The Sophistication of the inexpensive VM540ML

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by allied333, Feb 11, 2020.

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  1. Randoms

    Randoms Aerie Faerie Nonsense

    Location:
    UK
    This is the information given by Sounds moth that @Leonthepro the life expectancy comes from Jico.

    Wear, Tear and Life
    So we know that the more extreme line contacts reduce wear.... but what is the difference?

    Apparently according to Jico (manufacturer of the highly regarded SAS stylus), the amount of playing time where a stylus will maintain its specified level of distortion at 15kHz is as follows:

    • Spherical / Conical - 150hrs
    • Elliptical - 250hrs
    • Shibata/Line contact - 400hrs
    • SAS/MicroRidge - 500hrs
    This is not to say that at 500 hrs a SAS stylus is "worn out" - but at that stage the wear has reached the point where distortion at 15kHz surpasses the level specified by Jico for a new stylus. (Which I believe is 3%).

    Some manufacturers have traditionally defined a stylus as being "worn out" when it starts to damage the record... in these terms the figures provided by Jico can at least be doubled, and in some cases quadrupled.

    Summary
    In pure sonic terms on pristine vinyl a top notch elliptical can do as well as all but the very best Line Contact / Shibata styli, but will ultimately be surpassed by the better MicroLine styli.

    However in terms of reduced wear on both stylus and records - the entry point is the Line contact / Shibata category.

    In terms of playing back worn vinyl line contact stylus types also have an advantage in that they can contact "virgin" unworn vinyl.

    Narrower side radius = improved tracking and reduced high frequency distortion.


    The higher life expectancy that Audio Technica quotes comes from their own cartridge catalogue, though I do not know the parameters they use.

    Lifetime of the replacement stylus is approx. 300 to 500 hours for Conical, 300 hours for Elliptical, 1000 hours for MicroLine®, and 800 hours for Shibata and
    Special Line Contact.

    Another variable is the relative quality of Jico and Audio Technica replacement styli, and even there you have rather more than diamond quality.

    My experience of replacement styli is from 30 years ago, so not relevant to today. All I can add with certainty is that from my personal experience, throughout the early eighties to mid nineties, Audio Technica's quality control was excellent.

    I've very little personal experience of the VM540ML, but the VM95ML has excellent sound and is outstanding value.
     
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  2. Timoteo80

    Timoteo80 Member

    Location:
    Signal Hill, CA

    I just replaced the 2M Red that was on my Project Carbon Esprit. I too was tired of the IGD the 2M produced. I made sure to very carefully install & align the VM540ML & doubled checked that I had it as dialed as I could.

    Right off the bat I was very impressed with the immediate improvement the 540 rendered. Even tho I was trying my best not to “expect too much of an improvement” i was still hoping for more than the 2M of course. I was NOT let down in any way!

    As I’ve played approx 20-25hrs on it so far all I can say is that it has settled into an extremely great place. I just keep throwing records at it & it is by far the most enjoyable cartridge I’ve owned. Not that I’ve had a large array of different carts but enough over the last 10yrs to know how special this 540 is.

    So yes I’ve installed it on a budget Project & in my personal opinion it is performing marvelously. I’m curious what the VM95ML can do in comparison in performance with the decent price savings it offers. I have an AT95E on my LencoL75, I’m tempted to get the VM95ML stylus & mod it to fit so I could A/B them ;)...maybe one day but for now I’m just enjoying what I have.

    Side note:
    I did grab a 12” BJC LC-1 to connect to my Bellari VP-130. Doing my best to keep capacitance in the ideal range. The BJC slightly improved the low end impact.
     
  3. allied333

    allied333 Audiophile Thread Starter

    Location:
    nowhere
    Audiophiles state the VM95ML will perform at least 90% of the VM540ML. I state a medium mass tone arm is best with the VM95Ml and a light medium mass tone arm is better suited for the VM540ML. The VM540ML is a perfect match for my Luxman PD 272 TT.
     
