Audio Technica AT-ML150/OCC - Too Old?

specifically what arm are you using and how many hours under the cartridge up to now?

I'm using the technics 1200 arm with the KAB fluid damper (and cardas rewire).

The cartridge has about 2 hours of use so far. It has been suggested that I haven't let it break-in yet, but should it sound this bad to start with?

The VTA looks pretty spot on, as far as the arm being parallel with the platter, but I'll play with that.

Grab a test record with low frequency resonance tones and figure out the static compliance of the cart with the dampener engaged. If it's *way* off - which for ATs is probably anything under 20cu - you might want to consider getting a new cart.

BTW, some people recommend not using any cart with a suspension over 5-10 years old, simply because the rubber can wear out that quickly. I don't think anybody's provided any concrete evidence one way or another, but you might want to keep some kind of beater cart around to swap back and forth with the 150MLX, in case the cart is causing real damage and you need to test with another cart to be sure.

FWIW, I never experienced any sibilance with either my 440ML (the original! not even the MLa!) or the OC9 on my 1200.

I just tried out a current 150mlx. I gave it about five hours and sent it back. I found it a very unsubtle cartridge with shrieky highs, indistinct lows, and a coloured midrange. Maybe great for a shut in, laid back system but not for an already reasonably revealing one. Perhaps I should have given it more time to break in but it just wasn't showing any promise.