Way back when Vinyl was the primary source of any decent hi-fi system most of the leading cartridge manufacturers had a flagship MM cartridge which was the embodiment of their best technology. Nagaoka, Ortofon, Glanz, Grace, ADC, Technics, AT, AKG – the list runs to dozens of manufacturers. Sadly, few remain and of those that still survive few produce anything of note for those users who don’t want a moving coil yet require a high quality cartridge.

However, one company does still produce a moving magnet cartridge that is a technological tour de force and offers a performance to compete with mid priced coils.
Audio Technica are the company and the cartridge is the AT150MLX. Based on the cheaper (excellent) 440 the 150 has a number of advantages to boost it’s performance.
Firstly, it has a tough alloy body to allow a tight bond with the headshell and the large wide footprint stylus assembly makes a tight and secure fit to the body. The bond is so tight that I had trouble separating them when mounting the cartridge. The cantilever is a thin wall beryllium tube which has been gold plated to damp any resonances and the all important stylus profile is of the Micro Line variety to ensure superb high frequency tracking and extended diamond life. Add ATs OCC coil windings and super light dual magnets and you should have all the ingredients for a winning cartridge.

Audio Technica, like may others over the years have often made the mistake of producing good but over compliant cartridges which were unsuitable for use in all but the lightest arms. Only arms such as the SME 3 and old Mission 774 could work properly with such high compliance models. I’m pleased to report that the 150 is able to work in real world modern arms such as the Rega and SME designs and I’d estimate it’s compliance somewhere in the mid 20s. This is still too high for the Ittok, Zeta and other massy arms IMO and a little fluid damping also seems to help the cartridge.

Describing the sound of the 150MLX is difficult because it is an incredibly neutral device. In fact it sounds a little smooth and slightly laid back straight from the box – yes that’s right – this is the first AT I’ve head that is not lean and crisp. Tracking is amazing with the 150 sailing through torture tracks and retaining it’s composure at all times. I have the first album by ‘Everything but the Girl’ which gets played often as I love the lyrics on this album, but the production is way OTT with lashings of reverb, blaring brass and fizzing sibilants. The cut of the album is also very high yet the AT150 produced it all without fuss and managed to retrieve plenty of fine detail which is normally buried. It also managed to sound remarkably un-congested and this I feel is the AT’s greatest strength. It does not have the fantastic speed of a Dynavector DV17 or the power and authority of a Koetsu, nor is there quite the richness of a good Denon, but the AT has the remarkable ability to let you hear all the strands of a performance without any sense of confusion or the felling that different parts of the mix are modulating each other. I was initially a little disappointed that the bass lacked power and punch but what you get is extremely tuneful and nimble.

The other notable aspect of performance is the sweetness and clarity of the cartridge. Vocals sound fresh and clean irrespective of recording level and tracks on the inner grooves sound just as clean and distortion free as those on the outer edge which shows the superb quality of the ML tip.

If you like the grip and hard edged dynamic ‘poke’ of some MC designs (inc ATs own OC9) you may find the 150MLX a little soft at first but remember that you can tune the cartridge. Like many MMs the top end of the 150 is affected by the capacitance of the cables and phono input. My SME 4 is wired with low capacitance VDH cable which into the MF pre amp gives about 180pf. This load is recommended by AT and gives a very flat response with a very gently roll off above 15Khz. Raising capacitance will peak up the top end to give a crisper sound, so the user has the option to experiment. As I’ve said, tracking is superb even at 1gm but you can safely go up to the 1.75gm max and doing so progressively adds body and weight to the sound – its your choice.

I have a sneaky feeling that this cartridge will really sparkle in the low mass Mission 774 on my LP12. I’ve had the cartridge for 7 days now and its still at the run-in stage. In a week or so I’ll transplant it into the Mission/Linn and report my findings.

The good news is that AT can offer all this performance for £160.
The bad news is that this cartridge is only available on the Japanese market as it was withdrawn from Europe and the US some years ago. My 150 arrived direct form Japan in 5 days via Audiocubes II. Buying blind is always a risk but frankly unless you are spending thousands on a cartridge few dealers will arrange a comparative cartridge dem, so I’ll stick my neck out and recommend that if you are in the market for a sub £500 cartridge you should try the 150MLX.

