Is my new cartridge TOO good?

[bobbyrae]

I never thought this sort of thing would happen, but the cartridge seems to be so sensitive that it makes my older, worn records sound much worse!

It is an AudioTechnica AT440ML/OCC and has a frequency response of 5-32kHz. At the high end on a good record it sounds amazing. The detail is like I never heard on vinly, but when I play a disk that is fairly worn, it sounds like someone dumped some dust on the turntable! Really. I was listening to Jethro Tull today and was ready to throw the record out, but then I thought to compare to my older Signet cartridge (which I just got a new stylus for). It sounded so much nicer! I can enjoy that album with the Signet, but NOT the A/T.

And just to make sure I wasn't dreaming, I put the A/T back in and tried a really good record and it sounded great. So I guess the new A/T can only be used on special occasions!

Anyone had this experience before?

[Tromatic]

As a general rule, the better the cart, the more it retrieves from the vinyl, noise included. Not an issue if you were raised on vinyl!

Some are better then others at either not reproducing that noise or putting way in the background. Time to tweak that turntable. The best I have found for reducing record surface noise is a Herbies. Don't know how or why, but it works. Noise takes a step back from the music.

[bobbyrae]

Originally Posted by Tromatic

...
Time to tweak that turntable. The best I have found for reducing record surface noise is a Herbies.

I have to admit that I have NO IDEA what that is. It's not a joke is it?

[thunderroad]

That Audio Technica is in very good MM cartridge! Personally, I don't think you can have "too good" of a cartridge, but a top quality transducer like the AT440MLa will reproduce everything on the record. So what you're hearing is what is on the record, both information and dust.

While you might have some damaged or worn records, I would bet that the majority of the noise you are hearing are just records that need to be cleaned thoroughly. If you are not using a record brush immediately before playing, get a good one and start. I personally use a Hunt brush that I bought some years ago and really like it. All the usual Websites like LPgear, Needledoctor, etc. carry one type or another. If you're still getting noise, the next step is to do a wet cleaning of the record. The vinyl heavy-hitters here at AK all seem to use a record cleaning machine and love them, but I prefer the more straightforward manual approach. Here is a link to another website that shows a pretty good approach: http://www.gallagher.com/clean_records.htm

If after all the cleaning, etc., you're still getting noise then the records are probably damaged. Hope this helps! Happy listening!

[thunderroad]

Originally Posted by bobbyrae

I have to admit that I have NO IDEA what that is. It's not a joke is it?

+1, me neither!

[Bob_in_OKC]

Herbie's http://herbiesaudiolab.home.att.net/ttmat.htm

[DENNYDOG]

Originally Posted by bobbyrae

I have to admit that I have NO IDEA what that is. It's not a joke is it?

Apparently not! Herbies

EDIT: Too slow

[blownsi]

I have a herbies on my 1200 and can't hear any difference between that and the technics mat that KABusa recomends. The only reason why I still use it is because of the money already spent factor....

I'm running a mx97e perhaps it's not revealing enough??

[ARJohn]

The AT440 is described as a pretty bright cart and takes awhile to break in and settle down , so I read on here. So some hours of use may help tame the noise a bit , but a simple diy cleaning system would also help with the old vinyl . I do have some older used LP's that no amount of cleaning will repair , they must have been played with a nail , the sound of bacon in the pan .

[REDone]

Same problem here with the 440MLa

I had slightly better results using a conical stylus like Shure 75 EJ (but only slightly)

I concluded once the record is worn its past redemption despite cleaning.

[illinoisteve]

I have a set of speakers that I salvaged from an old stereo console, they have a rich mid-range and pretty good bass, but the high frequencies drop off quickly above a certain point. If I have a really worn or dirty record, I can switch over to them and get instant noise control, kinda like Dolby in a pair of big black boxes. It is just as easy to switch back to my better speakers when the record is a better source. If your problem is dirt in the grooves, however, perhaps you should see if somebody could demonstrate one of those expensive Record Cleaning Machines on one of your disks to see how differently it will sound with that new cart. Maybe the new cart requires the RCM upgrade....

[SA-708]

I had the same sort of issues with an Ortofon Super OM10 cartridge. It seemed to bring every tic and pop to the foreground, much more than the other carts I was using on my SL-1700Mk2. Don't know the reason, but switching from the 10 stylus to a Digitrac 200NE stylus fixed the issue. Perhaps the change in compliance?

[rito25]

I thought alot of people liked the 440MLa cause the needle was so fine it got below alot of the damage?

[Brett a]

I had an AT440MLa for a year or-so (very similar, but not quite as nice as what you're running). I too was surprised when I first heard just how clear and together LPs can sound. And as it has already been said in this thread, a better cart is going to reveal more of the LP for good and bad. Also, the 440 does tend toward bright, but fortunately it often translates into open and transparent. And I never found it to be unforgiving of surface noise or pops and clicks. It was very quiet on most of my records.

I think what you may have is an LP that is worn, or more likely in need of a deep cleaning.

Is it too good a cartridge? Maybe. That's up to you to decide. You may not want to clear the veil off your music. Once you start doing that, it's a long and slippery slope through upgrades, tweaks and record cleaning machines. But hearing music hanging in the space of a virtual bright blue sky is well worth the toil for many of us.

[markshan]

One is hyper elliptical, the other conical (I think). They are contacting different parts of the record. The 440 will often "get below the damage" but in the end it depends on where the damage is. For the larger problem to be down deep like that is unusual. I would suspect (if this is used vinyl) that a previous cleaning attempt went badly and forced gunk into the bottom of the grooves. I would try a good soak and clean on the record.