Is it dumb to upgrade to AT440 now that it's discontinued?

DesertTwang

Active Member
I'm finally ready to upgrade to my first "nice" cartridge, and after watching every YouTube shootout video and reading countless threads, I feel the Audio Technica AT440MLa would do nicely in my system.

Except at the very end of my research, I found out that the entire 440 cartridge line has been discontinued as of last month.

Would it still be a good idea to pick one up? My only concern would be to get stuck without replacement styli.

What usually happens in this kind of scenario? Do manufacturers continue to make replacement styli for discontinued cartridges, or are the owners SOL? I couldn't find aftermarket styli for this cartridge, for some reason, so I'm not sure what to do...
 
I'm finally ready to upgrade to my first "nice" cartridge, and after watching every YouTube shootout video and reading countless threads, I feel the Audio Technica AT440MLa would do nicely in my system.

Except at the very end of my research, I found out that the entire 440 cartridge line has been discontinued as of last month.

Would it still be a good idea to pick one up? My only concern would be to get stuck without replacement styli.

What usually happens in this kind of scenario? Do manufacturers continue to make replacement styli for discontinued cartridges, or are the owners SOL? I couldn't find aftermarket styli for this cartridge, for some reason, so I'm not sure what to do...

Not dumb at all. The AT440 is a very good cartridge/stylus and the family of styli that fit the cartridge is large and long lived. The new VM cartridges that are replacing those are compatible, essentially part of the same family, so you will still be able to get replacement styli down the road. I wouldn't hesitate for a moment.
 
Not a problem. There are plenty of stylus choices. Replacements should be around a while. The new replacement cartrige is the VM540ML. I would grab a 440 before the price rises, but that's me. :D
 
Probably still possible to pick up some replacements, and depending on how much vinyl you plan to spin having a few replacements for it could last you for years. I really like my 440mlb and believe it makes some of the used LP's I have inherited sound better than they should.
 
Thank you! That sounds very encouraging. Any reason to get the AT440MLb over the MLa? (I can get the MLa quite a bit cheaper). From what I've read, the two are extremely similar.
 
I can't imagine Gold coated Beryllium with a microline stylus ever being a bad choice...enjoy!

That's false info from AT Britain/Europe, which doesn't apply to the AT440MLa or -MLb (and neither to the old AT140ML or the AT440ML/OCC). In fact the ATN440MLa for the most time used to have a tapered, anodised alu cantilever - just the last batch already had the tapered, non-anodised alu cantilever of the AT440MLb.

If you want a needle with gold-coated beryllium cantilever and ML tip for the AT120/102P family, you need to search for an ATN160ML.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini
 
That's false info from AT Britain/Europe, which doesn't apply to the AT440MLa or -MLb (and neither to the old AT140ML or the AT440ML/OCC). In fact the ATN440MLa for the most time used to have a tapered, anodised alu cantilever - just the last batch already had the tapered, non-anodised alu cantilever of the AT440MLb.

If you want a needle with gold-coated beryllium cantilever and ML tip for the AT120/102P family, you need to search for an ATN160ML.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

Bummer to that...at least it's microline then.:rolleyes: Corrected!
 
That's false info from AT Britain/Europe, which doesn't apply to the AT440MLa or -MLb (and neither to the old AT140ML or the AT440ML/OCC). In fact the ATN440MLa for the most time used to have a tapered, anodised alu cantilever - just the last batch already had the tapered, non-anodised alu cantilever of the AT440MLb.

If you want a needle with gold-coated beryllium cantilever and ML tip for the AT120/102P family, you need to search for an ATN160ML.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini
Thank you, Manfred! Much appreciate the information. I'm not too worried about it, because to be perfectly honest, I have no idea what "gold-coated beryllium" actually means, and why that's important for a cantilever. I'm still learning about this stuff, so my technical background is very limited at this point. Likewise, I have no clue what anodized means or why it matters. I would be very interested, however, in figuring out which type of cantilever my copy of the AT440MLa has, once it arrives. What would I be looking for?

Greetings from a Landsmann from Arizona! :)
 
I just put on the ATN150Sa stylus on one of my (6) AT440MLa bodies. Zowie! And you can get it for $168.88 free shipping. SHIBATA stylus.............gets deeper into the grooves then the microline......Oh, I ordered another ATN150Sa on Saturday. May order 4 more this next Saturday.

Hoarding, party of one.......
 
Cool, thank you! I remember reading that shibata styli are extremely sensitive to being set up 100% accurately, though. Since my TT (Pioneer PL-540) does not have a VTA adjustment, I'm a bit hesitant to use a shibata as I'm under the impression it can damage records unless it's set up exactly right. Is that information accurate?
 
If you want a needle with gold-coated beryllium cantilever and ML tip for the AT120/102P family, you need to search for an ATN160ML.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

Or look for a AT160ML cartridge that likely has the ATN160ML stylus fitted.
This cartridge is also no longer made but that won't stop me from using it. I have an AT440 on another turntable and really like it too.
 
I just put on the ATN150Sa stylus on one of my (6) AT440MLa bodies. Zowie! And you can get it for $168.88 free shipping. SHIBATA stylus.............gets deeper into the grooves then the microline......Oh, I ordered another ATN150Sa on Saturday. May order 4 more this next Saturday.

Hoarding, party of one.......

I was thinking of getting one of these myself, but felt this stylus inferior to the 150MLX. Can you explain how a Shibata is better than a Microline? By all accounts it's a downgrade and from my experience did not perform as well as the ML tip. (AT12S vs 440ML).
 
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