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40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
One of the Best Budget Minded Audiophile Cartridges Around , December 14, 2004
Who says you have to spend an x amount of hundreds even thousands of dollars on a phono cartridge to listen to crisp and detailed vinyl/analog playback ? However, words like crisp and detailed are very meager adjectives to describe the musical sonic characteristics of this cartridge (true, the rest of your component system's own sound characteristics come into play, i.e; receiver,amp,pre-amp,turntable,speakers).If any part of your audio system does not have that "synergy", then you may notice either slight, miniscule shortcomings from the cartridge or system or both.For those with already a warm or neutral sounding system will be dramatically surprised and awestruck. For those who have just the opposite type of system and also may have an eq inline, you may want to adjust your treble settings. The AT 440ML is NOT a neutral or "warm" sounding cartridge---far from it. The upper mids and highs will possibly have your dog running out of the room. It's not bass shy either. Bass is firm but never muddy or boomy. It reproduces the lows and highs very well.There are no punchy mids (though the mids are reproduced admirably but not accurately). Some critics have said this cartridge out of the box and installed properly is reminiscent of having an inline equalizer and it's frequency knob controls in the "v" formation. Stereo channel separation is probably the best these ears have heard over any other stereo cartridge I have had in the past (from the Grado Prestige Series to a couple of high-end Shure cartridges).There is definitely a 3-dimensional sonic imaging characteristic in the AT 440ML (especially noted with acoustic and jazz music). The Audio Technica beats most other hi end named brands to the punch with such wide stereo stage channel separation. I have closed my eyes with headphones on or with speakers and I always hear and experience the "you are there" feeling that makes me appreciate records much more than the cold 2-dimensional flat sound of audio cd's. Female vocals have a soft but clear presence.Male vocals are well reproduced. The micro-linear stylus reaches deep into the grooves without carving the vinyl (YES ! a wonderful light tracker that requires anywhere from .8 to 1.6 g of tracking force).This will cut down on the wear and tear of your vinyl collection as well as your cartridge/stylus...
Does this mean that the AT 440ML is PERFECT and that you have finally reached analog playback nirvana??? Well, that depends on different viewpoints. If you have bought cheap cartridges all your life in the $20 to $40 range, then this AT 440ML will be an audio revelation that will have you realize what you have been missing all this time. BUT, it's only a taste of the high end, audiophile analog world. If you have had other hi-end name brand cartridges (an experienced audiophile) and have paid more than what this cartridge is going for, then from a monetary stance you may have paid too much---that is IF the AT's sound rivals or is reminiscent of those pricier carts. On the other hand, if you prefer the warm, neutral sound to your liking, and possibly don't want to experience ear and mind fatigue from a bright cartridge then do not buy this cartridge.The AT 440 ML is a colored (soundwise) cartridge.You will only become ear fatigued if you are used to more neutral or warm cartridges (this is where you will need to adjust your treble settings). As with most cartridges, the AT 440 ML does require a little bit of "breaking-in" period (some say 30 hours to maybe 50---depending on your playback time habits). I have owned the AT 440ML for over a year now and it does get more looser or liquid-like, smooth and sweeter in sound(but not warm or dull) with no harsh or grainy sonic characteristics (sounds like I'm describing a fine liquor or malt shake).
The last glaring question (probably one of the most important) is whether or not this is an excellent tracker (and this is a two-fold question or concern). Are words beginning with s, t, p, and f accurately reproduced (sibilance)? Yes and no.That honorary distinction would be for the Shure V15VxMR cartridge (which is now out of production and was the last of a dying audiophile cartridge breed to be had for a reasonable price range). With the AT 440ML it's more hit than miss with sibilants. About 85% to 90% of the time "spitty" consonants are pronounced accurately with a slight edge or exaggeration. However, there have been a few of my clean records where the letter "s" cuts through with that static-like harshness more than once on any given side.One such record I have that proves this theory and shortcoming of this cartridge is Joe Jackson's Jumpin' Jive swing jazz album (the letter s is tracked harshly with that annoying edgy sound). As for overall tracking quality of the music signal in general from beginning of groove to end, it has that inner groove distortion problem licked (this is where the AT 440ML shows off it's greatest audiophile strength). This is due to the linear contact stylus. Nothing MORE aggravating to a record listener than when a low budget or poorly produced cartridge, while it may sound clear and great in the first few tracks on a record side, but then as the needle goes towards the center, the last tracks suffer horribly (no matter how much anti-skate force you apply)! You will no longer have this problem with the AT 440ML; you will finally find out what you have been missing.
