ASR Recommended Cartridges?

[nothingman]

As the OP I thought I’d chime to say I switched from the VM95ML to the 540ML and I couldn’t be happier. It’s all objective so I’ll spare a bunch of flowery prose, but I think the 540ML is just a better design and I notice a better-centered image, wider stage, and more even and extended full-range response. Not that the VM95ML is any slouch! But I think if you have something like the SL1200GR, then using the stock headshell with the 540ML is the way to go.

The only curveball is that I also added the KAB damper a couple weeks after getting the 540ML. This was less due to issues with real world listening and more just trying to get the most out of a cartridge with slightly higher-than-ideal compliance for the Technics’ tonearm. I think you can definitely get away without it, but the cart tracks better with the damper. I can’t say the sound actually changed all that much.

One thing that I didn’t appreciate at the time of purchase is that that the headshell that comes with the VM95ML/H places the cartridge too low, meaning you can’t properly level the tonearm. The dial won’t go low enough. I guess that headshell was made for the old 6mm Technics mats and whatever VTA situation is going on with the AT TTs, not the 3mm mats that the newer Technics tables have. If you have something like the SL1200GR like me then it’s better to use the stock headshell with either AT cartridge (and your VTA dial setting will be “0” with that setup).

 

[raindance]

Thought I would share this: I have an AT VM540ML and was annoyed by a rather wispy sounding treble quality. My Quad preamp has pretty high input capacitance, I think it is around 250pF. So I purchased a U-Turn Pluto 2 and removed the two 100pF caps that are across the phono input. It sounds quite a lot better, with cymbals, shakers and sibilance more natural (although it doesn't remove all the brightness). Fortunately I have the ability to adjust tonal balance on the Quad preamp.

 

[rdenney]

If you're looking for measurements of recent cartridges, check out Hi-Fi Choice.
[An example, with links to other cartridge reviews]:
Rega Ania Pro | Hi-Fi Choice (hifichoice.com)

I find their web page unsearchable, and they don't have measurements of any of the cartridges mentioned in this thread. Of course, the former fault may be causing the latter fault, and I do wish these e-zine publishers would actually try to use their online environments to find things. Even a directed google search could find NO content about moving-magnet cartridges using micro-line styluses.

Rick "no more life-minutes spent in that direction" Denney

 

[Robin L]

I find their web page unsearchable, and they don't have measurements of any of the cartridges mentioned in this thread. Of course, the former fault may be causing the latter fault, and I do wish these e-zine publishers would actually try to use their online environments to find things. Even a directed google search could find NO content about moving-magnet cartridges using micro-line styluses.

Rick "no more life-minutes spent in that direction" Denney

My point would be that all the cartridges they test measure poorly and some are acknowledged to be frighteningly expensive. The other is that they're the only folks who test/measure phono cartridges now, so tough luck. It would make more sense for them to measure the more commonly used and available cartridges. But their tests do demonstrate a predictable level of performance, where the THD always exceeds 1%. This links to their most recent cartridge review, which at the end also links to other cartridge reviews. This review is of a modified version of the Ortofon 2M Black:

Ortofon 2M Black LVB 250 Cartridge Lab Report

Lab Report Delivering a substantial 4.7mV (re. 1kHz/5cm/sec) output, albeit some 1.8dB lower than the whopping 5.8mV recorded for the 2M Black [HFN Mar '11], Ortofon's flagship LVB 250 derivative is otherwise a new chip off a very reliable block. The 'MWCNT' suspension yeilds a slightly softer...

www.hifinews.com

 

[rdenney]

I care a bit less about harmonic distortion than I do about noise rejection (of the power-hum variety), frequency response, compliance (at 10 Hz, please), response to capacitance, actual mass, and ability to track through damage. Distortion is what it is, and it would seem we can tolerate a lot of it. But a wacky response curve is going to take some effort to correct (given that there is hardly any reliable way to test and EQ it at home) and makes a bigger difference how instruments sound. Compliance values are often reported as static compliance, or at 100 Hz, when neither is directly applicable to the relevant calculations for tone-arm matching, and with conversion rules of thumb that are just guesses, really.

