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

The ATN150Sa is $168.88 with free shipping. How is that out of line? I'm sorry that replacement styli costs sometimes as much as the original cartridge, but that is the way things are now days.
 
I said exactly that in 2010. I miss those days.

And then it's 2017 and you wake up to four turntables with a fifth (lonely little Garrard changer) sitting on the floor in the corner and a sixth quietly waiting for you in a little room on another continent.
 
The ATN150Sa is $168.88 with free shipping. How is that out of line? I'm sorry that replacement styli costs sometimes as much as the original cartridge, but that is the way things are now days.

Fear not Wayner, once he gets a taste then he'll want more. Half the fun of this hobby is the chase.
 
The ATN150Sa is $168.88 with free shipping. How is that out of line? I'm sorry that replacement styli costs sometimes as much as the original cartridge, but that is the way things are now days.
It always was that way. For the better carts like the various high end Shure's and Stantons, the replacement stylus always cost about 2/3 of what you'd pay for a current complete cart of the same model. Nothing new there! :)
 
DT: At least you're definitely not offending me, and I'd bet I'm not the only other AKer to kind of share you're view on that.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini
I agree as well, no offense taken here. In fact, I kind of admire DesertTwang for it. I wish I was as strong as he is to not succumb to the ever shifting audio goalposts.
 
The ATN150Sa is $168.88 with free shipping. How is that out of line? I'm sorry that replacement styli costs sometimes as much as the original cartridge, but that is the way things are now days.
maybe somebody can just buy the complete cartridge and sell the body. ATN150sa for 168 seems more reasonable.
 
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.

Didn't know at160ml stylus has a color like atn140, i thought it was only brownish.
 
Didn't know at160ml stylus has a color like atn140, i thought it was only brownish.

+1. I had to put this one on a brown box to show the color in the picture, otherwise it looked black.

IMG_0694.jpg
 
I understand that beauty and value is in the eye (or ears) of the beholder. Recently, I acquired an NOS ATN15ss stylus and a NOS ATN15 stylus. I paid 150 Euros for the ATN15ss and 130 Euros for the ATN15. That's a bit of lunch money for me, but the resultant sounds are so well worth the $$...and they're not even "broken in" yet. I have one more ATN15 and an ATN155lc to obtain, and then I'll be set for whatever remaining years I can still waddle to my TT and play a record. I can't justify any MC carts, but the detail these MMs render makes me believe I've hit my personal sweet spot.

just my $0.02
 
One of my regrets was not buying up as many 440MLa cartridges when they were selling new for $99 on Amazon back in '10. :(

Well at least I got one and could not be happier with it. I recently ran it through a battery of tests with the aid of Stereo Review Test Record and an oscilloscope and the results by far exceeded my expectations. It's real forte is its tracking ability which is beyond criticism.

If you can find one, I would recommend an Audio Technica 440MLa without reservation. Even at $200, it's still well worth it, IMO.
 
The 150Sa stylus seems a lot more like the 440MLb stylus than the 150MLX stylus. This point has been discussed before, but I have a very old ATX1201S cartridge with probably the same parts as the 150Sa but for the grip and it's fantastic. It's a little bit more balanced than the 440MLb--has more bottom end, not quite as fast in the transients as the 150MLX with boron rod, but faster than the 440MLb, so right in between. But I will say that the 440MLb stylus sounds more balanced with more bottom end as well as faster after being transplanted into the Ebony-bodied Clearaudio AT95E (in my case, formerly a Performer V2). Those hardened tapered aluminum cantilevers that AT makes are tough as nails. The ATX1201S had a curve in it and taking it out required a surprising amount of force and a lot of gradual attempts. It was white-knuckle work because I kept expecting it to snap, but it didn't at all. It was as though it was made of iron. Very impressive and probably why even though it's "only" aluminum or alloy it's nearly as fast as boron rod. Shape does make a big difference when discussing rigidity and I can believe that the 150Sa is an upgrade over straight boron rod even if the material is less "sacred."