Keep in mind that this deep-groove tracing microlinear stylus by design,in picking up such fine musical detail, will also pick up record surface noise and dirt;That's right, that snap,crackle, and pop from static,dirt, or lint.Majority of micro-linear cartridges will do that as opposed to conical or elliptical styli that sort of tend to almost try to soften,mask or even blend out surface record noise. Conical or elliptical styli,with their larger "footprint" tip, will push dirt and other debris out of the way on the record's surface. They also do not reach deep into the groove and make that much of an accurate contact with the groove's wall as a microlinear stylus does. The microlinear stylus will reach deeper into the groove where there is more accumulated dirt or debris;it's a fact(being a light tracker however, this will not wear out your records as fast as a regular stylus cartrdige would). So, I also recommend using an anti-static brush on those not so pristine records.This is the only other area where maybe it's competitor ,the Shure M97xE cartridge, might come out a little ahead; Shures are well known and admired for their almost quiet record surface noise playback and background !
The bottom line, with both thumbs highly up, I absolutely recommend this fine cartridge. Period. Especially for a novice to the vinyl world or someone on a budget.I have found it difficult to listen to cd's or any digital musical format since owning this cartridge. In fact, I get bored with cd playback nowadays. There's just no musical "involvement".Don't be fooled by the simple black and lavender/purple? colored simple looking cartridge. It's what's on the inside of the body that really counts ! The AT 440ML possesses that bang for the buck quality that is hard to beat and will revitalize your long yearning for super (not perfect) audiophile listening and extract nuances and other fine qualities from your record collection !
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25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Why can't all cartridges track this perfectly????, March 1, 2006
After years of hitting my head against the wall in total frustration, I *finally* found the right cartridge for me in Audio Technica's AT440ML (now the AT440MLa). Let me explain why life was so frustrating, depressing, and difficult before the 440ML.
All my life, I was mystified and upset by the fact that the inner grooves of most records sounded distorted and/or sibilant. Some records in my collection had inner grooves that distorted so harshly it rendered them unlistenable. I'd track down new or minty copies of said albums, assuming my LPs must be worn or something. But no, even brand new copies would often have at least a little sonic degradation on those last tracks. Despite being an avid vinyl junkie, the fact that I couldn't find a way to remedy this forced me to wonder if I should concede defeat, admit that maybe vinyl *is* the inferior medium, and start replacing some of my favorite albums with CDs.
Over the past few years, I grew increasingly determined to solve this problem. Affixed to my Denon DP-51f, was a Grado Gold, which had a wonderful sound but it couldn't track the inner grooves of a record if its life depended on it. The Grado's performance could best be described thusly: 1st three tracks sounded positively beautiful, confirming all that is good and glorious about the sound of vinyl; full, rich, detailed, and a smooth, pleasing, lively sound. Fourth track begins to show signs of degradation, maybe some sibilance, a bit of distortion, but usually still listenable. But that last song on the record would often sound terrible; sometimes a heinous, distorted, muck-ed up nightmare. It still stresses me out just thinking about it.
I replaced that with a Shure M97xE, which came with recommendations from nearly everybody in the audio world, even some hardcore audiophiles. Right away, I was impressed with its full sound and flat, almost warm frequency response. But once again, it just couldn't track those inner grooves to save its life. It did do a slightly better job than the Grado, but I thought that overall, the Grado had a better, sweeter tonal quality on the tracks that it *could* track successfully.
Meanwhile, I acquired a Technics SL-1400, which came with a Stanton 680 HiFI that was somewhat unimpressive, but worth noting because of its strange problem with sibilance in the *outer* grooves. Yes, it actually did okay (better than both the M97xE and the Grado Gold) with inner grooves, but for some reason the outer grooves were absurdly sibilant. This one had great difficulty with wide grooves, especially 12" 45 rpm EPs.
Briefly, I acquired a Rega P3 with the Rega Elys 2 cartridge. The venerable Rega had a nicely detailed sound, but once *again*, performed just as badly as the Grado and M97xE when tracking the inner grooves. That's right, an extremely reputable $700 turntable and a $250 cartridge made zero improvements as far as trackability! It sounded great on those first 3-4 tracks, but still rendered those inner grooves distorted and sibilant. To be fair, the Elys isn't the best cartridge in its price-point, but still - $250 for a cartridge that can't track inner grooves? Are you crazy? How can Rega live with that?