HiFi News reports a lot of those statistics in its lab reports, but the reviews are definitely aimed upmarket, even by phono cartridge standards.

Rick "who had to guess and hope a lot when choosing a cartridge--neither being good due-diligence strategies" Denney

 

[Robin L]

I care a bit less about harmonic distortion than I do about noise rejection (of the power-hum variety), frequency response, compliance (at 10 Hz, please), response to capacitance, actual mass, and ability to track through damage. Distortion is what it is, and it would seem we can tolerate a lot of it. But a wacky response curve is going to take some effort to correct (given that there is hardly any reliable way to test and EQ it at home) and makes a bigger difference how instruments sound. Compliance values are often reported as static compliance, or at 100 Hz, when neither is directly applicable to the relevant calculations for tone-arm matching, and with conversion rules of thumb that are just guesses, really.

HiFi News reports a lot of those statistics in its lab reports, but the reviews are definitely aimed upmarket, even by phono cartridge standards.

Rick "who had to guess and hope a lot when choosing a cartridge--neither being good due-diligence strategies" Denney

All these things you have just described are among the many reasons why I have no interest in LPs and their associated playback gear anymore.

Robin "An' here I sit so patiently waiting to find out what price you have to pay to get out of going through all these things twice" Landseadel

 

[analogSurviver]

My point would be that all the cartridges they test measure poorly and some are acknowledged to be frighteningly expensive. The other is that they're the only folks who test/measure phono cartridges now, so tough luck. It would make more sense for them to measure the more commonly used and available cartridges. But their tests do demonstrate a predictable level of performance, where the THD always exceeds 1%. This links to their most recent cartridge review, which at the end also links to other cartridge reviews. This review is of a modified version of the Ortofon 2M Black:

Ortofon 2M Black LVB 250 Cartridge Lab Report

Lab Report Delivering a substantial 4.7mV (re. 1kHz/5cm/sec) output, albeit some 1.8dB lower than the whopping 5.8mV recorded for the 2M Black [HFN Mar '11], Ortofon's flagship LVB 250 derivative is otherwise a new chip off a very reliable block. The 'MWCNT' suspension yeilds a slightly softer...

www.hifinews.com

Hifinews used to be the only source for objective phono gear mesurements - but, no more. There are at least two other sources that publish measuremrents at the present :

1. Lowbeats.de
For example : https://www.lowbeats.de/tonabnehmertest-goldring-e-serie-und-goldring-ethos/
German reviews, accompanied by at least frequency response graphs and trackability measurements, but usualy more, such as in case of Goldring Ethos, where there are also :

a) tonearm/turntable with which the cart has been tested, noting effective mass of the arm
b) resonant frequency in that arm/TT
c) recommended tonearm effective mass range
d) cartridge mass ( without and with mounting gear )
e) tracking ability at 300 Hz at given VTF expressed in micrometers
f) harmonic distortion at 300 Hz at 0dB expressed as asingle percentage number
g) intermodulation distortion ( 1800 / 2200 Hz ) expressed as single percentage number
i ) 10 kHz burst distortion expressed as single percentage number
j ) cartridge source impedance, both resistance and inductance
k) output voltage according to DIN at 0dB expresssed in mV ( also given output at 5cm/s in parenthesis )

Also there is some music samples you can listen to ( but not download ) using the very cartridge(s) reviewed in what they call Klang Orakel ( Sound Oracle ) https://www.lowbeats.de/lowbeats-klang-orakel-tonabnehmer/

For non German speaking audience - online translations are good enough to understand technical terms these days.

2. Hometheatherhifi.com
For example : https://hometheaterhifi.com/reviews...udio-technica-vm540ml-phono-cartridge-review/
This is even much more up the ASR alley; in fact the plethora of measurements and graphs exceed anything available in digital age.

Both of the above reviewers have tested and published the results of Shibata vs Micro Line stylus on otherwise identical Audio Technica cartridges - and so on. Both offer an insight what is possible in phono world - that and a fact that such and such performance is available also at reasonable cost.

