Audio Technica AUD AT440MLA Phonograph Cartridge

Although I had my doubts whether this cartridge might meet my expectations, I was very pleased after installing and testing the AT440mla on my Technics SL-1500 turntable. I've been so used to my old standby Stanton 680EE that i was really taken by surprise at the difference in sound with the AT cartridge! Although I took great care to align the cartridge using the overhang jig that came with the Technics TT, I was still anticipating mistracking and/or the need to tweak the adjustment several times. But when I installed the AT, did the overhang adjust, balanced the arm and set tracking force and antiskating to 1.4 gm, I purposely put on a record with very strong S's and to my amazement, they all sounded very smooth without the piercing sharpness I had been used to with the Stanton. The sound on that vinyl was very smooth and silky, best way I could describe it. Stereo separation blew me away too, as I noted a very strong sensee of presence of not only left and right but center, and one other thing. The vinyl just plain sounded "quieter." Rather than being disappointed, I was very glad I nailed all the adjustments first time out and it's now staying just as it is, perfect! Oh, I have some warped vinyl and it tracks flawlessly. My only problem is one which I would have with any cartridge, I am visually impaired and have 10% vision, and I find mounting a cartridge combersome and frustrating, both in handling the very small screws and the wires, but I persevered and did this all on my own and it all works marvelously. My only other shothere is watch the price of this cartridge. It will go up and down. A friend of mine got his for $159 from another source, then I saw on Amazon prices ranging from $162 to $209 for this same cartridge. I kept looking and when I saw the price listed as $99.88, I grabbed one really fast. So keep checking before you buy and you'll find a better price. Even at a higher price it's a good bit of bang for the buck but if you can save more that's great. Take it from a 40+ year broadcaster and audiophile, this cartridge is wonderful and if you install it correctly, it will blow you away! UPDATE: I've changed turntables, going from an old Technics SL-1500 from which I will try to sell off some of its parts, to a brand new Technics SL-1210 Mk2. I took the extra time to remount the AT cartridge onto the new Technics headshell rather than leaving it on the aftermarket blue-painted headshell that I had for the SL-1500 and found by trial and error that I needed to mount the cartridge onto the headshell with the AT-supplied screws and bolts, not the Technics ones. The Technics headshell comes with much longer screws than what's needed for this cartridge, also the bolts with the Technics headshell package are five-sided, the ones from the AT set are simply round. If you try to mount with the Technics bolts it won't turn far enough to properly hold the cartridge in place, so you have to use the round bolts. Having limited vision I didn't catch this at first but after wasting a lot of time trying to figure out what I was doing wrong, I saw the problem. OK enough about that. After making sure all my work was done to spec and the stylus lined up perfectly using the Technics overhang jig, and judiciously setting up the tonearm, I played a bunch of my vinyl that could prove problematic for most setups and it all played wonderfully. I had even a better experience with my new setup than with the old, and I don't have any discernible tracking distortion anywhere on the vinyl. One added comment, many have said the cartridge has a kind of V-shaped audio curve, but I have to say if it's V-shaped, it's fooling me, and I'm an audiophile and broadcast DJ. I think what does it for me though is my phono preamp is a Stanton 310B which in itself is legendary, and it seems to bring out the midrange well just as it's set. The preamp has DIP switches on the back to compensate for cartridge characteristics at different frequencies and I like the way it's set right now. Now with the new TT in place and the AT440mla, I've got as good a setup as I'm ever going to find for my budget, so as I do a lot of archiving vinyl to hard drive and to CD, I'm very confident I'm doign it all as accurately as possible. In setting up the cartridge on any turntable, just make sure you do the overhang adjustment exactly as specified, or you will never achieve the great sound this cartridge has to offer. That's a big if, I've seen many people who just slap cartridges on and think it's OK, but it doesn't work that way. Take the time to set this puppy up and you'll enjoy your turntable so much for years to come.

