If I were you, I would very nicely ask @brendonbourque (see his posts above) to make some 100pf vs 220pf comparative lossless needle drops for you (or for all of us!) when he gets his new preamp with variable loading set up. A/B them on your system as “blindly” and objectively as you can and see if you can detect any differences and, if so, if those differences are meaningful to you.
I have a vm540 with 3 years (changed stylus at 2 years) and thinking about upgrading for a 750 or 760 stylus on the next stylus replacement. Anybody with some experience about it? The 540 is so good, maybe it's time to go to mc cartridge.
How about just sticking with the sure thing? I love my 95ML. I actually have come to this end after many years of searching. I assume your 540ML is comparable. Enjoy the music!
Right!, i'm searching for a safe upgrade ... if not, I will stay with the 540. But, forums are good sources of information, maybe someone followed the same way
Has anyone put the VMN50SH Shibata on the VM540 body? I almost bought one the other day because I’m in love with the VM95SH sound.
It's not going to hurt anything to try it if you want. The bodies of the VM540 and VM750 are electrically identical as far as I can tell. The only difference is one has a metal shell and the other has a plastic shell.
The vmn60 stylus have the same price (20-30 usd difference) as the oc9xml mc cartridge. Mmm ... the mc rabbit hole
Before you invest in MC, seek out some setups and give a listen. Especially quieter passages of quieter vinyl. A lot of these setups are unacceptably noisy, IMHO. MC can indeed have a distinct tone to it, but not necessarily better and that noise floor is a deal killer for me. That said I've heard some okay setups but nothing other-worldly.
The VMN60SLC stylus is an older style of line contact stylus. Not an "upgrade" from the Microline shape but "different" no matter what anyone says. AT never says what the SLC is, but it's likely some kind of Ogura-derived profile. Supplier costs are different which is why AT must charge more for it. I would try to hear some MCs before going down that rabbit hole. My take is if you are unwilling or unable to invest significantly in a really good MC preamp system (regardless of topology) then do not bother. MCs also have other "characteristics" which may or may not be desirable depending on your situation and likes and dislikes. These include substantial top-end lift in the frequency response, worse tracking and tracing capabilities than a good MM/MI cart, and injecting more noise into some systems. Then there is the whole issue of stylus replacement/retipping or buying a new cart when the stylus is worn. FWIW, I think you can do a lot worse with MCs in the same price range as AT MCs or (even a little more) but of the AT MC carts I have heard I never liked a single one as much as a good AT MM. Maybe the OC9X series is different, but I kinda doubt it. The hi-fi rags, dealers, etc. have done a good job of propagating the belief that we must all "upgrade" to MC and ditch our MMs/MIs. You often get an echo chamber of that thinking on sites like this and others. Consider that some of the the top LP mastering engineers in the world do not use MCs to check their reference lacquers. If they wanted to use an MC they could probably get just about any cartridge company to send them stuff for free as an endorsement...but they don't.
The phono preamp makes or kills a good cartridge, that's totally right, and with mc cartridges ... worst scenario. I think you cannot find a good "do it all" preamp under 1.5k. A good mc preamp under 1k? ... surely a dedicated one, or a combination of mm preamp with mc stepup. And then play with impedance / gain ... yes, many ways to screw up. Maybe the answer is MI ... the new Grado Opus, Nagaoka, Soundsmith, ... The fact is that i distrust the upgrade to shibata or "special fine line" over the micro line 540 / 740.
Don't do it. I've had the other stylus, always go back to the ML, the shibata does last as long. ML will handle IGD the best of the other 2.
I'll post it in this thread for people thinking about Shibata VS. ML, to support my post from earlier this month. I only got around 700 hrs (well under a year of listen) out of my Shibata stylus vs. getting ~1000 hrs (sometimes over) out of a ML stylus. Had to change it out today when I noticed some distortion/mis-tracking. Very disappointing, even less time than i was expecting. And yes, I clean my records on a RCM and also keep the stylus clean.
