Mucking about with cartridges...

[record_spot]

So, I popped up to Edinburgh today, had a couple of things to get sorted on the car and later dropped by Thorn Records in Bruntsfield (one of the city's popular residential areas). Thorn's a fairly recent arrival in the last few years, but picked up a few rave reviews and was listed on the Financial Times as one of the best in the world - not quite sure about that, but it's very good.

I leave with a few albums - Skids 45th anniversary reissue of Days in Europa, Moby's excellent Resound NYC double and The Cocteau Twins compilation The Pink Opaque which has a number of their early-80s tracks including The Spangle Maker and Pearly-Dew Drops. back in the car and drive home looking forward to hearing the new stuff.

I notice that my cartridge stylus (Benz Micro Gold cartridge) looks a little off-centre, so decide to swap it out for a AT-VM540ML that I have with not too many hours on it. In my old flat, it had sounded way too full and bassy. Overpowering really. In my new place, with a different layout, etc, it's fitted in seamlessly and sounds great. The balance is good, it's a weight sound but not excessive and the treble is as good as always, something I've always appreciated in AT cartridges.

I'll give the Waters Lockdown Sessions album a run tomorrow to see if that's more satisfying a listen with the new cartridge in, but for now...time for the Cocteaus!

 

[Entrigo]

So, I popped up to Edinburgh today, had a couple of things to get sorted on the car and later dropped by Thorn Records in Bruntsfield (one of the city's popular residential areas). Thorn's a fairly recent arrival in the last few years, but picked up a few rave reviews and was listed on the Financial Times as one of the best in the world - not quite sure about that, but it's very good.

I leave with a few albums - Skids 45th anniversary reissue of Days in Europa, Moby's excellent Resound NYC double and The Cocteau Twins compilation The Pink Opaque which has a number of their early-80s tracks including The Spangle Maker and Pearly-Dew Drops. back in the car and drive home looking forward to hearing the new stuff.

I notice that my cartridge stylus (Benz Micro Gold cartridge) looks a little off-centre, so decide to swap it out for a AT-VM540ML that I have with not too many hours on it. In my old flat, it had sounded way too full and bassy. Overpowering really. In my new place, with a different layout, etc, it's fitted in seamlessly and sounds great. The balance is good, it's a weight sound but not excessive and the treble is as good as always, something I've always appreciated in AT cartridges.

I'll give the Waters Lockdown Sessions album a run tomorrow to see if that's more satisfying a listen with the new cartridge in, but for now...time for the Cocteaus!

Interesting to hear the 540ML sounds bassy. I have it and I always found it a bit lean (some say neutral - as might be), especially .compared to the 95ML.

Better (overall) with a RigB body but it still leaves me desiring something a little fuller.

Once again, it could well be the acoustics of the room as you have found by moving to a different place. Out of curiosity, is the rest of the system the same?

 

[RoA]

Interesting to hear the 540ML sounds bassy. I have it and I always found it a bit lean (some say neutral - as might be), especially .compared to the 95ML.

Better (overall) with a RigB body but it still leaves me desiring something a little fuller.

Once again, it could well be the acoustics of the room as you have found by moving to a different place. Out of curiosity, is the rest of the system the same?

I got an AT95ML to replace the conical that came with the Technics. It's fine, nothing much to complain. I got the cheap Microline because the options got confusing and I got a good deal inclusive another headshell. I was initially shooting for a 540 and then Ortofon Bronze and may still do. I usually used to prefer Ortofon's. They are a little more mid centric and forward whereas AT's tend to do soundstage better but at cost to fullness. They sounds 'airier'. Have to say the 95ML sound pretty balanced but without having an Ortofon here to compare I can't really comment on current differences.

 

[record_spot]

Interesting to hear the 540ML sounds bassy. I have it and I always found it a bit lean (some say neutral - as might be), especially .compared to the 95ML.

Better (overall) with a RigB body but it still leaves me desiring something a little fuller.

Once again, it could well be the acoustics of the room as you have found by moving to a different place. Out of curiosity, is the rest of the system the same?

Part of this I think comes down to the capacitance and loading between the cartridge and the tonearm and maybe the phono stage. When I was in my older flat, the 540 just sounded too lumpy and weighty, which is when I opted to go down an entry level Moving Coil cartridge route.

In the new flat, the speaker arrangement is different, wider apart (7.5 ft or so) while I'm a little closer facing across the breadth of the lounge, rather than facing down the longer part of the room, plus, I didn't want the stereo or TV to be sitting directly in front of the large (and effective!) radiator.

Otherwise, the stereo is the same and listed in the signature below.

 

[daytona600]

Room acoustics have a Huge affect on sound around 60-80% is the room not your speakers/cartridge

Sounds Bassy
could be a room node , move your seat forward or Backward or try moving speakers further into the room or out from the corners

 

[record_spot]

Room acoustics have a Huge affect on sound around 60-80% is the room not your speakers/cartridge

Sounds Bassy
could be a room node , move your seat forward or Backward or try moving speakers further into the room or out from the corners

This ain't my first rodeo Chuck...oh and when nothing else changes but the cartridge and the sound changes significantly, I think I can make my own assumptions here.