I own a set of vintage mid-range consumer grade audio equipment, which included a very mid-range $25 cartridge. I did quite a bit of reading on amazon and finally settled on the AT440MLa cartridge. As mentioned in other reviews, going from an "average" cartridge to this one is an upgrade that will literally blow you away. At the same time that I purchased this cartridge, I also upgraded my headphones to a Sennheiser model hd55, and the combination is just killer. I do most of my listening on headphones, and this is where I've found this cartridge most able to show off its strengths. This is a dual moving magnet cartridge, meaning the elements that pick up the left and right channel are completely isolated from one another. Most regular cartridges mix the two channels together slightly. This setup generates channel separation like I've never heard before. Each instrument has a distinct, focused point in the stereo spectrum from where it emanates. My old cartridge put the drums "somewhere over to the left" and the guitar "somewhere over there on the right". This new cartridge has made me flinch at times, because it sounds as if somebody just hit a cymbal next to my ear. It literally sounds like my head is mounted to the stage floor, and the rest of the band is playing all around me. Sometimes it's a little overwhelming (in a good way.) This is what vinyl is supposed to sound like. When I demonstrate my rig for others, I pull out my copy of Chicago's fifth album, and put on a track called "A Hit By Varese". The engineering on that LP is top notch, and the song features a combination of saxophone, trumpet, and trombone solos that play off of each other, occurring all over the stereo spectrum (and thus your head.) Pretty awesome. As others have said, this cartridge does accentuate the highs more than others, but I haven't found it to be annoying. I'm too busy admiring the sheer clarity of the music and the elements I never realized were there. The only complaint I have with this cartridge is the needle that comes with it. This is a micro-linear stylus, which has a very very tiny tip. Theoretically, it is supposed to reach way down into the groove, finding a new realm of fresh vinyl that has never been touched by a larger needle. In the real world, the needle lays into the very bottom of the groove, plowing through dust, dirt, pops, ticks, and anything else that has settled down there. Much of the garbage clings to the needle, making the sound quality and tracking go down the tubes. Even apparently clean records can contribute buildup. Many times I had to stop an album several times in the middle of play to clean up the massive furball that was currently tracking my favorite album. I suppose this might work well as a vinyl cleaning technique (and I'm actually not being sarcastic when I say that)... but as a device to play records, I prefer a regular needle. Fortunately, a little-known fact is that a variety of needles with standard styli will fit into the AT440MLa. I recently bought an ATN-120E needle, and it sounds really great. And the $20 for that needle is a LOT cheaper than buying a new micro-linear stylus. Bottom line, if you're looking for a cartridge with a nice warm sound to listen to your 1950s Miles Davis cool jazz records, look elsewhere. But if you're looking for something to blow your socks off, get this cartridge. It makes even modest equipment sound great.

I decided to resurrect my sound system last year. Got tired of seeing it sit in the cabinet collecting dust. Great equipment should be used after all. Those Klipsch speakers have hardly seen any use. There was a time when I spent hours listening to and recording albums on my sound system. Now that the kids are off on their own, time to break out my toys again. I pulled everything out and gave everything a good once over. If something needed professional attention, the device went into the shop. Everything finally all hooked up and sounding good except for my Technics SL1710 with an ancient AT15sa cartridge. Shopping around for advice, I came to Amazon.Com to see what I could find here. Liked the write ups on the AT440ML and the price was certainly in my budget. Placed my order. A few days later, received my new cartridge from Electrinic Expo LLC. Anxious to hear my old albums again, I mounted the cartridge, pulled out my favorite Moody Blues album and gently cued the tonearm. I was amazed! I had just listened to the same album the night before and thought it was missing something. Thought it was a setting on my amp or maybe my equalizer needed tweaking. Now the album sounded clear and I heard passages that I had forgotten about. Delicate notes and tones. I was listening to a dynamic expanse of sound I had been missing before. The music was fuller and more robust while at the same time keeping the highs crisp and clear. I was very pleased. Then I heard that the AT440ML was no longer available. Vendors were sending out the new AT440MLa in its place. I read how some folks were not happy with this arrangement. I took a closer look at my new cartridge and discovered that it, too, was an AT440MLa! Had I been the victim of a bait and switch sale? This cartridge isn't the one I ordered. I decided to research the AT440MLa and was pleased to discover that the 440MLa is a superior cartridge. The 440MLa looks the same as the old 440ML, but boy does it ever sound different! It is not nearly as bright as the 440ML. It is much flatter. Bass response is solid and clean with no muddiness. Midrange is very neutral, and the high end is extended with no signs of brightness. This cartridge sounds extremely refined. Most inexpensive cartridges tend to sound just that, cheap. They are either muddy, or bright and lacking detail. Not this one. It really sounds "expensive". It has what I like to call "layered depth". You don't simply hear the music, you hear into it. For someone on a budget who desires a great little cartridge, this is the one. The AT440MLa certainly brought my system back to life.