 

[Robin L]

Hifinews used to be the only source for objective phono gear mesurements - but, no more. There are at least two other sources that publish measuremrents at the present :

1. Lowbeats.de
For example : https://www.lowbeats.de/tonabnehmertest-goldring-e-serie-und-goldring-ethos/
German reviews, accompanied by at least frequency response graphs and trackability measurements, but usualy more, such as in case of Goldring Ethos, where there are also :

a) tonearm/turntable with which the cart has been tested, noting effective mass of the arm
b) resonant frequency in that arm/TT
c) recommended tonearm effective mass range
d) cartridge mass ( without and with mounting gear )
e) tracking ability at 300 Hz at given VTF expressed in micrometers
f) harmonic distortion at 300 Hz at 0dB expressed as asingle percentage number
g) intermodulation distortion ( 1800 / 2200 Hz ) expressed as single percentage number
i ) 10 kHz burst distortion expressed as single percentage number
j ) cartridge source impedance, both resistance and inductance
k) output voltage according to DIN at 0dB expresssed in mV ( also given output at 5cm/s in parenthesis )

Also there is some music samples you can listen to ( but not download ) using the very cartridge(s) reviewed in what they call Klang Orakel ( Sound Oracle ) https://www.lowbeats.de/lowbeats-klang-orakel-tonabnehmer/

For non German speaking audience - online translations are good enough to understand technical terms these days.

2. Hometheatherhifi.com
For example : https://hometheaterhifi.com/reviews...udio-technica-vm540ml-phono-cartridge-review/
This is even much more up the ASR alley; in fact the plethora of measurements and graphs exceed anything available in digital age.

Both of the above reviewers have tested and published the results of Shibata vs Micro Line stylus on otherwise identical Audio Technica cartridges - and so on. Both offer an insight what is possible in phono world - that and a fact that such and such performance is available also at reasonable cost.

Glad you can find other sources for phono cartridge reviews with measurements. However, though I noticed that review from hometheaterhifi.com a while ago, it is four years old and I haven't seen reviews/measurements from that source since. However, here's their most recent [a few months ago] review of phono cartridges. For close to top of the line, the measurements are pathetic:

Audio-Technica AT-ART9XA and AT-ART9XI Moving Coil Phono Cartridges Review - HomeTheaterHifi.com

Audio-Technica is a name that’s been around in audio for a long time. This review covers their new moving coil AT-ART9XA and AT-ART9XI...

hometheaterhifi.com

I remember that site because I was using the Shure 97xe cartridge and theirs was the only tech review of that cartridge I encountered. Comparing the reviews of the AT high-end cartridges vs the Shure, it is very clear that 10x the expense will not get you 10x the performance:

Shure M97xE Phono Cartridge Review - HomeTheaterHifi.com

If you're looking for a good quality mid-level phono cartridge to enable your dreams of vinyl nirvana (on a budget), then the Shure M97xE is definitely...

hometheaterhifi.com

Of course, Shure doesn't make phono cartridges anymore. That Lowbeats site looks interesting, BTW.

 

[analogSurviver]

Glad you can find other sources for phono cartridge reviews with measurements. However, though I noticed that review from hometheaterhifi.com a while ago, it is four years old and I haven't seen reviews/measurements from that source since. However, here's their most recent [a few months ago] review of phono cartridges. For close to top of the line, the measurements are pathetic:

Audio-Technica AT-ART9XA and AT-ART9XI Moving Coil Phono Cartridges Review - HomeTheaterHifi.com

Audio-Technica is a name that’s been around in audio for a long time. This review covers their new moving coil AT-ART9XA and AT-ART9XI...

hometheaterhifi.com

I remember that site because I was using the Shure 97xe cartridge and theirs was the only tech review of that cartridge I encountered. Comparing the reviews of the AT high-end cartridges vs the Shure, it is very clear that 10x the expense will not get you 10x the performance:

Shure M97xE Phono Cartridge Review - HomeTheaterHifi.com

If you're looking for a good quality mid-level phono cartridge to enable your dreams of vinyl nirvana (on a budget), then the Shure M97xE is definitely...

hometheaterhifi.com

Of course, Shure doesn't make phono cartridges anymore. That Lowbeats site looks interesting, BTW.

