Audio Technica AT440MLa

[Elite-ist]

Joe: I don't foresee you having an issue returning and exchanging your AT cartridge. But, it still is a put-off, especially, when you know how good this cartridge on your turntable can be.

Nando.

 

[Pure_Brew]

AT got back to me and they think the cartridge may be faulty. I can send it to them if I can't swap it at the store. I'm kind of curious, enough to send it to AT instead. I have and odd feeling that there is something odd with how it interacts with the TT though. But since the AT70 is a non issue the 440 could be bad. I suspect gain issue too, dunno we will see.

I put an upgraded needle on the AT70 (ATN71) from needle doctor and it seems nicer, maybe a bit clearer and smoother. Turned out to be generic and not the item pictured. Different color, no AT symbol. ANNOYING.

 

[laatsch55]

Ponderous.

 

[laatsch55]

Then my shoes started to squeak.

 

[jbeckva]

Then my shoes started to squeak.

Were you in a corner eating flashbulbs when that happened?

 

[Pure_Brew]

I don't get it. Is it about shoes squeaking all by themselves?

 

[laatsch55]

No, I was pondering the ponderous.

 

[laatsch55]

Joe, there was a song that came out in the mid-eighties about a girl who talked with her eyes and a guy who had sqeaking shoes. If anybody can find that it is actually hilarious.

 

[jbeckva]

This one?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0xWLahk86I

LOL.. geesh, I can see ya Lee there..

 

[laatsch55]

That's the one Jer!!! Man you tube has everything!!@

 

[jbeckva]

Man I need a big shroomie after that vid... LOL

 

[Pure_Brew]

I remember it. The video there was really, was really strange man. Speaking of shroomie, I watched this 1927 movie "Metropolis" with Dark Side of the moon playing in the background with my son tonight. Just thought it would be better then the silent movie music they had in the background. I know what they say about the album+the wizard of oz , but uh this was spooky weird in sooo many ways my boy though I was messing with him like I was planning it. Too many match points, gave me goosebumps. And what an amazing movie for it's time.

 

[Web Police]

This one?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0xWLahk86I

LOL.. geesh, I can see ya Lee there..

So that is what Charlie Sheen has been doing since he was laid off.

 

[Pure_Brew]

I've been enjoying music from the 440 so much I'm truly hesitant to take this off and send it back. I really don't want to go through all the trouble just to find out the issue is something else with the table. The hum I get is low enough that I can't hear it at normal listening volumes. If I take my preamp off "pure-direct", a whole different gain stage is added which will allow even louder playback volume. Non- play volume cranked is where it then really shows up from there. swapped back to the original headshell, which is a little heavier then the new ones and the sound is even more balanced.

I would say that after trying the old AT70 again, that the low level noise still exists but it's just lower in volume. I think the difference is more of a sensitivity issue with this cartridge rather then issue with the cartridge itself. It would be nice to try on a completely different table, but that won't
happen anytime soon.

I still stand by the quality of this stylus. I'm still pulling out albums that sounded fairly poor that now sound really spectacular. I'm playing Bonnie Raitt's "give it up" album from 1972. I have a collection CD that features a couple tracks off this album, and by comparison the LP sounded really poor, surface noise etc aside, just poor fidelity overall. Now it's just the opposite, and I'd have to pull the CD put now to compare, but I really think this is even better. These are the tracks i would skip over, i dont remember enjoying the sound like this before! Also as I've said before, getting deeper in the groove seems to bypass old wear, as is the case with most of my collection and specifically with this one.

So I dunno I guess I'm just going to hold onto and use this cart until I come across something else this year. I'll also have to experiment with the rec-out on my preamp, I might consider using the preamp-out instead for taping, but that would be more work....

 

[laatsch55]

Joe, Phase Linear hd an answer for this. It was their model 1000 Dynamic range expander. BUT, a separate circuit was added to take care of turntable rumble, there were enough tables out there that exhibited this problem that Big Bad Bob addressed it. I can mail you one and if it cures your problem mail me 50.00, if it doesn't mail it back. I'll see if i can scan and post the owners manual.

 

[laatsch55]

Course depends on the frequency of the hum, any idea??

 

[Pure_Brew]

Thanks, not sure of the hum frequency tho. It's present but I only notice it at high gain and the record doesn't have to be in play or even turned on for that matter. The tone arm wire appears original, and the connections seem resoldered. This may have had some moisture too. The left rear rubber foot looks dry rotted. It might be good to rewire the arm completely. The RCAs are also junk.

 

[speakerman1]

Do you get a hum when the platter isn't turning? Can you isolate it that way. If you get a hum w/o the platter turning it is grd. hum. If the motor has to be turning then it is the motor. Graham or Jim should be able to help. If not I can ask someone who can. Try to localize it as much as possible. You can always get a small sheet of lead and make shield for the motor. If you need a harness for the tonearm I have extras. Is the pins shrink tubed?

Larry

 

[Pure_Brew]

Yeah I get noise with it off/not turning. If I manually hold the arm and move it closer to the spindle, the noise increases. It does sound like ground hum. If I disconnect the ground wire from the preamp, its holy crap unplayable. The motor has it's own electrical noise when spinning.

When I'm at lower gain, I have to crank the volume fully, and get my ear near the speaker to hear it. So that isn't so bad but it's recognizable on tape or headphones. It seems that the headphones and rec out might have higher or different gain than the preamp out when the pre is set to pure- direct.

I had indeed unplugged everything I possibly could to isolate, tried a different pre etc. I don't know what the wires look like behind the headshell, but the wires comming off the tonearm underneath look old. There is mini board covered by a metal shield that is used to connect the arm wires to the RCAs. This looks a little ugly, blobby soldering.

As a matter of fact, the hum is the same when the TT is plugged into the preamp with only the RCAs, with no power cord.

 

[speakerman1]

Ok do you have any other grd lugs? If so try grounding it to that. Run another wire from that grd. to another and see what happens.

Larry