Enter the AT440ML, which I first connected to my Technics. I got out several of my favorite "problem" records; those LPs whose inner grooves always sounded atrocious. Right away, the AT440ML tracked the inner grooves like a champ. For the first time in my life, the inner grooves of these records sounded as lush, full, detailed, and clear as the outer grooves. Inner groove distortion had vanished!
But it doesn't stop there - gone too were the sibilant "S's" that once sputtered and spat through my audio system. Now suddenly, the "S's" and cymbal hits were as smooth as silk on all but a handful of particularly problematic, sibilant records. And on those few records, the sibilance was still reduced significantly when compared to the above mentioned cartridges, bringing these few LPs into the realm of listenability.
I'm now hearing details in some of those inner groove tracks that I never heard before due to the newfound clarity brought by the AT440ML. Records that previously sounded abysmal are now sounding full, rich, and clear. Words can't describe how happy this makes me.
One criticism leveled at the AT440ML is that its frequency response is too bright, that there is a bump in the upper frequency range, causing excessive treble or brightness. While there is a slight bump, on my system it is very subtle and in no way excessive. I tend to like things a bit flat sounding, so I was concerned that this would be an issue, but as it turns out, the AT440ML sounds fine. I would describe it as pretty natural sounding, with well-defined yet full bass, smooth yet detailed highs, pleasing mids, with amazing attention to sonic detail. It's also quite lively; the music really jumps out of the speakers (something definitely lacking with the comparitively dull sounding M97xE). So, not only does the 440ML track perfectly, but it really sounds great.
So, if like me, you've been plagued with so much inner-groove distortion that you've just resigned yourself to live with it, I would highly recommend the AT440ML. If you do find the slight high frequency bump not to your liking, I would suggest changing your phono stage or nudging the treble down on your eq. Fortunately for me, that wasn't an issue at all on my system.
How manufacturers like Grado and Shure can continue churning out cartridges that fail to track inner grooves cleanly is beyond me. I can't recommend this cartridge highly enough. From my experience, it wins out over anything in its price range with ease, and even cartridges over twice its street price.
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21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent, but not for the vinyl traditionalist..., January 6, 2004
(Updated 03 April 2005) The AT440ML is widely regarded as a great quality phono cartridge, but there *is* some controversy. I've been using this cartridge for well over a year now, and my opinion is that it has a very "modern" sound -- its tonal balance is almost an imitation of the typical CD player. Not that that's bad... it's just that many vinyl fans prefer the "midbass bloom" warmth and other traditional qualities of the so-called vinyl sound, and this cartridge doesn't have it -- if you prefer that kind of sound and are on a budget, look into one of the high-end Stantons. This one does tend to be a bit "V-Curvish" tonally, with a bit more emphasis on bass and treble than on midrange (as well as being a bit bright and/or thin sounding with certain systems). You'll really just have to hear this cartridge with your particular setup to decide whether you like it or not. IMO, the great thing about vinyl is that it's all about what we find pleasing (euphonic), not some unattainable standard of absolute accuracy.
As far as tracking goes, this one's a winner. Not only does it track better than 99% of cartridges out there, but it's highly detailed as well -- the stylus shape is designed to dig every bit of detail out of the groove. Surprisingly, this *does not* seem to come at the expense of more surface noise. If anything, this cartridge is pretty quiet and you'll hear less surface noise than average. I'm sure the light tracking force (VTF) helps in this regard.
Mounting-wise, I found this cartridge a bit more difficult than most. Part of the thing is I was trying to be more exacting than usual, because a Microline stylus can eat your records if it's mounted poorly. I did encounter a minor channel imbalance which was eventually corrected. Unless you're really skilled at mounting cartridges, be prepared to take some time with this one. In particular, you may want to play with VTA (if your tonearm supports it) to avoid a sound that's too thin and bright.
Overall, I'd say at around $100 this one's a real bargain. It's very nearly a mismatch with my Thorens TP16 tonearm, but with modern lightweight tonearms it should be perfect. If you do get it for use with a vintage turntable with a medium-mass tonearm (like the TP16) be advised that you're working at the very outer edges of this cart's tolerances and you may encounter issues with warped discs, etc. For me the price was worth it though... for less than $100 you get true audiophile quality, albeit with some flaws. There's an effortless quality to this cartridge's performance, one that generally only comes with really expensive models. Recommended.
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