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Ships from and sold by Beach Audio
6 new or used available from $99.88
Average customer review:
(39 customer reviews)
Product Description
AUDIO TECHNICA AT440MLA, DUAL MOVING MAGNET PHONO CARTRIDGEProduct Details
- Brand: Audio-Technica
- Model: AT440MLA
- Dimensions: 1.00" h x 2.00" w x 3.00" l, .50 pounds
- CPU: AMD Athlon 1 GHz
- Memory: 128000MB DRAM
- Hard Disk: 1GB
- Graphics: This is the description of the PC Graphics 256MB
- Processors: 1
- Native resolution: 640x480
- Display size: 669.2913385827
Features
- Extremely precise dual-moving magnet phono cartridge
- MicroLine shaped diamond stylus closely tracks tough-to-reach grooves
- Multi-level stylus shape wears evenly over time to extend record life
- 5 Hz to 32 kHz frequency response; lifespan of roughly 1,000 hours
- Includes 1/2-inch mount; 1-year warranty
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Product Description
Enjoy remarkably accurate tracking, separation, and performance when
listening to vinyl with this dual-moving magnet phono cartridge. The
1/2-inch mount cartridge features a MicroLine shaped diamond stylus that
tracks portions of the groove that other styli simply cannot reach,
ensuring that high-frequency passages sound clear and crisp. The
multi-level shape also wears remarkably evenly, extending the lives of
both the record and the stylus itself (up to 1,000 hours). In addition,
the AT440ML boasts a small curving rate that improves playback over the
entire 5 Hz to 32 kHz frequency range, even for the inner part of the
record groove. Other features include a gold-plated beryllium cantilever
for added durability and a tracking force of 0.8 to 1.6 grams. The
stylus is covered by a one-year warranty.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews 61 of 65 people found the following review helpful.
One of the Best Budget Minded Audiophile Cartridges Around
By Armando M. Mesa
Who says you have to spend an x amount of hundreds even thousands of
dollars on a phono cartridge to listen to crisp and detailed
vinyl/analog playback ? However, words like crisp and detailed are very
meager adjectives to describe the musical sonic characteristics of this
cartridge (true, the rest of your component system's own sound
characteristics come into play, i.e;
receiver,amp,pre-amp,turntable,speakers).If any part of your audio
system does not have that "synergy", then you may notice either slight,
miniscule shortcomings from the cartridge or system or both.For those
with already a warm or neutral sounding system will be dramatically
surprised and awestruck. For those who have just the opposite type of
system and also may have an eq inline, you may want to adjust your
treble settings. The AT 440ML is NOT a neutral or "warm" sounding
cartridge---far from it. The upper mids and highs will possibly have
your dog running out of the room. It's not bass shy either. Bass is firm
but never muddy or boomy. It reproduces the lows and highs very
well.There are no punchy mids (though the mids are reproduced admirably
but not accurately). Some critics have said this cartridge out of the
box and installed properly is reminiscent of having an inline equalizer
and it's frequency knob controls in the "v" formation. Stereo channel
separation is probably the best these ears have heard over any other
stereo cartridge I have had in the past (from the Grado Prestige Series
to a couple of high-end Shure cartridges).There is definitely a
3-dimensional sonic imaging characteristic in the AT 440ML (especially
noted with acoustic and jazz music). The Audio Technica beats most other
hi end named brands to the punch with such wide stereo stage channel
separation. I have closed my eyes with headphones on or with speakers
and I always hear and experience the "you are there" feeling that makes
me appreciate records much more than the cold 2-dimensional flat sound
of audio cd's. Female vocals have a soft but clear presence.Male vocals
are well reproduced. The micro-linear stylus reaches deep into the
grooves without carving the vinyl (YES ! a wonderful light tracker that
requires anywhere from .8 to 1.6 g of tracking force).This will cut down
on the wear and tear of your vinyl collection as well as your
cartridge/stylus...
Does this mean that the AT 440ML is PERFECT and that you have
finally reached analog playback nirvana??? Well, that depends on
different viewpoints. If you have bought cheap cartridges all your life
in the $20 to $40 range, then this AT 440ML will be an audio revelation
that will have you realize what you have been missing all this time.