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  4. Timoteo80

    Timoteo80 Member

    Location:
    Signal Hill, CA
    That would make sense as to why AT has two extre
    Then I’m glad I decided on the 540 rather than the 95 for my Esprit, since the carbon tonearm is on the lighter end of the scale.

    I’m wondering if the stock Lenco L75 tonearm is light enough or possibly too heavy for the VM95ML.?

    A discussion for another thread ;)
     
  5. allied333

    allied333 Audiophile Thread Starter

    Location:
    nowhere
    Lenco L75 has a 23 gram tone arm. It is so heavy only a few percent of cartridges made will work. The heavy head shell is either drilled out or a light weight replacement I seen has been fitted to drop the tone arm weight to about 20 grams. At 20 grams the VM540ML will not work. The VM-95ML is at the absolute upper limit, but would likely perform ok.
     
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  6. Doctorwu

    Doctorwu Senior Member

    My two cents:

    I'm currently using the VM740ML, the 540ML bigger brother, when i hooked it up it instantly reminded me of the 440ML which i used for many years and had a love hate relationship with, at the time the 440ML was a revelation for me, i was stunned when previously IGD plagued records were now distortion free, hurray!

    BUT after the initial euphoria i was starting to get annoyed by how bright and trebly it sounded, the crisp treble worked fine with dull sounding recordings, it opened them up and made them exciting to listen to but bright records, oh boy, it was just painful, i played with capacitance and it helped a bit, but no matter setting i settled on the inherent bright character of the cart remained and I felt I couldn't live with it anymore.

    I am having the same exact reaction with the 740ML, at times this cart is intoxicating to listen to, the clarity and separation, just stunning, but like the 440ml, bright recordings are just Arghhhhhh...
    There's something about the tonality of the 740ML (like the 440ML) that i find slightly hollow sounding and artificial, the low-mids sound recessed with a peaky rising top.

    Still, i am enjoying this cart, I'll cherry-pick what to play it with, it can sound wonderful with some recordings.
     
    Last edited: Aug 30, 2020
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  7. Leonthepro

    Leonthepro Skeptically Optimistic

    Location:
    Sweden
    How does the 540 compare?
     
  8. Phil Thien

    Phil Thien Forum Resident

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    Yeah I think the newer AT line can sound even more in-your-face than some of the vintage stuff.

    I think I'd like to try an OM 30 some day but they're kinda spendy to just try.

    But I like the tone of the OM 10. I didn't like the tone of the red but the OM 10 was just about perfect.

    Except it tracks poorly. The 30 should be much better.
     
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  9. Doctorwu

    Doctorwu Senior Member

    I'm afraid i haven't used the 540, from what I read online it shares the exact same internals as the 740 but with a plastic body cast, so overall they should sound very similar, but i might be wrong :)
     
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  10. Brother_Rael

    Brother_Rael Senior Member

    Rest assured and despite what you thought, the AT-440MLa was anything but crisp and too bright.

    It majored on clarity, but there's something snits elsewhere in that setup if you're getting that kind of response.

    I had the 440MLa for about a decade. It always had a lovely rounded clarity that made it a standout choice at the price. Made a mockery of all those "the warmth of vinyl" comments (clichés really) straight out the trap.

    But bright? Edgy? Crisp? Nah. Never in a million years (my mileage varies you'll have noticed)!
     
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  11. Doctorwu

    Doctorwu Senior Member

    Buying Phono Cartridges can be a maddening experience, there is something of an adrenaline rush about installing them and whether they will sound how you imagined them in your head (or ears :) )
    it's an expensive journey for sure, mistakes are costly.
     
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  12. Leonthepro

    Leonthepro Skeptically Optimistic

    Location:
    Sweden
    The rest of the system also determines how bright the signal is.
     
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  13. Doctorwu

    Doctorwu Senior Member

    It was to me, the set i have now is completely different to what i had when i used the 440 but i'm still hearing the same qualities that i liked and disliked about the cart then.
    Just for reference my favorite cart of the all the carts that i have used so far is the Dynavector 20x2 and the Shure M97/SAS.

