Hey.
i fitted up my AT 150MLX and took it for a spin and I can safely say that I havent done my money. Out of the box the thing is smooth with good detail and low surface noise. It certianly is a step up from the 440ml i Had and certianly for my system and my ears miles smoother than either ortofon mc cart i tried. I have given up on mc's as I had found an irritating resonance that I couldnt eliminate no matter what I tried. Having said that I am sure there are many who love their MC's.
I had considered an Ortofon 2m Bronze or black but its just too much money to gamble and as i liked the overall sound of the 440ML i figured the 150mlx would have a similar "corporate sound".
I remember reading a test between an at440 mlx, 2m red, grado and goldring and the 440ml got canned for a few things but of note was the distortion vs frequency of each of the cartridges. The grado had a lot more than the goldring then came the ortofon and by quite a long margin the 440mla beat the pants off all of them. I dont think i can post the graphs due to copyright but if I am allowed then please let me know.
The 150 exhibits the same low distortion that the 440 mla has and It does count in how it sounds at least for me. Yes the 150 has a 2.5 db rise in the upper frequency (not the 4 db that the 440 has) but given my system it seems as though I may have to add capacitance to brighten it up a little.
It is very difficult to quantify what everyone says about any cartridge and this time at least I think the reviews and opinions of the 150 where accurate.
All in all very smooth with no inner track distortion issues and it tracks very happily at 1.3 grams. Set up was easy and I couldnt be happier to be honest.
The bass is well defined and punchy, the mids smooth and not obtrusive and the highs detailed and not at all harsh. It sounds more balanced than the 440.
So my 2 drachmas worth is that it is the best mm I have heard to date.
Perhaps the 2m black will be better but it would want to be at over twice the street price.
I think the killer feature is the fine line stylus for the money ($259.00) as you have to go a long way price wise to get them on other brands.
I hope this helps someone
Nick
i fitted up my AT 150MLX and took it for a spin and I can safely say that I havent done my money. Out of the box the thing is smooth with good detail and low surface noise. It certianly is a step up from the 440ml i Had and certianly for my system and my ears miles smoother than either ortofon mc cart i tried. I have given up on mc's as I had found an irritating resonance that I couldnt eliminate no matter what I tried. Having said that I am sure there are many who love their MC's.
I had considered an Ortofon 2m Bronze or black but its just too much money to gamble and as i liked the overall sound of the 440ML i figured the 150mlx would have a similar "corporate sound".
I remember reading a test between an at440 mlx, 2m red, grado and goldring and the 440ml got canned for a few things but of note was the distortion vs frequency of each of the cartridges. The grado had a lot more than the goldring then came the ortofon and by quite a long margin the 440mla beat the pants off all of them. I dont think i can post the graphs due to copyright but if I am allowed then please let me know.
The 150 exhibits the same low distortion that the 440 mla has and It does count in how it sounds at least for me. Yes the 150 has a 2.5 db rise in the upper frequency (not the 4 db that the 440 has) but given my system it seems as though I may have to add capacitance to brighten it up a little.
It is very difficult to quantify what everyone says about any cartridge and this time at least I think the reviews and opinions of the 150 where accurate.
All in all very smooth with no inner track distortion issues and it tracks very happily at 1.3 grams. Set up was easy and I couldnt be happier to be honest.
The bass is well defined and punchy, the mids smooth and not obtrusive and the highs detailed and not at all harsh. It sounds more balanced than the 440.
So my 2 drachmas worth is that it is the best mm I have heard to date.
Perhaps the 2m black will be better but it would want to be at over twice the street price.
I think the killer feature is the fine line stylus for the money ($259.00) as you have to go a long way price wise to get them on other brands.
I hope this helps someone
Nick