BUT, it's only a taste of the high end, audiophile analog world. If you
have had other hi-end name brand cartridges (an experienced audiophile)
and have paid more than what this cartridge is going for, then from a
monetary stance you may have paid too much---that is IF the AT's sound
rivals or is reminiscent of those pricier carts. On the other hand, if
you prefer the warm, neutral sound to your liking, and possibly don't
want to experience ear and mind fatigue from a bright cartridge then do
not buy this cartridge.The AT 440 ML is a colored (soundwise)
cartridge.You will only become ear fatigued if you are used to more
neutral or warm cartridges (this is where you will need to adjust your
treble settings). As with most cartridges, the AT 440 ML does require a
little bit of "breaking-in" period (some say 30 hours to maybe
50---depending on your playback time habits). I have owned the AT 440ML
for over a year now and it does get more looser or liquid-like, smooth
and sweeter in sound(but not warm or dull) with no harsh or grainy sonic
characteristics (sounds like I'm describing a fine liquor or malt
shake).
The last glaring question (probably one of the most important) is
whether or not this is an excellent tracker (and this is a two-fold
question or concern). Are words beginning with s, t, p, and f accurately
reproduced (sibilance)? Yes and no.That honorary distinction would be
for the Shure V15VxMR cartridge (which is now out of production and was
the last of a dying audiophile cartridge breed to be had for a
reasonable price range). With the AT 440ML it's more hit than miss with
sibilants. About 85% to 90% of the time "spitty" consonants are
pronounced accurately with a slight edge or exaggeration. However, there
have been a few of my clean records where the letter "s" cuts through
with that static-like harshness more than once on any given side.One
such record I have that proves this theory and shortcoming of this
cartridge is Joe Jackson's Jumpin' Jive swing jazz album (the letter s
is tracked harshly with that annoying edgy sound). As for overall
tracking quality of the music signal in general from beginning of groove
to end, it has that inner groove distortion problem licked (this is
where the AT 440ML shows off it's greatest audiophile strength). This is
due to the linear contact stylus. Nothing MORE aggravating to a record
listener than when a low budget or poorly produced cartridge, while it
may sound clear and great in the first few tracks on a record side, but
then as the needle goes towards the center, the last tracks suffer
horribly (no matter how much anti-skate force you apply)! You will no
longer have this problem with the AT 440ML; you will finally find out
what you have been missing.
Keep in mind that this deep-groove tracing microlinear stylus by
design,in picking up such fine musical detail, will also pick up record
surface noise and dirt;That's right, that snap,crackle, and pop from
static,dirt, or lint.Majority of micro-linear cartridges will do that as
opposed to conical or elliptical styli that sort of tend to almost try
to soften,mask or even blend out surface record noise. Conical or
elliptical styli,with their larger "footprint" tip, will push dirt and
other debris out of the way on the record's surface. They also do not
reach deep into the groove and make that much of an accurate contact
with the groove's wall as a microlinear stylus does. The microlinear
stylus will reach deeper into the groove where there is more accumulated
dirt or debris;it's a fact(being a light tracker however, this will not
wear out your records as fast as a regular stylus cartrdige would). So,
I also recommend using an anti-static brush on those not so pristine
records.This is the only other area where maybe it's competitor ,the
Shure M97xE cartridge, might come out a little ahead; Shures are well
known and admired for their almost quiet record surface noise playback
and background !
The bottom line, with both thumbs highly up, I absolutely recommend
this fine cartridge. Period. Especially for a novice to the vinyl world
or someone on a budget.I have found it difficult to listen to cd's or
any digital musical format since owning this cartridge. In fact, I get
bored with cd playback nowadays. There's just no musical
"involvement".Don't be fooled by the simple black and lavender/purple?
colored simple looking cartridge. It's what's on the inside of the body
that really counts ! The AT 440ML possesses that bang for the buck
quality that is hard to beat and will revitalize your long yearning for
super (not perfect) audiophile listening and extract nuances and other
fine qualities from your record collection !
30 of 31 people found the following review helpful.
Why can't all cartridges track this perfectly???
By Lypo Suck
After years of hitting my head against the wall in total
frustration, I *finally* found the right cartridge for me in Audio
Technica's AT440MLa. Let me explain why life was so frustrating,
depressing, and difficult before the 440MLa.
All my life, I was vexed by the fact that the inner grooves of most
LPs sounded distorted and/or sibilant. Inner grooves of some LPs in my
collection distorted so harshly it rendered them unlistenable. I'd track
down new or minty copies of said albums, assuming my LPs must be worn
or something, but even brand new copies would often have at least a
little sonic degradation on those last tracks. Despite being an avid
vinyl junkie, the fact that I couldn't find a way to remedy this forced
me to wonder if I should concede defeat, admit that maybe vinyl *is* the
inferior medium, and start replacing some of my favorite albums with
CDs.