Well, by now you should realize that the quality in any audio gear, but particularly in transducers, does not increase linearly with increasing price. It is, unfortunately, anything but linear function ...

I agree the measurements for the latest AT MC crop is pathetic. But, back in their good past, they did have some really nice models ... - the one that might have dragged the remnants of those good days to present is AT 33 PTG II, which although out of production, can still be found with several vendors. And the latest incarnations of OC9 are also no slouches - please check the Hifinews review.

Shure M97xe - the less said about it, the better. For the trully pathetic performance offered by the last batch(es), it will never be missed.
Shure actually did 2-3 ( depending how one counts ) decent phono cartridges. But, they were what I call "semi-products" or "good kits to be finished at home". Only the V15IV ever reached more popularity, the others that were variations on the basic theme with much improvement are today next to unknown and are nearing unobtainium.

 

[DSJR]

Shure had around five bodies I gather and all their models used one of them in different styling clothes. The 97XE was basically a later version of the 'EJ level' I'd suggest, with crude looking bonded tip nothing like as fine as a V15 (any of 'em) for example..

I've used the Lowbeats site (with translator) and they seem to feel the AT's and Ortofon 2M range (I love the 2M Bronze, especially on a Rega). I do love AT's long term though and set up a 95ML for someone not long ago (very much for this age of neutral sources). The 95SH promises to be a little more refined up top but then again, the 540 has a better body. Fascinating that the 740 (same stylus and body? but metal mount) is slightly less 'assertive' than it's cheaper sibling (i don't know the 760SH I'm afraid). I'd suggest that the AT and 2M range is the safest for many mid priced decks really.

 

[Robin L]

Well, by now you should realize that the quality in any audio gear, but particularly in transducers, does not increase linearly with increasing price. It is, unfortunately, anything but linear function ...

I agree the measurements for the latest AT MC crop is pathetic. But, back in their good past, they did have some really nice models ... - the one that might have dragged the remnants of those good days to present is AT 33 PTG II, which although out of production, can still be found with several vendors. And the latest incarnations of OC9 are also no slouches - please check the Hifinews review.

Shure M97xe - the less said about it, the better. For the trully pathetic performance offered by the last batch(es), it will never be missed.
Shure actually did 2-3 ( depending how one counts ) decent phono cartridges. But, they were what I call "semi-products" or "good kits to be finished at home". Only the V15IV ever reached more popularity, the others that were variations on the basic theme with much improvement are today next to unknown and are nearing unobtainium.

There's one level of performance expectations for the "audiophile" and another for people who simply want to play LPs, or people transcribing somebody else's discs or, back in the day, folks spinning discs in clubs. The Shure M-44 series was great for marginal discs, tracking heavy, lopping off some of the higher frequencies [where the surface noise lives], good and forceful in the lower octaves and capable of getting from one end of a groove to the other without de-railing. They now appear to be collectible. As for the M97xe, more should be said. It might not have been the audiophile's idea of a proper cartridge, but for those more interested in music than audiophile concerns there was a cheap 'n' cheerful way of playing $1 records from thrift stores without too much fear of some damaged groove damaging the stylus. It would happen anyway, eventually, but replacement styli were cheap and easy to get, easy to install. Similar things can be said of the lower-priced AT cartridges.

 

[MrOtto]

Check this excellent library:

Introducing the Phono Cartridge Measurement Library

After years of development we are finally launching our phono cartridge measurement library. These measurements were created using the brilliant cartridge response python script written by @scott wurcer and @JP. Information about its origins can be found in the following threads...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[musicforcities]

Fantastic! Thanks

 

[AaronJ]

I gave a DL-103 a shot a few months ago and haven’t taken it off since. Love that cartridge. The spherical stylus tracks much better than you might expect, and it’s definitely more quiet than my Shure V15V-MR and AT VM95ML on older records. I was previously running it in a Technics SL-100C but recently purchased a Sansui SR-929 and that is an amazing combination. I’ve never been happier with my vinyl playback.

