Audio-Technica VM750SH Dual Moving Magnet Stereo Cartridge with Shibata stylus Brown

I've been using the VN540ML for a while now and bought the 520eb for another turntable, a Technics SL150 mk1, SME 3009 ii improved with FD200 damper. This cartridge may not be everyones cup of tea. It's crisp, punchy and very dynamic. A very modern sounding cartridge. It tracks very well on all three test bands on the HFS 75 test LP which is impressive for a bonded tip budget cartridge. As far as comparisons go it's leaps ahead of the VM95e and worth the extra money, it tracks and sounds better than a 2M red,to my ears and competes favorable with the MP110 in some areas with no hint of IGD but that of course is subject to critical set up. It has a very lively, but transparent character and ploughed through some very dense heavy metal like a champ. The MP110 is a warmer and richer sounding cartridge with deeper bass which some may prefer, but doesn't have the leading edges of the 520. The 520 is more forward and 'pushier' than it's sibling, the 540ml, which is a much more refined beast, but on some rock LP's I actually prefered the 520eb for it's life and character. All in all it's a bargain. If you want your LP's to sound warm and woolly, honey coated, and nothing like real live instuments then look elsewhere. This is a firecracker, with snares cracking out and cymbals crashing with aplomb. Fun, hell yes, but strangely not fatiguing. Keep the capacitance loading low though otherwise it may turn sour, 200pf or less including cables. Recommended for those who like their vinyl to sound lively and crisp and are into pop and rock. Maybe not relaxed enough for smoochy Jazz, the MP110 would suit better there, but it did sound good on Big Band giving Buddy Rich, live at Ronnie Scott's, a very dynamic and real presentation. Opera headbangers might like it's slightly forward presentation of vocals and excellent tracking ability. Perfect no, but won't nod off listening to this one.

Sounds great and I'm still Running it in. SLC was supposed to be used in conjunction with my Ortofon 2M Bronze and 2M Black. But they have now been put away for maybe another Turntable. SLC is all of the Best bits of the Bronze and Black put together. It has a lovely Deep Bass notes. And a massive Soundstage. Worth every penny and some. Great Cartridge 🎶👍

I bought this to replace my Empire/Benz MC20 E2/H which recently gave up the ghost. The AT-VM740ML is a revelation. First listen immediately sounded like a veil had been lifted from the soundstage. I've now played about a dozen albums and this cartridge is just getting better and better. The information and detail extracted from vinyl is outstanding. Sibilance that was present on some albums is now completely under control. The balance between bass, mid and treble is also spot on. You could spend significantly more on a cartridge and be hugely disappointed. My system for reference is: Modified Revolver turntable with Manticore Magician arm, Crimson Elektrik 610 pre/620 power amp, Kef reference104/2 speakers.

This is a brilliant sounding Mono cartridge, the only disappointment is I waited so long to buy one! I use an Audio-Technica AT-VM95SH stereo cartridge so was tempted to try this mono cart to see if it could improve the sound of my (already excellent sounding) Beatles/Stones/Kinks & Dylan in Mono vinyl box sets. And boy does it! The noise floor is incredibly low. The sound is smoother overall, but somehow also more dynamic. I am astonished how good this cart is - especially considering the low price. If your tonearm has a removable headshell (I bought a pair of Audio Technica headshells for about £20) then you can add one of these superb cartridges to your setup and swap out headshells in seconds. My stereo cart is very similar in weight and the tracking forces have the same range so very possible to set it up and swap headshells without having to make any adjustments at all. Highly recommended I couldn’t be happier with this purchase.

A bit expensive but a great upgrade to my Shure I had on my Dual 1218 deck. It was a bit fiddly to fit on the adaptor otherwise worth having. Sound is a little better when listening to quiet music but for rock music I would spend a little less and get something cheaper.

Truly impressive. It's difficult to find a good mm cart with acceptable running costs, but here it is. Replacement stylii readily available at £160-£170 makes this a very attractive buy. Initial impressions in the first few hours of use? Remarkable detail retrieval especially in the upper mid/treble frequencies, coming across as a little clinical but audibly softening with each album - it doesn't look like the run in is going to be too drawn out thankfully. The fact that the shibata profiles higher up the range are a straight swap is another plus but believe me this little nude line contact is leaving no hiding places, older worn lp's will surprise you by releasing details previously unheard. It lacks the ability of my clearaudio to convey emotion, and can't match the beautiful subtlety and nuance of my mc, but it wasn't meant to. Purchased to lend a sense of directness, energy, and detail to a lovely old suspended chassis tt, it is so far exceeding all expectations. I am very impressed, this cart is in my opinion a real bargain. I really wish the body had threaded inserts though, set up is the usual wish i was an octopus afair.

I bought this to try as an upgrade from the Ortofon 2m blue and what a difference it made to the sound quality,once I set it up on my Technics 1210 LTD. I am also using a Pro-ject DS2 phono preamp with the specs dialled in. Everything is enhanced the Bass, Mids and Treble. The 2m blue is a very good cartridge but this is totally another level.