Over the past few years, I grew increasingly determined to solve
this problem. Affixed to my Denon DP-51f was a Grado Gold, which had a
wonderful sound but it couldn't track the inner grooves of an LP if its
life depended on it. The Grado's performance could best be described
thusly: 1st three tracks sounded positively beautiful, confirming all
that is good and glorious about the sound of vinyl; full, rich,
detailed, and a smooth, pleasing, lively sound. Fourth track begins to
show signs of degradation, maybe some sibilance, a bit of distortion,
but usually still listenable. But that last song on the record would
often sound terrible; sometimes a heinously distorted, muck-ed up
nightmare. Just thinking about it still stresses me out.
I replaced the Grado with a Shure M97xE, which came with
recommendations from nearly everybody in the audio world, even some
hardcore audiophiles. Right away, I was impressed with its full sound
and flat, almost warm frequency response. But once again, it just
couldn't track those inner grooves to save its life. It did do a
slightly better job than the Grado, but I thought that overall, the
Grado had a better, sweeter tonal quality on the tracks that it *could*
track successfully.
Meanwhile, I acquired a Technics SL-1400, which came with a Stanton
680 HiFI that was somewhat unimpressive, but worth noting because of its
strange problem with sibilance in the *outer* grooves. Yes, it actually
did okay (better than both the M97xE and the Grado Gold) with inner
grooves, but for some reason the outer grooves were absurdly sibilant.
This one had great difficulty with wide grooves, especially 12" 45 rpm
EPs.
Briefly, I acquired a Rega P3 with the Rega Elys 2 cartridge. The
venerable Rega had a nicely detailed sound, but once *again*, performed
just as badly as the Grado and M97xE when tracking the inner grooves.
That's right, an extremely reputable $700 turntable and a $250 cartridge
made zero improvements as far as trackability! It sounded great on
those first 3-4 tracks, but still rendered those inner grooves distorted
and sibilant. To be fair, the Elys isn't the best cartridge in its
price-point, but still - $250 for a cartridge that can't track inner
grooves? Are you crazy? How can Rega live with that?
Enter the AT440MLa, which I first connected to my Technics. I got
out several of my favorite "problem" records whose inner grooves always
sounded atrocious. Right away, the AT440MLa tracked the inner grooves
like a champ. For the first time in my life, the inner grooves of these
records sounded as lush, full, detailed, and clear as the outer grooves.
Inner groove distortion had vanished!
But it doesn't stop there - gone too were the sibilant "S's" that
once sputtered and spat through my audio system. Now suddenly, the "S's"
and cymbal hits were as smooth as silk on all but a handful of
particularly problematic, sibilant records. And on those few records,
the sibilance was still reduced significantly when compared to the above
mentioned cartridges, bringing these few LPs into the realm of
listenability.
I'm now hearing details in some of those inner groove tracks that I
never heard before due to the newfound clarity brought by the AT440MLa.
Records that previously sounded abysmal are now sounding full, rich, and
clear. Words can't describe how happy this makes me.
One criticism leveled at the AT440MLa is that its frequency response
is too bright, that there is a bump in the upper frequency range,
causing excessive treble or brightness. While there is a slight bump, on
my system it is very subtle and in no way excessive. I tend to like
things a bit flat sounding, so I was concerned that this would be an
issue, but as it turns out, the AT440MLa sounds fine. I would describe
it as pretty natural sounding, with well-defined yet full bass, smooth
yet detailed highs, pleasing mids, with amazing attention to sonic
detail. It's also quite lively; the music really jumps out of the
speakers (something definitely lacking with the comparitively dull
sounding M97xE). So, not only does the 440MLa track extremely well, but
it really sounds great.
So, if like me, you've been plagued with so much inner-groove
distortion that you've just resigned yourself to live with it, I would
highly recommend the AT440MLa. If you do find the slight high frequency
bump not to your liking, I would suggest changing your phono stage or
nudging the treble down on your eq. Fortunately for me, that wasn't an
issue at all on my system.
How manufacturers like Rega and Shure can continue churning out
cartridges that fail to track inner grooves cleanly is beyond me. I
can't recommend this cartridge highly enough. From my experience, it
wins out over anything in its price range with ease, and even cartridges
over twice its street price.
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful.
Audio Technica AT440ML
By Dan O
I have used a Shure M91 cartridge for years. Excellent cartridge.
After having a rough time finding a decent replacement stylus I decided
to move on to something new. Online reviews led me to try the Shure
M97xe. Very disappointed. I moved on again. Quickly. This time to the
comparably priced Audio Technica AT440ML. I was literally BLOWN AWAY by
the sound of this cartridge! The AT440ML reproduces high frequencies
with amazing detail and low distortion, while simultaneously packing a
respectable low frequency punch. You'll be surprised at what this
cartridge pulls out of your grooves. At this price, the AT440ML is an
incredible value. Spoil yourself.
See all 39 customer reviews...