Nice to see so many people appreciating the VM 540 ML. I have really enjoyed mine - thats the best thing to do with it - play it and enjoy the music. I agree with all the good observations about it - On My Gyrodec /Techno Arm set up and with my Phono Stage I ended up feeling it was flatter at 200pf than at 100pf . At 100pf the extreme top was strong but there was a very alight high Mid low treble droop (VERY slight!) - I also used a bespoke loading box and with bright recordings decreased the load from around 100 kOhm to 47 kOhm. Where to go from here - well I have heard the 740 and its mellower sounding - smooth and lovely but maybe a little less flat in response. Having left MC for a few MM type pick ups I feel the only other way for me was to go back to MC. - That liquid mid clean top and solid bass lured me back haha! - I have listened to so many and owned a few too! So that helped me decide. I quite fancied the At OC9's of which I liked the OC9 MLX best but its a tad too much for my pocket - I settled for the AT 33EV - compared with the At VM540 ML its just as well extended at the top but a little flatter still and has that MC fluid clear mid. On my Gyro the 540 ML is a whisker more forward in the presence - but that is the Deck /Arm sound. I think the At VM540ML might be even better balanced still on a different deck. In a few words the change is there is a bit more 'Lushness' to the sound with the 33EV the 540ML is a really clean clear flat detailed cartridge and hard to fault
I've had the AT440MLa for years. The Microline is an absolutely wonderful stylus. The VM95ML should perform admirably as well.
I have the VM95ML for daily listen and the AT33PTG-II for digitizing some stuff. Both sound and work excellent.
I like that this subject can be discussed and there are really no correct opinions or answers as we all have different requirements and hearing. I have dabbled with my own cartridges for more than 44 years and before that my Dads Garrard 301 had 2 Ortofon SPU-T's (Duty and standby!) so he always had one when the other was sent for re tip. I won't go on about all the comparisons - but I realised a lot of MC's had a charm yet were not as accurate, or even, as some of the Good MM's but then found some are better than others and different models suit different tables. I found a lot, not all, MM were drier and leaning towards a more harder but tighter sound. I recently got an MC after over 10 years back on MM's and love the extra fluidity and detail - yes fine detail including small ambient background sounds -slight ringing of a string that wasn't plucked - that sort of thing. Comparing Sultans of swing with a direct CD copy the 540 ML was close but a little brighter and mid bass was lighter on my deck. with the 33EV the balance was much closer - just more detailed and fluid sounding - Bass is better defined, but not louder. So that is why I seem to end up back with MC carts I guess.
I have been using the 760SLC (I got the stylus for a very cheap price at my local store as a nice favor from the owner) it really doesn’t provide much more than the 740ML.....it’s sounds great, just like the 740ML, but isn’t mind blowing. I would not pay the extra for it. As mentioned earlier in this thread, I have the 750SH and I think that is quite different, being that it is a Shibata, that is expected....didn’t like it as much. I am quite curious about the 540ML and the differences it presents to the 740ML.....there is a difference in cost! I am finding it very difficult to go from micro-line to anything else....even MC carts that are elliptical don’t cut it for me....just love the ML detail.
Seems Most people who have tried like the ML better Also many prefer the 540ML over the 740ML - The response graphs show it visually the 740 tends to slope down a little in the presence and returns steeply after that The 540 tends to be flatter and has stronger detail. The 740 might suit someone who wants a slightly more laid back sound or someone with a deck it suits Both are very good!
Are you referring to the LowBeats test from a few years ago? Below are the response graphs from the test, but hard to make a general conclusion from just one sample. They both have the identical high frequency rise, but as you say, this sample of the 740 has a 2dB droop in the midrange leading to a flatter response overall from 20-20K, but since most of us have a falling response in our hearing in that top octave, the 540 may sound flatter. Could be with another sample they would look the same, or even shift places, cartridges aren't really precision devices, this sample of the 740 they tested also had imbalance in the L/R coil impedances and hence channel imbalance...
Placed my order for the VM540M Friday night. I got the shipping confirmation email this morning, I should be receiving it by Friday. So far I've updated the sub platter to the GrooveTracer reference subplatter, added a Michell tecnoweight and Tangospinner adjustable height isolation feet. I'm really looking forward to trying out this cartridge.
Thanks for posting those - I was unable to work out how to attach them myself! (also unable to find how or why I am in Italics either) I found with my 540 ML that adding a little loading (variable on a separate gizmo) I could tame the slight rise but ended up nearer the 740ML (judging from sound alone) but increasing to 200pf lifted the treble a little below the peak, levelling it back off - result was a flatter overall response. My only issue is the Gyrodec/Techno arm has a slight tendency to be a little brighter and lighter anyway.
