records without breaking the bank, then go for it.

 

I clean all my used records (and several new ones) with the Spin Clean.

Would the AT440 be a good match with the Schitt phono preamp? I am definitely upgrading my preamp in the new year and was thinking about that one. I don't really want a kit or anything I have to solder, just something I can plug in.

Right now I am using a Signet TK3ea w/ an AT 100E stylus. I wouldn't want to migrate that cartridge from my Yahama, but I might swap out the stylus for a microline, by the new year it is likely due for a replacement anyway.

If I do add a second TT, I'd be looking closely at this one:

http://www.project-audio.com/main.php?prod=debutcarbonespritdc&cat=turntables&lang=en

It comes with an Ortofon 2M Red, but I'd be up for changing out the cart or stylus if that meant better trackability and less surface noise.

 

Shure M97xE with JICO SAS stylus, much better

 

I doubt the AT440MLa and Schiit Mani would be a good match. Back when the AT440MLa was a mere $89 it was a no-brainer to pair it with a Hagerman Bugle kit with a custom load, even if you had to cajole a friend to put it together for you. But if you want to stray from your list, I'm adding my vote to theron d's for the Shure M97xE with a JICO SAS stylus. You can get the M97xE for $70 from several places and the SAS from JICO for $167. Pair it with the Schiit Mani or Hagerman Bugle2 and you might never feel the need to upgrade.

The SAS is like the stylus and cantilever used on the AT150MLX except it can do what the AT150MLX does but at a lower tracking force. Superb tracking and tracing performance. And more mellow sounding than the AT440MLa.

 

I have a Pro-Ject 2Xperience Classic turntable, and I really like it. I am using a AT-OC9 MKII MC phono cartridge, which sounds great and tracks spectacularly. I'm using a Pro-Ject Tube Box S phono stage.

 

I will say the Shure M97eX with JICO SAS is more even (neutral) sounding. The 440Mla (IMO) is too bright.

 

It's not if the capacitance is appropriate, as a previous poster has mentioned. The Shure will send you to sleep within minutes if you use it with the same or similar loading as the AT.

 

Vinyl Gear's modified AT95-SA is incredible for $150. Better than any 2M under $500, IMO.

http://www.lpgear.com/product/LPGAT95SA.html

 

I had the AT440MLA at one point and for me, it was way too bright in my system. The caviat there is that I didnt know about cartridge loading then, as i do now with my Clearaudio Concept.

Perhaps, if loaded correctly it would have sounded better. But I am SO happy with the Clearaudio Concept on My Rega RP1. For $240 it delivers sound equal to or better than some $700 carts I have heard.

 

Stereoguy, what preamp are you using with the CA cart? Is the stylus on that replaceable by the user? Or do you have to mail it in to CA?

 

Does the project carbon table allow for VTA adjustment -- if not go for the 2mblue as its a perfect match to the table and arm - Its a serious jump up from the 2m red and you could sell the 2m red as new on ebay.

 

I have found that tracking performance is less about the cartridge brand/model and more about the stylus alignment relative to the cantilever. It's crucial to check that an elliptical or micro ridge stylus is perfectly square to the cantilever, easily done with a microscope such as the Shure stylus microscope. This cannot be overstated, and it's not too uncommon to find a misalignment that will make a cartridge seem like it's inherently a bad tracker. It's not. The stylus is twisted, and is throwing off what you think is a perfect alignment in the head shell. When I know my stylus is mounted square, and I've accomplished an exact alignment with a Mint LP Best Tractor, I've never had tracking issues with any cartridge, elliptical or micro ridge.

 

Or, alternatively, enable you to enjoy those thrift store Lps that you just cleaned. I'm sure my tonearm interconnect is of lower capacitance than stock and the eq of LPs via the Shure 97 through my system is close to the eq of CDs of the same program so I doubt that my Shure 97 is aggressively attenuating high frequencies. I suspect that this is more a matter of taste than a real, objective difference. What I have heard of AT cartridges is a bright house sound. For those that like that sort of thing, fine. But whatever it is, it's not neutral. Plugging an AT 120 or 440 cartridge into a stock, non-adjustable phono section will result in lots of high frequency content, more so than in the "real world".

