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Audio Technica AT150MLX finally gets some respect

I've been at this audiophile stuff for over 40 years. At this point I'm pretty confident of being able to ignore preconceived notions and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a component in my system. Still, once in awhile it's nice to get some validation--a sanity check.

I've been using an Audio Technica AT150MLX MM cartridge for over 3 years. Since getting it I have improved the downstream components and cabling a few times, and each improvement, rather than revealing limitations of the cartridge, has shown it to have a great tonal balance, high resolution at its price point, excellent trackability, low level detail retrieval and excellent dynamics.

Still, when I opened my January 2012 issue of The Abso!ute Sound, I was pleasantly shocked to see that the $449 list AT150MLX had been named Cartridge of the Year! Given that the $5000 Benz LP-MSR and $13,000 Clearaudio Goldfinger were also mentioned on that page, it wasn't that the AT150MLX won in absolute terms, but for performance value.

It's as I suspected from my first listen. If you want to know where the threshold into a high end cartridge is, it's the AT150MLX. I got mine in 2008 when the dollar was strong and these things were going for $250. But even at the currently available $325 they are pretty unbeatable.

Back in the Spring of 2008 I asked the A-goners about what cartridge to move up to from the DL-160. I was considering the AT OC-9 or the Denon 301 II, but a number of A-goners made a compelling case for the AT150MLX. I took them at their word and have never regretted it.

If you want the best out of this cart, you *must* give it a capacitive load between 100 and 200 pF. In fact, my highly adjustable Jolida JD-9A phono stage indicates that the real sweet spot is right around 150 pF.

Anyway, thanks A-goners, and it's also nice to know that when the stylus wears down, I can just send for a replacement plug-in stylus $225.
johnnyb53
johnnyb53 OP
3,490 posts
 

12-22-14: Johnjohn
I agree with the original post that you need a quality turntable and arm to really hear this cartridge. I use mine on a Linn/Ittok with good results- lots of ambiance and leading edge detail. I put it on a Technics 1200 and didn't hear any improvement over a 440MLa.
I'm the OP of this thread, and ironically, my turntable is a Technics SL1210 M5G.

However, I agree that out of the box, the standard SL1200 sounds murky, but that's not due to the tonearm or direct drive; it's a lack of damping and it's easily and cheaply fixed. The M5G starts with upgraded tonearm wire, and I added several tweaks--better headshell, tonearm wrap, KAB's tonearm fluid damper, Oracle Groove Isolator sorbothane mat, and a stack of gel pads, butcher block, Vibrapods, and brass cones for the platform. Every addition improved the clarity, linearity, and dynamics. From there I got improvements as I upgraded the phono stage. Throughout all these upgrades the AT150MLX shone through with more clarity, detail, transparency, bandwidth, dynamics, and musicality.

I haven't heard the AT440MLa, but from the beginning and ever since, my AT150MLX has always outperformed my Denon DL-160. Similar tonal balance, but the AT consistently digs down deep and comes out with more music.
johnnyb53 OP
3,490 posts
 
Here's a picture of my SL1210 M5G showing the damping footers and platform, tonearm wrap, etc. that I mentioned above.
audpulse
139 posts
 
What kind of tonearm wrap is that and what are you trying to achieve by doing so?
johnnyb53 OP
3,490 posts
 

12-25-14: Audpulse
What kind of tonearm wrap is that and what are you trying to achieve by doing so?
Instead of the $20 tonearm wrap from MusicDirect, I use about 15 cents worth of PFTE (aka Teflon) pipe thread tape available from any Walgreen's, Home Depot, or the like. I wrap the tonearm from the lock ring at the headshell end down to just in front of the tonearm rest.

I was trying to track down a slight upper midrange glare left over after the other things I'd dampened. When I'd flick the tonearm's aluminum tube (with my fingernail), I could hear it ring at the pitch range where the glare occurs. I wrapped the tonearm, the glare was reduced. I flicked the knurled lock collar, it stll rang. I wrapped the collar and the glare disappeared.

I recommend it for anyone putting an AT150MLX on an SL12x0 series DD turntable.
jedinite24's avatar
jedinite24
1,502 posts
 
Sorry if this is a repeat question.

With your SL120 M5G and the Audio Technica AT150MLX how did it perform with just the stock Technics headshell?

Also with the PTFE plumbers tape wrap how many times did you wrap the tonearm? So far I did one round of wrapping. Should I wrap it again? I checked the picture you provided and can't make out the thickness of the wrap or how many time the tonearm was wrapped?

Thanks in advance.
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