This review is about the 440Mla (which is what is in the market now). This came with a high recommendation from HIFI dealers. I heard from an HIFI dealer that 440MLa has a flat frequency response compared to the old 440ML. The 440ML has a frequency range of 5 to 32 KHz. I have not used 440Ml to do the comparison myself. So I can't comment on this. Mounting wise I had some difficulty since this is my first cartridge over 5g in weight (around 6.5g). The counterweight was at the very edge and this created some issues while I played some warped records. So I bought a record clamp to correct this issue. Sound wise this is more close to the tonal characteristics of a CD, but still preserving the sonic characteristics of a vinyl. I have just put around 20 hours in it. Might smooth itself with another 20-30 hours. The mid range seems to be a bit suppressed. The bass is good without being boomy or muddy. Channel seperation is again very good. Now for the real area where the 440MLa works like a champ "Tracking". It is absolutely a wonderful tracker. It tracks the inner grooves almost near perfectly on my old records. I'm hearing a clean sound on the inner groove tracks which I never heard before. Part of it is due to the micro line stylus. This also picks up all the details of the grooves and you may hear more pops and more surface noise. I have set my tracking force at 1.2g which gives me excellent reproduction on my setting. As for recommending this cartridge, it depends on what you are looking for. If you like warm sounding cartrdige and if brightness causes you fatigue, I would recommend Shure M97XE over this. Otherwise this is one excellent product at an unimaginable price tag.

I started the re-entry into lp like many of us midlifers are doing these days. I got a midfi pioneer 518 and decided to buy expensive moving coil cartridges to compensate. That lead to more expenses on SUTs and phono preamps. I also have an ortofon 2m red to leave on the table when I am out of town. If only I had bought the at440 first, I could have saved a lot of money. My denon 301mk2 and at33ev are great mc cartridges, don't get me wrong, but the at 440mla is not that far behind. I had a weird experience with the first one I got since I was experiencing really bad inner groove distortion , I adjusted the azimuth and it was spot on so the cartridge sounded amazing but a quick microscope inspection showed that the cantilever was rotated toward the inner groove and misaligned. Luckily Amazon was great about replacing it and I just got the new one. It's perfect. I have read many reviews that say that this cartridge is too bright etc. Maybe so, but make sure that your preamp has enough gain. It's possible that the gain is too low and I have found that low gain makes the sound weak and distant. Conversely, if you have too much gain, like my rogue pharaoh integrated (62db) it sounds "amplified". I got the Schiit Many phono preamp with adjustable gain and that has helped both MC as well as MM setups. I think it's nonsense to complain about this cartridge being bright. I would rather have all the information at the source and then try to mitigate through the electronics chain, cables etc. If you want a "warm" sound, then get a meridian mcd or 207 player. Perhaps a magnates CD player from the 80's and let the brickwall filters do their work and cut the life out of the high frequency. The reason why analog is better is precisely because of the extended register in the high frequency. I find the ortofon 2m red dull, boring and impossible to find it interesting. Plus the at 440mla tracks much better, including my denon 301mk2. If you are starting up on vinyl, do yourself a favor and buy this cartridge before you go crazy into other expensive cartridges. I find myself complete drawn to the music with this cartridge. It also makes my seventies and eighties rock pop music sound full of life and fun to listen to.

