Audio-Technica VM540ML Moving Magnet Cartridge,Red

Product Information

On jazz vocals, in particular, I got the sense that there were more layers to the sound and it added an extra, and welcome, sense of dimension to some of my favorite LPs when I spun them. The curve is more consistent and balanced, but still shows the open presentation in the top end like in the graph above. But I would also say that the recommended weight in general is what most people would go with and by experimenting you will soon notice the difference and what is right for your ears. The other older records that show the problem do not appear to be damaged, but, as the noise is usually at the beginning of a side, I think it likely that these carry very light surface damage caused by poor handling in the past.

Getz’s saxophone sounds appropriately big and powerful out of the left channel but is still handled with the proper finesse in that I could make out all the subtler details in his playing as well.After having had the AT120 and the AT440MLa/b for over 6 years, I've sold the old AT120E body and the ATN440MLa (which was actually an earlier version of the AT440MLb already featuring the AT440MLb non-anodized cantilever) to get the VM540ML.

Without the RIAA emphasis which attenuates at low frequency the groove width and depth vary by more than 1000 to 1. After I had adjusted the weight of the tone arm and dialed in the recommended two gramms I started another test-run and everything worked then as expected.One of my favorite live jazz recordings that features Getz playing saxophone at his best, Astrud Gilberto’s beautiful distinctive voice, and top supporting talent including Kenny Burrell on guitar. Had you said it was an old second hand record I’d suspect it had been played with a worn or chipped stylus at some point in its past, but on a new record it sounds like stitching/infill.

The VM540ML provides plenty details, dynamics and openness without becoming overly analytical or fatiguing. Some people say, that this Audio-Technica can sound harsh depending on the capacity of the cables and phone-preamp, but in my environment it sounds great. The Audio-Technica VM540ML was installed in an OEM Technics SL1200 head shell and was mounted using the Technics Overhang Gauge and aligned using an aftermarket alignment guide. Due to its compliance it is said to be best in low mass arms, don't know if that's right but it works fine in my 10 gram carbon fibre Project Pro. This is tiny at 2um because the frequency is up 10x and as we pointed out above, groove size goes down with frequency for constant output.Everything I expected, perfect tracking and flexible sound another couple of steps close to sumptuous. Use an external preamp, a powerful 2-channel power amplifier and a set of good quality loudspeakers. This first figure is the most significant for the VM540ML reflecting an improvement over the predecessor AT440MLa.