…..and here she is.

Rob.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v637/zippy670/AT150MLX_md.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v637/zippy670/PICT0030.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v637/zippy670/PICT0031.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v637/zippy670/PICT0003.jpg

Nice to hear about this cart Robert. :)

What I was left missing were comparative words against Linn carts. Cause if we are talkin about carts they are IMHO to which we should compare.

In the MM world, isn't Adikt by music/money the best one???
Tell me if you know. I do not but I would assume.

Oz

Hi Craig,

Hoarding away copies of Flat Response, Review and Practical is the least of my worries as I did a nice deal with a chap last week for his entire collection of Hi-Fi Answers - the full set. Lord knows where I'm going to put them and the post office workers give me strange looks as it is so I shudder to think what will happen when the poor sod arrives on my doorstep with the box!
It will be good to read all those crazy JMH ramblings again and to re aquaint myself with those old Peter Turner, Adrian Orlowski and Paul Benson articles.

Yes, AT have certainly depended on the same basic dual magnet system for donkeys years. Must be a good basic dsign. The 150 would certainly suit tube pre amp users which often lack a MC input.

Oz, you asked about comparisons with the Linn cartridges. Of course the Linn Basik, K5,K9 and K18 were all AT designs tweaked by Linn. I found the K9 a decent cartridge with plenty of pace if a little cold and lacking colour. The K18 I rather liked and it was good enough to give low end MCs a run. I'd still say that the 150MLX is better. The metal body and tight stylus fit give most of the structural advantages of the K18 but the cantilever and tip on the AT are far superior - and it shows.
Talking of structural integrity brings me onto the thorny subject of how far should you tighten the cartridge bolts. The answer, I think, depends on the material in question. I believe that you can hear some benefit when applying additional presure on a cartridge with a plastic body as it seems to compress the material giving a less compliant joint. Naturally there are limits - don't go mad and break the thing. With a metal cartridge body like that used on the AT I can see (and hear) no advantage in going 'Linn tight' with the allen key. The metal to metal joint simply needs enough force to give a secure fit. I used the supplied alloy screws to mount the 150 into the SME 4 without problem.

As for the Linn Adikt, I have never heard one but I believe it is built by Goldring and based on their respected 1000 series which should ensure good if not class leading results.

Rob.

Thanks for your answer Rob,

Actually, the Adikt would be the most interesting to compare with as it is not AT made. And it is a new design. But also to some Linn MC's like Klyde or Karma would be a nice comparison for to create perspective.

Your AT looks good. Happily, from down under, it looks quite much the old Shure top models by the shape. Quite much so really.

No doubt the V shaped magnets and tight fit of the stylus assembly have been a lucky and skillful design of AT's.

Oz

Oz, my main gripe with Linn MCs has been the tip used.
That Vital diamond tip used by Linn over the years simply isn't very vital at all - its a dog and spoils otherwise great cartridges.

Comparing the 150 to a Linn MC is difficult. All the Linn models will win out on dynamics, punch and authority but the AT will lick them all on refinement, tracking and low distortion.

Remember also that the AT costs far less than any Linn MC and is suitable for different arms than the low compliance Linns.
If you want an AT cartridge that can take on Linn moving coils and win, look to the OC9ML.

Rob.

Hey Robert
I recently purchased a dynavector 10X5 for my lp12 ittok lingo exposure14/9 4dr.
I am finding the output on the mm stage lackluster but overly dynamic on the mc stage.
I had originally planned to buy an oc9 but chose the dynavector based on favourable reviews. I think it's a good cartridge however it may not be suited to my pre amp.
I noticed the at150mx has a more generous output and better impedance match for my preamp.
But I am curious of the two 0c9 vs 150mx which do you think might work better in my rig.
Much appreciated

Hi,

The two cartridges are quite different.

The 150MLX tracks like a bloodhound and, correctly loaded, sounds very sweet and pure. It has very low needletalk - that horrid tsz-tsz-tsz that lots of cartridges throw out so controls energy well. The midband is exceptional and it sounds at its best on light jazz, classical and small scale intimate stuff where it's delicacy shines through.