If you’re in this ballpark £250-300 do give it thought. AT do a great job at all ranges. This is excellent- after having a VM95sh I upgraded to this on a new Rega P3. Very good indeed. Clarity, separation and bass weight all there with balance. Only downside - just the one: fitting it with upside down screw in on fixed head. Patience my friends it will come…! 😊😎

Är nöjd med pickupen ,toppen fint ljud

I was surprised by how resolving this cartridge/stylus combination actually is. Paired it with a hybrid 1200 clone (Reloop Turn 5), and modest yet halfway decent quality discrete stereo system. Takes awhile to get the head-shell mounting right and adjustments all correct - which is my only real negative point in this review - but doing so very very carefully, is truly worth all of the time and effort. Even considering my less-than-ideal tonearm match, it provides all the high-end detail of the laser micro-styli (which I wasn't honestly expecting, ...and kind of left me flabbergasted) but without the added "pitch sizzle" on dynamic high frequency modulations, for lack of better vernacular. The hi-frequency response is still all there, however it comes across *much "SMOOTHER" to the ear* than the other more modern micro or ridge stylus designs to which I've listened or owned. The "presence" arrives more like flowing aural butter at the eardrums than projectile auditory razor-blades. In abstract audiophilish terms, the treble from this stylus is more "liquid crystalline" than the "crispy sizzle" which I have experienced listening to the ultra-fine-line shapes over the last 25 years or so. A few friends have literally offered interjections regarding the incredibly rich, precise bass it produces, asking "How'd ya get an old record to sound like that?!?" There is no "Ghost Bass" phenomenon occurring with this model. Although I really like the micro-line/ridge sound, if one were to ask a seasoned musician about what "Sustain" in an acoustic instrument is, and then applying that concept to styli, "ghost bass" or "phantom bass sustain" will make much more sense. The 750 is neither boomy or overbearing in the low end though, which had supposedly been a characteristic of the shibata design that kept me away from trying them in the past. It is solidly accurate, thoroughly "full" when bass strings get slap-popped, tympani drums are struck, or when a synth-key is depressed, for example. The heavier tracking of these models may have something to do with it. I am no expert, but to my ear, this design sounds well-rounded. Comparing directly with the purple (440), I must say that the 750 is just flatter across the response. The micro-lines or ridge diamonds will seem to immediately give the listener a greater sense of sound-stage "depth/dimension" but after a few minutes, it becomes evident to good ears by direct contrast that the micro-line type is simply bolstering that sense of "space" in the recording by subduing the mid-range enough to somehow triangulate the pitch timbres (I think?), hence creating illusory "depth." Not so with the 750sh. At outset, for a minute or two, it definitely sounds "shallower," than the "one-horned purple needle eater" (albeit dynamically excellent), until one realizes shortly thereafter it only seems that way at first compared to the micro, because the shibata's mids are all fully present in output level. I'm sure the materials the carts are constructed from is also playing a part as well, though to what effect I do not know. Stereo separation on the 700 body is superb. The micro contacts IME, deliver wonderfully accurate, yet "dry and crispy" detail, whereas the shibata on this cart provides the same detail and accurate subtlety (nothing's "missing), but sounds easier on the ear in a way that is "lush and silky," however still more resolute or clear than a fat-needled equivalent Nag cart (where the mids/treble sound to me as if ever-so-lightly filtered through the "underwater" clean electric guitar effect heard on so many 80's pop albums). This cart has warmed up just a touch through break in, but I haven't noticed any loss of information. I have not heard the SLC stylus, however by examining the design, it does appear that it might also possibly convey some manner of the "ghost bass." At two-hundred + dollars more in price than the shibata, I'm sure it's very nice, but without hearing it, that was a gamble I wasn't about to wager on. I would say this product may be a tonal vs. budgetary sweet spot for many folks who are still serious about the enjoyment of their LP's, but are maybe not wanting to spend or not able to afford paying to achieve "unequivocally breathtaking" sound quality, or just have no desire to engage in what really amounts to being some sort of tonearm-measuring competition for the economically well endowed, to the tune of what working people pay for new autos and prime-location tenancies. Nothing new there. In contrast to other roughly equivalent units, this model's midrange is not overly pronounced, as I've heard with one big competitor's closest offering (bronze), IMO, and the AT's slightly larger-radii shibata diamond does not seem to magnify imperfections and the like quite as much as the competing top-of-line (black) MM apparently does, nor does it come close in cost to either that or the higher tier Nag w/similar stylus. Again, the stylus/cantilever assembly is thin, fragile, and sensitive to stupidity, and to add frustration, the bolt/screw-nut mounting adjustment is finicky and time consuming, but that's the only real negative I've discovered ....yet. Sound-wise, it's been smooth sailing. This may be a "Goldilocks-Zone" cartridge for many folks out there. This cartridge is tonally not too hot, and not too cold. It's ...just right. Recommended.

Delivers everything i want . Bass , highs , mids . No igd at all . Top !!

昔アナログレコードをメインに聞いていた時とはシステムのグレードはずっとよくなっているのですが改めてレコードを聴くと非常にプレゼンスが高い音がしてびっくりです。中間にＡＤ変換等の変換機がない音と申しましょうか音がダイレクトです。当初ＭＣカートリッジも検討していたのですが左右の分離度、解像度等そして実在感も自分には十分満足できるものです。 使いこなしではプレーヤで許容できる範囲で重めのヘッドシェルを使った方がよいのかもと思います。又針圧も重めがよいのではと思います。軽めだと力が十分発揮できないかもしれませんのでお試しください。

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