 

I'm one of those people who like the AT "house" sound, though I do prefer their higher-end cartridges. Also, I have 3 vintage AT cartridges, an AT-14Sa, and AT-15SS and a JVC 4MD-20X (AT made lots of cartridges for various manufacturers in the '70s, including Sansui and Pioneer to name two more). Of the 3 the two AT branded cartridges came with their factory test result strips showing ruler flat frequency response with only a very slight bump at 20kHz. The JVC sounds slightly warmer that the two AT cartridges, and all maintain excellent stereo separation to 45kHz (necessary for CD-4 quadraphonic records). That said, the turntable I use them in has tonearm wiring capacitance of 100k Ohms, so maybe that's why they don't sound as bright to me as to others. The AT-440ML that I own was quite bright at first, but after it broke in it became very nice sounding.

 

........patient, I'm plugging the CA cart right into the phono input of my 1959 EICO HF-89. The preamp section has been extensively modified to improve the audio performance. The stylus is not replaceable, which is a drag but I'm so happy with it I overlook that.

 

Gotcha. The stylus on that one would probably rule it out for me.

 

Do you use a preamp with adjustable loading for this or did you find that it was okay with a standard preamp? How much "break in" time are we talking? Also, did the Microline stylus wear out faster than a standard .3x.7 elliptical?

 

Good point. I do not know for sure if it allows for VTA/tonearm height adjustment, but I don't think so. Maybe some people are using some sort of shimming if they need to raise the tonearm? I just checked the prices for the 2m Blue stylus - $200. That's significantly more than the replacements for the even the nicer AT cartridges. The AT150mlx is ~$160 for example....

Do you feel the blue was worth it? In your experience, how well does it handle tracking and inner grooves? I've heard that the 2M red isn't very good...

 

I use the phono input in my vintage Sansui QRX-9001 (that is the built-in pre) which uses a loading of 100K Ohms, and in that regard it was quite okay. Break-in time was about 50 hours, though there was noticeable smoothing out after about half that time. As for the wear on the Microline stylus, I've yet to have to replace it, though I probably will do so in the near future as it's now about 5 years old. The stylus looks fine under the microscope and it still sounds great, but I worry about the suspension having some age on it now. I have found that line-contact styli tend to last longer than elliptical ones, generally speaking, largely because of the longer contact radius. I have used Shibata and its variants since 1975. The beauty of AT's MM cartridge designs is that the cantilever suspension is part of the replacement stylus, so new stylus = new suspension. I have a 40 year-old AT-14Sa that sounds as good today as it did when I first bought it, and it tracks superbly.

 

The 2m Red drove me mad with igd. I replaced it with the 440. Love it.

 

The red as I said in my earlier post has IGD issues (though nothing as severe as the grados you listed) .. The blue I have never had any with (in fact I have always found nudes seem to be good when it comes to this) - dont forget if you bought the carbon you would have a new red to sell.. The At440 also has no IGD issues but its to bright for my system and if I put it on the Debut III I would have to shim to get the VTA correct which isnt the easiest solution with that table or the carbon I presume.

 

AT440, but I'd vote for the Shure M97XE as the best "currently in production" cartridge were it offered as a choice. And of course, as several posters have mentioned, any of the Shure V15 from the Model III on. I have the III, IV (JICO SAS), and V and they all track fantastically.

 

Are you sure that's what you meant to say?

 

Oops, I meant impedance, didn't I? That's what I get for not proofreading before hitting "post reply." The CD-4 specifications are set so as not to attenuate the 30kHz carrier signals which provide the rear channel information in much the same way the FM multiplex carrier is used to derive stereo. The Shibata stylus was developed specifically for the Quadradisc to track the carrier. The benefits of using a Shibata or Line-contact stylus were quickly recognized by audiophiles, though they have always required careful set-up to get the best results.