The OC9ML sounds bolder and sharper. Tighter bass with more grip but a little unrelenting at the top compared to the 150. Toms, snares rim shots - that sort of stuff, sound more impressive than the 150.

Both have a lovely ML tip and give low tracing distortion.
The 150 prefers a lower mass arm - I'd not use it in anything above 12g effective mass and it also likes some damping. The OC9 if fine in heavier arms like the Ittok.

One word of caution though. The 150 needs a low capacitance load of <200pf and sounds 'right' at 150pf. That can be hard to achieve in practice as most arm cables will provide that before you add the capacitance of the amp. 300-400pf rolls off the extreme top end and peeks up the treble giving a hard, glassy sound. One solution is to remove the parallel capacitors found on most MM stages and rely solely on the arm cable.

Hope that helps, but ask away if you have more questions :)

sounds like the oc9 will be the one

Hello Robert,

What's your opinion if I want to move from DL110 to AT? MY TT is Rega Planar3 + RB300.

Morris

Robert, et al ;)

Have replaced my ageing "Linn K18" with a 150MLX, using an alignment gauge etc and set at 1.5 gm. (Deck = "Ariston RD80SL mk2" + "Alphason H100S").

Whilst I didn't expect it to track HFS's very demanding track, 300Hz lateral +18dB, I am surprised that the cartridge evidently is unhappy with the lesser +14dB track, plus the 3 x (+15dB) tracks that are placed on outside, mid-way + inside of side 2. The mis-tracking sounds central generally, implying that bias correction is acceptable.

'Real' records sound less bright, with more subtle detail, bass being less prominent. Tracking them seems ok, so far.

Only last week interestingly, an AT110 cartridge on a "Dual" t/t passed all the tests happily.

Any comments please folks...


keep the phase
keith

I'd like to point out that the Arkiv, Arkiv B and Akiva have all never used Vital Diamond types (which incidentally refers to the shape of the diamond block, not the profile). The Akiva in particular uses a stylus shape which IME is superior to the ML tip.

regards, jonathan carr

The 150ML is a medium/high compliance cartridge and should clear that test disc without problem.

Two things to check:

A- The cartridge may simply be replaying damaged grooves caused by older cartridges that have damaged them. The fact that the cartridge seems to be tracking music without problem indicates that this may be the problem.

B- Have you set the tracking force using a reliable method, preferably something like a Shure or Ortofon guage?

Tip geometry has no effect on tracking at the frequencies used on test discs which are mid-band tones.

Missed this first time around

Hell

That was one funky looking cart there Rob - it just "looks" like it's gonna sound good (in an Ekos though - the Ittok is a pile of crap IMHO)

Boron I know but the OC9 ML2 trounces a Rohmann big time - not good news for the "high end" manufacturers maybe but hey it's about revealing music not profit margins or overheads right?

Missed this first time around

Hell

That was one funky looking cart there Rob - it just "looks" like it's gonna sound good (in an Ekos though - the Ittok is a pile of crap IMHO)

Boron I know but the OC9 ML2 trounces a Rohmann big time - not good news for the "high end" manufacturers maybe but hey it's about revealing music not profit margins or overheads right?

It is certainly one of the finest MMs I've ever heard. Mine gets used when I take the Mission 774 arm from a spin as the two are made for each other.
Use in the Ittok or Ekos may be a problem as the arm mass is a little too high. I agree with you that the Ekos is a very fine arm (trounces the Aro IMO) but I think that you are being a little unkind to the Ittok which is still a fine arm even today if you have sample with good bearings.

A little unkind maybe Rob.

I've owned an Ittok and although it sounded OKish and hugged the groove OK the clattering of those exposed screws in the arm tube over the cueing arm really used to get to me. What an ergonomic disaster.

The Ekos is a far superior arm in every way and everyone should exchange their Ittok and get a new Ekos - Today!
:-)

BTW - anyone interested in a new AT OC9 MLll should speak to CoolGales (http://www.coolgales.com/us.htm)- Best price in the UK and very nice people to deal with.