About six months ago I installed this on a 1979 Pioneer PL-250 direct drive turntable and aligned it using Baerwald calculation via mirrored protractor and used Shure's SFG-2 tracking force gauge to set it at 1.4g. After six months of use and break-in, I can tell you that this is a phenomenal cartridge for the money. I was skeptical about the reviews reporting no inner-grove distortion, but darn if they weren't right - I just can't believe it. I guess what I don't understand is why not more of the high-end or audiophile cartridges using a micro linear stylus like the AT440MLA? Perhaps, it's because it might not be able to render as much warmness and bloom as the other shaped styli, such as is in my Grado... I have a Grado Gold series, and I will say that yes, you can tell the difference between the two very easily, yet I like them both for different applications. I will buy a second headshell for my Grado and use it on new vinyl and vinyl that only I have played since new. However, I continue to buy used vinyl and the other advantage of the micro linear stylus of the AT440MLA, besides eliminating inner-groove distortion, is that it breathes new life to vinyl that has been played through the years and might have some of its wall grooves worn down a bit. This is because the micro linear shape is able to lie deeper into the bottom of the groove and pick up fresh portions of the wall that have never been touched by conventional shaped styli. Now, keep in mind, as others have said, it will also pick up the imperfections better as well. I manage this by, obviously, not buying used vinyl that has scratches beyond slight surface mars and I always use a carbon fiber lent brush before every play to minimize any snap, crackle, and pop. Also, in the winter when static is a concern, I zap the vinyl with my original ZeroStat gun (now I'm considering purchasing the Mapleshade Phonophile record brush that uses metal strands and has a ground cable...). Anyway, I cannot give this cartridge higher praise -- it is the best cartridge, hands down, that money can buy. It is an absolute MUST HAVE if you are buying and playing used vinyl! Happy listening and long live vinyl and an all analog stereo system! (Now, if we could just get new music recorded and mixed back on analog equipment... I'm not a big fan of digitally recorded new music that is then pressed onto new vinyl, that's why I didn't buy the new Beatles vinyl box set because it's from digital masters and a digital mix. One of my rare finds is the female band "The Like" on their retro 60's album, "Release Me." They went into an old recording studio in NYC that hadn't been used in years and the producers refurbished the all analog recording and mixing gear (tube driven), and they recorded the whole album that way -- very cool! So far, this is the only "new" vinyl I know of that has been recorded and mixed using vintage analog equipment. I think that even digital music media, CD's and MP3's, would sound better if they were recorded and mixed in the analog domain, then digitized just in the transfer to media stage.) Now go do something nice for yourself and your vinyl collection and "buy this cartridge!!!"

