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Audio Technica AT ML-180 Cartridge Advice

Just acquired an Audio Technica AT ML-180 cartridge with broken cantilever and was looking for advice on where to get a new cantilever rebuild and what material to choose from. My preference is a new Boron cantilever but was not sure who, apart from Soundsmith, offers this service.

Also would like to know which is the best tonearm to use for this cartridge once it's fixed. It can either go on my Audiomods Series 5 (eff. mass approx. 11g) or the arm on my Yamaha GT 2000 which has an effective mass of approx. 20g.

Thanks in advance.
ateal
ateal OP
97 posts
 
Chakster, thanks for the reply. I will certainly keep a look out for an ML170 or ML180 stylus but for now I will probably hold off on rebuilding the damaged ML180 Cart as I do not think it will ever reproduce the sound like the original would. 


chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
You’re right, it will be a different cartridge anyway, but i will tell you that replacement styli for AT-ML170 and AT-ML180 are impossible to find even in Japan, i have never seen any of them in the past 3 years, only with used cartridges. That’s the problem, the stylus for AT-ML150 is easy to find, but the styli for higher AT models are impossible to find NOS or used.
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 

The retip of the top AT carts ( top Signets included) make

only sense if the stylus only need to be changed. Either because

the stylus is lost or worn uit. The cantilever can't be changed

because those are fastened to the tension wire which is in

the tube behind the cantilever. One should use an cheap AT

stylus/cantilever combo to experiment. The whole combo can

be removed from the stylus holder by losening the small screw

on the inside of the stylus holder. Then one can see the whole

construction which is identical by all AT carts. From such experiment

one can also deduce if the reverse job can be done. If one is

not sufficient skilful for the job one should not try.

The suspension (aka ''rubber ring'') is just in front of the stylus

holder tube. Its hardness determine compliance. When the whole

cantilever/stylus combo is put back in the stylus holder the

mentioned small srew should be fastened after the centering of

the stylus is done.

For stylus only retip I can recommend Expert stylus (+/- 200GBP).

ateal OP
97 posts
 
Thanks for the explanation Nandric. 

Can I ask what determines the frequency range, for example 5 to 40,000. Is it the cartridge body/generator or is it the cantilever/stylus?
chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
@ateal

 Can I ask what determines the frequency range, for example 5 to 40,000. Is it the cartridge body/generator or is it the cantilever/stylus?

Both! It's how they are working together.
Once i replaced styli between high and low inductance generators, the stylus from high inductance and high output Stanton does not sound good on low inductance and low output Stanton. It was a total mismatch! 
So when you swap the styli it is not that easy if the generator and stylus are not designed to work together and not tuned by the manufacturer for each other.  

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