Rechecked everything. Now set at 1.6 gm. Doesn't track the test tracks properly, but mightily impressive on 'difficult' transients (e.g. 1st-issue 'Sheffield Lab' LPs, Hardenberger/Hummel trumpet concerto LP) - less 'near the edge' sound, more comfortable. Seems to suit the ScanSpeak 9500s that I fitted last year. Bass was initially lacking but appears to have developed through the week.

Sod the test record :cool:


keep the phase
keith

Next job is to replace caps on speaker x-overs... :o

Hi,

The two cartridges are quite different.

The 150MLX tracks like a bloodhound and, correctly loaded, sounds very sweet and pure. It has very low needletalk - that horrid tsz-tsz-tsz that lots of cartridges throw out so controls energy well. The midband is exceptional and it sounds at its best on light jazz, classical and small scale intimate stuff where it's delicacy shines through.

The OC9ML sounds bolder and sharper. Tighter bass with more grip but a little unrelenting at the top compared to the 150. Toms, snares rim shots - that sort of stuff, sound more impressive than the 150.

Both have a lovely ML tip and give low tracing distortion.
The 150 prefers a lower mass arm - I'd not use it in anything above 12g effective mass and it also likes some damping. The OC9 if fine in heavier arms like the Ittok.

One word of caution though. The 150 needs a low capacitance load of <200pf and sounds 'right' at 150pf. That can be hard to achieve in practice as most arm cables will provide that before you add the capacitance of the amp. 300-400pf rolls off the extreme top end and peeks up the treble giving a hard, glassy sound. One solution is to remove the parallel capacitors found on most MM stages and rely solely on the arm cable.

Hope that helps, but ask away if you have more questions :)
Hi,

I consider purchasing an AT150MLX for my LP12/Ittok LVII system. According to Linn spec, the effective mass of the arm is 11.5 g, so the 150 MLX should work fine with the arm. Does anybody have listening experience with that combination?

Thanks,

Martin

Great-sounding cartridge, which IMO runs rings (not literally) around many well known ones, was busy tracking difficult choral record, when the diamond fell off in pieces:( Bits over the grooves, and record damaged as the cantilever tried to carry on regardless.

Has anyone had this happen to them?

Shall have to find c.£100 for another stylus.:o


keep the phase
keith

the oc9 is a very harsh and overly bright cartridge...also has very little bass...
i found the sound impossible to live with..in fact it's probably the worst cartridge i have ever used...
only consider buying one if your system is very very laid back otherwise your in for a nasty spitty sound...


A bit off my current subject, but interesting:).

I have used a OC9 in the past - "Alphason 100S" arm - and found much less problem than you did.

keep the phase
keith

i also use a denon dl304 and that cartridge is in another league altogether...
one of hifi's true stars...
why do you think the oc9 is so cheap aye?
horrible horrible cartridge...same as the oc7...
e
the oc9 even suffered bad distortion on tracks i've known for 25 years...nothing is uplayable with the denon in place....
too much needle talk aswell..again you can bearly hear the denon going about it's buisness...


Curious: what kit did you use with the OC9?

(F/i: in case you haven't gathered Drew, my dilemma above relates to the 150MLX, a very different beast. Has anyone had the same occurrence with a disintegrating diamond?)


keep the phase
keith

i also use a denon dl304 and that cartridge is in another league altogether...
one of hifi's true stars...
why do you think the oc9 is so cheap aye?
horrible horrible cartridge...same as the oc7...
e
the oc9 even suffered bad distortion on tracks i've known for 25 years...nothing is uplayable with the denon in place....
too much needle talk aswell..again you can bearly hear the denon going about it's buisness...

We've been here before Rudolph.

The OC9 is so 'cheap' because much of the production process is automated. Compared to the likes of Koetsu, Lyra or Dynavector AT are a huge company with the means to pay for such kit.

In terms of tracking the 9 is at least as good as the best available coils and actually produces comparatively little end of side HF distortion because of the advanced tip geometry, something it shares with the 150MLX.

You either had a dud sample, didn't set the thing up correctly or have an ear infection.

Nice review Rob!!