I purchased this cartridge for the same reasons many others here did- I was having fits trying to deal with inner groove distortion on used vinyl purchases that I've been ripping to ProTools as 24/96 wav's and DVD-Audio discs. My set up for this job is a Denon DP-45f turntable running straight through an amazing 1975 vintage Marantz 3600 preamp that's been completely refurbished to original specs, then to the ProTools inputs with custom made Mogami cables by ProLA Audio. My previous (other) cartridge is a Denon DL110 high output moving coil (also purchased a few months ago for this labor of love) After a careful set up using the Hi Fi News test record, where this cartridge tracked noticably better than the Denon, after about a dozen LP's tracking at 1.7 grams (tho 1.4 is suggested, 1.8 is the max and this tested best for my set up), my observations are (positives 1st): 1) This cartridge has noticably, and I mean NOTICABLY, better tracking ability. Inner groove distortion is all but eliminated on records that I had deemed un-rippable with the Denon cartridge. 2) Surface noise is also noticably lower (over 7db measured through ProTools in A/B recordings of the same record passages between tracks). Pops and clicks are also diminished greatly-as a guestimate I'd say over a third to almost half, but that is truly subjective based on the damage done by previous playings on my particular used records. The negatives (in relation to my other set up) 1) The AT cartridge doesn't sound as good as the Denon on prime vinyl. It has a smaller soundstage (less "open air" around the instruments). Also, The highs have a decidedly more metallic sound on cymbals and hi-hats, etc. Silibance issues are also more pronounced-not totally harsh but again more prominent than the Denon, which when the vinyl is worthy is a joyous listening experience. I'm sure this will lessen on the AT as I get another 50 hours or so on the cartridge, and even when the silibance is more pronounced there's no truly annoying inner groove distortion to go with it. 2) The AT cartridge is 50% more than the Denon. But, to all but eliminate the nagging issue of having to buy 2 copies (or more) of certain records and even then, more often than not, not completely solving the IGD problem, I surely would have saved the price of the AT cartridge considering the 150 LP's and counting I've done so far. The combination of the two cartridges for me solves an issue that was hindering the amazing amount of fun I've been having ever since I realized I've been lied to all along when they told me digital was better :-) My only other "issue" is not with the cartridge, but with Amazon. They've been getting slack on "fulfilling" Prime orders when the item is from a third party vendor but "in stock". I had to again call customer service when this item didn't show up as promised. (the second time in three months). The person was very friendly, saying there was an internal error with the processing. When I ordered a second one overnight just to make sure I'd get one in time for my listening party, she waved the additional shipping and Ok'd the return while I was on the phone-a nice gesture even if it is a mute one with the full refund upon return. They both showed up the next day. With ALL that said, this is a great solution that I can not be happier that I discovered by research and reading other reviews on Amazon. I hope mine helps you make your choice-you won't be disappointed. 5-stars!

I received a uturn audio orbit plus as birthday gift and I couldn't have been more excited. My girlfriend went all out, upgrading to the acrylic platter and equipping it with a grado blue (the most expensive cartridge they offer). I have nice tube preamp and klipsch heresy speakers. Overall I have a very good setup without spending a stupid amount of money. Sadly, I was extremely disappointment when I plugged my new TT up and gave one of my favorite records a spin. The sound was very flat and almost muffled sounding and the bass was either non existent or very muddy depending on how I set my eq. I have a nice sub so I was very perplexed. About halfway through side one I started hearing what sounded to be faint distortion in the vocals. By the time I got to the end of the record, it was so distorted it was not listenable. I checked the alignment and the tracking force. No matter what I did, I could only manage to make a small improvement. I had always heard great things about grado, so I was ready to chalk the whole thing up as a loss. I started looking around at different cartridges because it seemed like it had to be the issue. After reading some of the reviews here, I decided to give this bad boy a shot. Let me just say, this cartridge took my TT from a headache to my prized possession. The difference could not be more stark. The tone is amazing. It has remedied both my bass and treble issues. The sound stage and separation are incredible. But most importantly, every single instrument and note on my records are crystal clear from the outside all the way to the inside. Audio Technica truly has made an amazing product that has made the extra investment completely worth it. If you're having inner groove distortion issues, do not hesitate in buying this.

Très bonne cellule . Après une AT95E d'origine sur une platine ATLP120 USB , l'upgrade est très significatif . amélioration des aigus et meilleure définition , Les basses tendues et aussi plus de punch .

