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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
3,510 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
1,503 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.
johnnyb53 OP
3,510 posts
 
Jedinite24:

No problem; the bigger challenge is getting me to shut up about it. :)

I can't answer the first question because I'd already been using a Sumiko headshell for a year with a Denon DL-160, and the improvement over the Technics headshell was enough that I ordered the LPGear ZuPreme version along with the AT150MLX. In general, IME the Sumiko or ZuPreme headshell is the *first* thing anybody should upgrade on an SL12x0 turntable. These headshells are much more rigid and inert, with higher quality cartridge leads. You get more transparency, lower noise floor, flatter frequency response, etc. etc.

When wrapping the tape, my goal is to dampen the ringing, not to add weight, so I wound the wrap so it just overlaps (by 1-3 mm or so for each wind. The tape is very light so it doesn't add much effective mass. It also stretches slightly and then shrinks back when winding, so it firmly grips the tonearm on its own (increasing its damping) without any adhesive to muck up the arm. My wrap has stayed intact for about 6-1/2 years without adjustment or re-wrapping.

I just counted, and the tonearm wrap has 18 or 19 revolutions starting at the knurled headshell collar down the arm to just shy of the tonearm rest.
jedinite24's avatar
jedinite24
1,503 posts
 
Hi Johnny

Thanks for the prompt and detailed response. The guy I bought the AT150MLX from already mounted it onto the stock Technics headshell and I replaced the stock wires with aftermarket Litz wire from a vendor on E-bay. I'll give this a try first and keep my fingers crossed that it sounds good. Most probably I'll follow your lead and get ZuPreme or Sumiko headshell to mate along with the AT150MLX.

Also thanks for explaining the tonearm wrap and counting the revolutions. I think I didn't spread each wrapping of tape out far enough and I wrapped it too far. I went all the way past the tonearm rest. From the knurled headshell collar to as far as I can go I've got 28-29 revolutions.

Oops.

Thanks again for the help.
johnnyb53 OP
3,510 posts
 
Jedinite24: When I got my Sumiko and ZuPreme headshells in 2008, they were $40 ea. and OFC Litz wire cartridge leads were $20/set. The Sumiko and ZuPreme come standard with Litz leads, making the Sumiko-style headshells a bit of a bargain.

The Sumiko headshell has since gone up to $90 (including premium cartridge leads); separate premium cartridge leads are $27, but the LpGear ZuPreme (which I think is better than the Sumiko) has only risen to $54.95, again with $27 worth of premium wiring. So I consider it to be the bargain of the bunch.
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