I myself have been championing these fine cartridges for many years,AT's have few rivals for sheer tracking ability and sonicly always sound superb.

Iv'e used most of their range over the last 20 years and still have one of their finest- the excellent oc 30 with Stilton modifications,when new it was one of the finest cartridges around,especially for the price,even today it still gives a wonderful sound!!

Nice review Rob!!

I myself have been championing these fine cartridges for many years,AT's have few rivals for sheer tracking ability and sonicly always sound superb.

Iv'e used most of their range over the last 20 years and still have one of their finest- the excellent oc 30 with Stilton modifications,when new it was one of the finest cartridges around,especially for the price,even today it still gives a wonderful sound!!

Cheers Stevie,

The ATs have a lot in common with the Denon models in terms of VFM.
The OC9 has you questioning the worth of spending £1K+ on a cartridge and the baby Denon DL110 makes you question spending £350 on the AT :) - but there are benefits.

IMO the OC9 isn't a million miles from the Lyra Argo I use now at one third the price.

It's a shame the old ATF models aren't available here any more as they'd certainly put a rocket up the likes of Goldring and Ortofon at the bottom of the range.

Agreed,

I keep my oc30 as a reserve- there's just something about those wooden bodied Koetsu's that give that "Raised hair on the neck" feeling!!!

fellas you really must go and listen to some denons... i paid 140 quid for my oc9 and imho it 139 quid too much...
sold it on for 50 quid to some mug from scotland..

Rudolph, he must be rubbing his hands - £50!
As for cartridge demo's, there aren't that many that have passed me by over the past 25 years.

Guys,

I find it deeply concerning that we can see such a huge variation in perception of the same cartridge performance.
If an OC9 is a complete dog in one instance, and superb in another, its time for some serious analysis of WHY.
The chances of getting a cartridge demo from a retailer are pretty minimal, and it's really only a forum like this that can give guidance to good combinations.
Rob knows I worked through 3 cartridges to get something that works for me.
Any chance of a thread running ( 30 years late) on 'This works with this, works with this...' or a ' For God's Sake, ..NEVER mix this with this' ?

Consensus driven argument is not always a good thing, but if 9 people say 'YES' and only one says 'WRONG' , it's a pretty good clue that someones set up is damaged or incorrectly configured.

I'm very,very happy, BTW.

Hi Robert,

Interesting about the Audio Technica. When I try to view your photos it comes up as;

"page 'http://127.0.0.1:4474/p/eba00394891f00000143.jpg' not found".

Any idea why?

Cheers,
Mike

http://www.needledoctor.com/Audio-Technica-Cartridge-150-MLX?sc=2&category=363

Needle Doctir has it.

As does LP Gear, at about $140.00 less than Needle doctor if you're wanting to buy one:

http://www.lpgear.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=LG&Product_Code=ATC0150MLX&Category_Code=A3

Ah, that's better. See these folk who post duff links! ;)

Mike

Are you a masochist, Rudolph?

It would appear so from your posts about how many bad LP12s and bad Audio Technica cartridges you've "tried over the years" - I think it brings into question how sound (pun intended) your judgement on such things really is.

Hi Robert,

Interesting about the Audio Technica. When I try to view your photos it comes up as;

"page 'http://127.0.0.1:4474/p/eba00394891f00000143.jpg' not found".

Any idea why?

Cheers,
Mike

The review that kicked off this thread was posted way back in 2004 and the photos are no longer on the hosting site. If I still have them I'll wack them up again.

2004? No wonder Rudolph labouring a point has become really dull.

nope in the 25 years of playing with hifi only 1 or 2 things have impressed me...


I'd consult professional help about that masochism, Rudolph - you may still be able to cure the erectile dysfunction.

Excellent, Rob. That would be good.

Regarding the OC-9 sounding bright and hard, I've never found that to be the case, providing that it's partnered synergistically with a good phono stage. An all-valve one like the Eastern Electric Minimax would be ideal.

Mike

droopy cock....erectile dysfunction - I thought the joke was fairly obvious.

As I said, Rudolph, I thought the joke was fairly obvious.

Located some more 150MLX pics and the links are now updated in the original post.