Ich war immer der Meinung das die AT95e von Audio Technica die beste Lösung für meine Bedürfnisse ist. Guter Allrounder der alles sauber und problemlos abspielt. Da ich nun mal furchtbar gerne Schallplatten höre dachte ich mir, nimmste mal ne etwas teurer Nadel. Um es kurz auszudrücken, Wahnsinn!! Die Höhen sind extrem klar, die Bässe Staub trocken. Dagegen wirkt die AT95 als wenn der Sound auf Loud eingestellt wäre. Klare Kaufempfehlung

I bought this to replace the Orotfon 2M Red on my Pro-ject Debut Carbon. I wanted to like the 2M Red (it looks cool!) but I'd grown to like the sharper high end sound of AT carts. I just about preferred my Dad's significantly cheaper AT cartridge to the 2M red so I set out to find an AT cartridge I'd love (make my Dad jealous) and I think I found it with the AT440MLa. I took me about an hour to set up the new cartridge. After 6 months of many different attempts of aligning it better, I've never actually heard a noticeable difference. I used the card protractor that came with my Debut Carbon, a spirit level to ensure the turntable was level and a good metal ruler on the top of the headshell to adjust the azimuth. I also borrow a tracking force gauge but found that the Debut Carbon's built-in gauge was very accurate. I've settled on 1.5g of tracking force and have the anti-skate weight thread on the nearest notch of the three. I've owned the cartridge for 6 months now and reckon it's well run in. As I was after, the higher end sounds nice and crisp and symbols sound very detailed. Compared to the 2M Red, there's probably a little less bass from it but that's not really a bad thing. Towards the inside of a record, the AT440MLa starts to really pull away from other (admittedly cheaper) carts I've heard. The degradation in sound quality (or inner groove distortion) is noticeable but much, much less than the 2M Red and my Dad's cheaper AT. No longer do I think "oh no, my favourite track is on the inside and therefore ruined". It's easy to pick out individual sounds rather than it becoming a compressed sounding racket. Generally, it tracks very well so you'll notice little distortion, especially with hard loud "sss" sounds in lyrics. It's not non-existent in all cases but won't crop up enough to upset keen listeners. This is thanks to the micro-linear stylus riding so low down in the grooves so that more of it remains in contact with walls of the groove as it moves. One disadvantage of this is that it likes to find and dig out of a lot of dirt on older records. My Dad brought some of his records around to try on it and one, although not really dusty or dirty on the surface, had so much dirt embedded in it that the poor AT dug enough of it out to clog up and start jumping over grooves (with a shed-load of distortion). I've also found that on about a third newer records, the AT seems to pick up faint crackling in one channel; this is more noticeable when using earphones. After a lot of Googling and adjustments, I've never really gotten to the bottom of this and eventually put it down manufacturing faults in the record. So the cartridge does extract more sound from the record but that includes the stuff you don't want to hear! I've also found the right channel to be slightly louder than the left but apparently, this is not unheard of with cartridges in this price range; I adjust the balance on my amplifier slightly but I feel most wouldn't even notice this unless you're looking for it and your mileage may vary anyway. It's a lot of money for a cartridge but I'd recommend it. I am a person that finds the idea of spending £100s on a cable a joke but at the lower, sensible end, you do get what you pay for. Just take care with your setup, keep your records clean and you'll both be happy.

Una testina eccellente e da possedere obbligatoriamente. Suono aperto in maniera sorprendente, alcuni dicono che tale apertura interessi le frequenze medio-alte. Secondo me, invece, riguarda l'intera gamma e se i bassi ci sono e la registrazione li prevede, allora te li fa sentire a dovere. Eccellente anche la capacità di tracciare i solchi del vinile e sotto questo punto di vista è davvero imbattibile. Vale pienamente il prezzo che si spende per entrarne in possesso. La consiglio a tutti gli audiofili esigenti e che non intendono svenarsi per entrare nel mondo dell'analogico di una certa qualità. Complimenti ad Amazon che riesce spesso a vendere a prezzi davvero competitivi e ad essere celere nei tempi di spedizione

Cosa dire ....qualità e prezzo fanno di questa testina la più ambita ...traccia come un treno sui binari fino a l'ultimo solco senza dare un minimo di distorsione..in questa fascia di prezzo non si può chiedere di più.. il suono e molto dettagliato..forse un po frizzante sulle alte ma vabbene cosi.Volevo solo precisare che non ho ricevuto la MLa..ma la MLb. non cambia poi cosi tanto in frequenza dalla mla.