Anybody else heard an Ortofon 540 MKII before? It cam on the turntable I just bought and I think it sounds awesome. Problem is, that cart is no longer being made and the replacement stylus is over $300.00. I'm thinking of putting a Jico SAS on a Shure M97xE I have as my next cart, or seeing how the Audio Technica AT120E sounds. Is the Jico that much of an improvement? Worth the $170 price? Or is there something else out there that is a hidden gem? I've heard some talk about a Dynavector 10X5 or something like that. I have an old Stanton 681EEE body somewhere I think, and maybe another oldie or two. Man I wish I had saved the Shure V15 bodies I have burned through in past years....but back in the day a good cartridge didn't cost a freaking fortune..
You might also look into a Audio Technica AT 125 LC vs the AT 120E. Very detailed (almost too detailed) cart that is not very good for really used records at all. It's brighter then my V15 Shure's but it really is a great cart. I finally figured out what was on my Onkyo Integra TT and it's the AT 125 LC. I track at 1gr with it
The Audio-Technica AT125LC is one of the most desirable cartridges. The VM type AT125LC dual magnet vibration and generation systems has been highly regarded all over the world
● LC-OFC wire for high-efficiency, high linearity signal transfer.
- The Audio-Technica AT125LC cartridge is fitted with LC-OFC lead wires. LC-OFC (Linear-Crystal Oxygen-Free Copper) is a highly refined copper material free of oxidizing agents and other impurities. A special process is used to elongate the lattice structure of the material to minimize the number of crystals in a given length of wire. For example, in standard copper there are more than 150,000 crystal boundaries for every meter length of wire. The LC-OFC reduces this number to 20 (less than 1/7500). The result isa startling drop in transmission losses and distortion across these boundaries. Signal transfer efficiency is improved, and linearity is maintained even for extremely low signal levels. The use of LC-OFC wires assures that the fidelity of the signal reproduced by the Audio-Technica AT125LC cartridge is transferred to the amplifier stage without modification.
Audio Technica AT125LC Phono Cartridge Specifications
- Output voltage: 5.0 mV
- Frequency response: 10Hz-28kHz
- Channel balance: 1.0dB
- Channel separation @ 1kHz/10kHz: 29/20 dB
- Tracking force: 1.0 - 1.8 g
- Recommended load impedance: 47 ΩΩ
- Load capacitance: 100 - 200 pF
- Stylus shape: Highly polished and shaped Titanium Bonded Linear Contact diamond
- Cantilever: Tapered Tube
- Vertical tracking angle: 20°
- Weight: 6.5g