 

[GXAlan]

I gave a DL-103 a shot a few months ago and haven’t taken it off since. Love that cartridge. The spherical stylus tracks much better than you might expect, and it’s definitely more quiet than my Shure V15V-MR and AT VM95ML on older records. I was previously running it in a Technics SL-100C but recently purchased a Sansui SR-929 and that is an amazing combination. I’ve never been happier with my vinyl playback.

That’s really interesting. Was your Shure V15VMR with a vintage or modern stylus?

The cartridge database covers frequency response and distortion, but tracking is trickier to quantify in a number. The slight brightness of the DL103 may offset the stylus not going as deep into the groove.

 

[rdenney]

And the microline stylus of the AT-VM95ML should be quiet, but it needs more tracking force than people often use to keep it in the groove. Because of the shape, more tracking force overall does not mean more wear. I’m using 2 grams with an AT440MLa, not the recommended 1.4, and it does seem to be quieter.

Rick “need to adjust the capacitive loading in the preamp, however” Denney

 

[Thomas_A]

With respect to low background noise (especially HF noise) stylus polish and low friction is the key. DL103 has been known for excellent polish of the diamond tip.

 

[DSJR]

That’s really interesting. Was your Shure V15VMR with a vintage or modern stylus?

The cartridge database covers frequency response and distortion, but tracking is trickier to quantify in a number. The slight brightness of the DL103 may offset the stylus not going as deep into the groove.

My beloved V15VMR was accidentally damaged (I wonder if the cantilever with newish diamond could be spliced back together?). When working, it was extremely accurate with no exaggeration of the 'halo' or 'added charm' that some turntable systems add to vinyl reproduction. It was what I'd call a 'proper reproduction just slightly smaller in scale' when compared to a high end setup.

If the gent above loves his DL103C, just DON'T compare with a digital version of the record, as the hf drop-off at side end on that conical stylus is quite a bit. An ML or current Shibata stylus should minimise that.

I'd also suggest the VM740 over a VM540 (same thing, different mounting blocks) for some tonearms with a lively structure... The SH tip that AT use is kinder to noise and wear I gather than the ML.

 

[AaronJ]

That’s really interesting. Was your Shure V15VMR with a vintage or modern stylus?

The cartridge database covers frequency response and distortion, but tracking is trickier to quantify in a number. The slight brightness of the DL103 may offset the stylus not going as deep into the groove.

The V15VMR is with a new stylus from LP Gear. It's amazingly detailed and I have absolutely nothing against it. Same with the VM95ML. Problem is I almost exclusively collect vinyl from the 60's and 70's and the more advanced styli pick up more faults to go along with their detail retrieval. Strictly speaking this is where the DL103 excels for my tastes, but it is by no means a slouch on modern pressings either for music reproduction so it never comes off the turntable.

It's also a fantastic tracker. Any time I think maybe it's distorting (IGD or otherwise) I compare it to a digital version and almost every single time the distortion was present in the recording.

It's easy to set up. With the advanced styli I am constantly fiddling with them if something sounds off, and it sucks the fun out of it. It's so easy to plug and play, and not worry about capacitance in cables. I very much enjoy the tactile feel of using the tonearm with 2.5g of VTF over 1.5g or 1.0g with the Shure.

 

[0bs3rv3r]

The V15VMR is with a new stylus from LP Gear. It's amazingly detailed and I have absolutely nothing against it. Same with the VM95ML. Problem is I almost exclusively collect vinyl from the 60's and 70's and the more advanced styli pick up more faults to go along with their detail retrieval. Strictly speaking this is where the DL103 excels for my tastes, but it is by no means a slouch on modern pressings either for music reproduction so it never comes off the turntable.

I run a VM95ML in my main table, but love those older records too, and have found that the super cheap AT3600 is a great "poor man's DL-103". The slightly heavier tracking and the undersized conical (0.7 standard microgroove vs 0.6 for the 3600 vs 0.5 for the Denon ) stylus seems to be a similar philosophy to the Denon. There's a good reason why companies like Rega used rebadged versions for the cheaper turntables.