I can well understand the feeling of the OC9 series being far too bright...

I set up a number of these many years ago (in Ittoks) and would track them for a few LP's quite high (1.7 - 1.9 IIRC), then backing them off to around 1.5 (I think) thereafter, when they'd calmed down a bit.

Not being troubled by CD as many of you guys seem to be, I never had a huge problem with flat to slightly bright pickups, finding the extra sparkle beneficial to most LP's except the very best cuts/Direct Cuts.. I find most Linn MC cartridges over the years overly ballistic and thuddy, or just dull, with limited tracking ability and basically a bland presentation (The Klyde especially should have been terminated at birth it's so bad, both in tracking ability and heard (and measured) tonal im-balance - ugghh!). This is not to be confused with a subtle sound - hope you know what I mean...

I've heard the Denon 304 sound awsome on a humble TD150 in an LP12 plinth - it fits exactly - with a standard RB300 arm fitted to the Thorens arm board - the owner has used this for years and finds real enjoyment from it. I'd have one tomorrow once I get a decent MC stage....

I can well understand the feeling of the OC9 series being far too bright...

I set up a number of these many years ago (in Ittoks) and would track them for a few LP's quite high (1.7 - 1.9 IIRC), then backing them off to around 1.5 (I think) thereafter, when they'd calmed down a bit.

Not being troubled by CD as many of you guys seem to be, I never had a huge problem with flat to slightly bright pickups, finding the extra sparkle beneficial to most LP's except the very best cuts/Direct Cuts.. I find most Linn MC cartridges over the years overly ballistic and thuddy, or just dull, with limited tracking ability and basically a bland presentation (The Klyde especially should have been terminated at birth it's so bad, both in tracking ability and heard (and measured) tonal im-balance - ugghh!). This is not to be confused with a subtle sound - hope you know what I mean...

I've heard the Denon 304 sound awsome on a humble TD150 in an LP12 plinth - it fits exactly - with a standard RB300 arm fitted to the Thorens arm board - the owner has used this for years and finds real enjoyment from it. I'd have one tomorrow once I get a decent MC stage....


My experiences with OC9 are more to do with 'sparkle' and less to do with 'bright' (even with my use of silver interconnects)than has been stated - maybe shows the point about the whole system's influence...?

Not had any Linn MCs. Disappointed with K9 - treble biased; tho better balanced the K18 didn't track well until I and Derek Whittington (of 'New Audio Frontiers') kicked up a stink, resulting in a mk2 version appearing that was a mite better.

Have 'borrowed' a 304 and enjoyed the sound, tho it has not replaced my current 150MLX.

keep the phase
keith

Any idea if this would match into a Roksan Nima arm ?

What's the effective mass of the Nima?

Anything higher than Rega RB levels is best avoided unless you can apply some fluid damping.

Robert, an excellent and very interesting review if I may say so :-).

Slightly un-related but I rate the Ekos, the Ittok, and the Aro. It always makes me smile when I read 'love hate' comments on these products - in the big wide world of arm design these three sound quite close to each other (compared to some any way). I can completely understand someone preffering one over the others (I do) but the others are a long way from 'complete crap'. I also don't like the OC9 much, but I can see how people might.

Robert, an excellent and very interesting review if I may say so :-).

Slightly un-related but I rate the Ekos, the Ittok, and the Aro. It always makes me smile when I read 'love hate' comments on these products - in the big wide world of arm design these three sound quite close to each other (compared to some any way). I can completely understand someone preffering one over the others (I do) but the others are a long way from 'complete crap'. I also don't like the OC9 much, but I can see how people might.

Thanks :)

That review keeps bobbing up - I was in my 30's when I wrote it :D

If you want a slightly richer, sweeter OC9 try the AT33PTG.
I've had one for a week and it's quite a performer. A review will follow in a few days.

The Klyde especially should have been terminated at birth it's so bad, both in tracking ability and heard (and measured) tonal im-balance - ugghh!).

Absolutely! How you can sell a cartridge with a measured 6 dB drop across the audio band and call it "hifi"?

A friend was sold one as a replacement for an OC9, I couldn't believe it when I heard it. Total treble-ectomy!