Cartridge recommendations

[RoA]

Agree with the VM95C which is a real beauty of a cartridge for £35.

Have to disagree with the VM95ML assessment though - I thought it was a terrific cartridge for the money. Tracks like a winner with a real clarity to its sound, but not at the expense of the music in favour of forensic detail. For £150 it's a great entrant into microline cartridges. Your "don't bother" doesn't quite do the reader a service IMO.

I'm an AT fan however having had the AT-440MLa in the past, the VM95E (not massively keen on this one and feel the 95C is the better) and currently using the AT-VM540ML.

Fair enuff. I can't argue with your impressions. To me, it was not enough of an upgrade over the Conical, in some ways probably a down grade but that's just me. I feel the cheap body and internal construction is holding it back and not making the most of the ML whereas the C is just an incredible bargain.

 

[Al ears]

Fair enuff. I can't argue with your impressions. To me, it was not enough of an upgrade over the Conical, in some ways probably a down grade but that's just me. I feel the cheap body and internal construction is holding it back and not making the most of the ML whereas the C is just an incredible bargain.

Cheap yes, and possibly a bargain but the only time I would consider using one is for mono records.

 

[record_spot]

Fair enuff. I can't argue with your impressions. To me, it was not enough of an upgrade over the Conical, in some ways probably a down grade but that's just me. I feel the cheap body and internal construction is holding it back and not making the most of the ML whereas the C is just an incredible bargain.

I get the 95C punches well above its weight, I think it's a great cartridge. I have a spare lying around in case the 540 packs up. However I used the 95ML for a few years and was very impressed with the performance and the detail. There's not a huge difference between it and the 540, albeit there's enough at the same time to make the step up worth it.

 

[RoA]

Cheap yes, and possibly a bargain but the only time I would consider using one is for mono records.

You move in different echelons with your Benz AE, so that is understandable. I'd still use a mono cartridge had I got a lot of those.

 

[RoA]

I get the 95C punches well above its weight, I think it's a great cartridge. I have a spare lying around in case the 540 packs up. However I used the 95ML for a few years and was very impressed with the performance and the detail. There's not a huge difference between it and the 540, albeit there's enough at the same time to make the step up worth it.

If you want an ML I would aim for the newer 745xlm funds provided. Unfortunately it's also one of the ugliest cartridges around imho.

 

[record_spot]

I'll get around to a cartridge upgrade in time, though I like the sound the 540ML makes - it's plastic body I think was the main differentiator between it and the 740 and maybe some slight other differences that I can't recall from memory. the new range does look pretty good but I've a hankering to give Nagaoka a go at some point too. Or maybe another MC since my old Benz Micro Gold packed up. Seeing as I've had an expensive few weeks (relatively speaking in hifi terms) with two new amps, a pair of speakers, and a cassette deck (Nakamichi Cassette Deck 2) arriving, that next cartridge might have to take a back seat for a while...!!