    But like i wrote, i'm having a blast with the 740, it's fun to listen to! just not on all recordings, for me, anyways :)
     
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  14. Brother_Rael

    Brother_Rael Senior Member

    I don't see that. I think your conclusion is flawed too.
     
  15. Leonthepro

    Leonthepro Skeptically Optimistic

    Location:
    Sweden
    Huh?
     
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  16. Brother_Rael

    Brother_Rael Senior Member

    Your comment: "the rest of the system also determines how bright the signal is" - perhaps I misunderstood, but I read that to mean the signal from the 740 cart in an otherwise balanced (tonally) setup, but on re-reading this could be the other system components are overly warm?
     
  17. Leonthepro

    Leonthepro Skeptically Optimistic

    Location:
    Sweden
    I just meant that every part of the system can add more highs, lows or mids. If you have both amps and speakers that are very bright maybe the 740 is too bright ontop of it, but if you have very soft amps and speakers then the 740 may sound just right.
     
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  18. Timoteo80

    Timoteo80 Member

    Location:
    Signal Hill, CA
    Yes you are correct on how heavy that tonearm is. It originally had a Stanton500 cart on it. I “upgraded” to a 2M Red about 8yrs ago but it never sounded good. That was a horrible cart/arm matchup for sure. The 95E is much better since it’s a closer compliance match. I did drill out the headshell & tonearm 4 pin connector & rewired with Litz to shave some weight. That helped a bit.

    ...side note: Litz is a bitch to work with lol

    The 2M Red sounded heaps better on my Esprit tho, obviously better with the carbon arm. But the 540 took everything to the next level. Most notably to my ears the separation, upper end extension, blacker background & of course IGD is virtually non-existent.
     
  19. Obtuse1

    Obtuse1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Florida
    Just upgraded from the AT440mla to the VM540ML. Running it on a Technics SL-1200MK2/Lounge LCR MKIII.

    Initial impressions:

    Wider soundstage, better focus and separation. Lively character. Bass seemed accurate. Didn't find it overly bright on my setup. Tracks like a champ.

    It even tamed the occasional sibilance I would get with the 440mla during "Time" on the 30th Anniversary Dark Side Of The Moon.

    An outstanding cart for the money, for sure. A definite step up from the AT440mla.
     
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  20. SNDVSN

    SNDVSN Forum Resident

    Location:
    Glasgow
    The 30th Dark Side is a good test for a cart.
     
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  21. Classicrock

    Classicrock Senior Member

    Location:
    South West, UK.
    Never came across a diamond stylus that was spent at 500 hours or less. Most do 1ooo with care. ML might go on quite a bit longer. Usually you get a sloppy cantilever before the actual stylus wears out.
     
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  22. Heckto35

    Heckto35 Forum Resident

    I hate when people say that like vinyl is "supposed to" sound like that. It's that "warmth" that makes many people say digital sounds better.
     
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  23. violarules

    violarules Senior Member

    Location:
    Baltimore, MD
    I just installed a new VM540ml cartridge on my Rega P2, where there had been a Denon DL110. I enjoyed the DL110, but it didn't track perfectly in the inner grooves. It was musical, nice soundstage, a touch on the warm side. I had an AT440mla several years ago on my previous table, so I decided to try the VM540ml since the Denon was getting up in hours. It is a bit bright out of the box (I have my phono pre set on 150pf, might try 100pf), but we shall see if that calms down. I have to say the front to back soundstage and imaging is excellent, above either the DL110 or the AT440mla. Each instrument occupies its own space. I can't wait for it to break in, and maybe tame that top end a smidge!
     
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  24. Boltman92124

    Boltman92124 Go Padres!!

    Location:
    San Diego
    No need for a mod to put the 95ml stylus on the old body. It fits just fine. But the overhang is shorter so that needs to be adjusted potentially.
     
    Last edited: May 6, 2021
  25. ubiknik

    ubiknik Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago, IL USA
    That 100pf setting will do the trick.
     
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