My wife asked what I was reading so I read her part of this post.
She said, 'He must an Einstein.'
I said, 'No he is a Needlestein.'
We both got a good laugh.
 
The ATN150Sa stylus installed on the AT440MLa body is magic! I'm hearing details that I have never heard before. Details have also taken on a vertical plain, in other words, there is stuff positioning all over not just from left to right, but from top to bottom. This combination works better then the ATN150MLX and AT440MLa body.

Wayner
 
Wayner, I like your thinking. I'm ordering an ATN155lc from my "source" and will slap it on my AT140 body. I was going to use the 440mlb body, but when I compared them, the 140 had a more consistent range.

Otherwise, I've been buying NOS stylii lately, and it looks like a fortuitous move in regards to AT's hijinks. 2 more stylii and I'll be set until I start mumbling "Eh, what was that, sonny?".
 
Where do people go for NOS items like styli? (I'm assuming NOS stands for "New old stock.") Do you just shop around using Google, or are there specific online outlets that specialize in such items?
 
Where do people go for NOS items like styli? (I'm assuming NOS stands for "New old stock.") Do you just shop around using Google, or are there specific online outlets that specialize in such items?

DT, I'll let my cat out of the bag now that I'm done feeding it. I found a guy on eBay that had a cache of NOS Audio Technica stylii and a few NOS carts. After purchasing a stylus and finding it to be the real thing,
I managed to connect with him outside of the walls. :) I cleaned out his supply of stylii so I could upgrade mine and have some spares. All he has left is one NOS AT155lc cart which I plan to purchase in April, having now spent all my lunch money to date. I realize there will probably be some disapproving lurkers here, but - hey - when NOS good stuff comes along, a person is a fool to pass on acquiring items he or she needs, IMHO. I now have an ATN15ss stylus on my AT15sa cart, an ATN15 stylus on my AT15S cart, a TKN2 stylus (mini 2 x 7 elliptical) on my TK5e, and soon an ATN155lc stylus on my AT140lc cart; all NOS.
Ya gotta DIG for this obscure stuff.

BTW, regarding some earlier comments about AT12sa carts; I swapped a LC stylus from a VS240lc onto my AT12sa, and It sings! I think it closely resembles my AT440mlb characteristics, except for the lower
output. Swapping the LC stylus onto my TK5e works well too, except for being a bit bass-heavy. This is really becoming a really interesting expedition.

Bottom line: my record-listening enjoyment has increased tremendously. Isn't that what it's all about?
 
Where do people go for NOS items like styli? (I'm assuming NOS stands for "New old stock.") Do you just shop around using Google, or are there specific online outlets that specialize in such items?

Many listed on the auction site.
 
Many listed on the auction site.

I forgot to mention: I am now retired, so I have the time to prowl sites, forums, and auctions. It's taken me 6 months of daily research to not only find the components I want, but also evaluate how their qualities
might agree with my particular musical obsession. My Jewish friends have deemed me an "honorary Hebrew", by virtue of my buying habits. I do my best to not get skinned on a deal, but will also pay a fair price
when I determine that prime goods are being offered. Also, the NOS pieces help me better ascertain the projected lifespan of stylii, compared to "lightly used" pieces. I got what I paid for and know I am very fortunate to have found a rare cache of stylii/cartridges. I do believe there are still some of these "out there" yet to be found.

Last bit of hot air: from my searchings, top caliber NOS items seem to be more available in European countries.

just my $0.02
 
DT: Actually many of the established vendors in the US (e.g. Garage-a-records, Thevoiceofmusic, NeedleDoctor, LPGear/ElexAtelier/LPTunes, Turntableneedles, Stereoneedles, BBE...) and over here in Germany and the rest Europe (e.g. Mr.Stylus, Micron-Heinrich, (William)Thakker, Svalander, AMAA, pich-upnaalden.nl...) used to and often enough still offer new old stock stuff, too. However, most of that has become quite a bit more expensive in the meantime, and a lot of the attractive, higher quality products are already sold-out.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini
 
Thought I would add question to this older thread. Running AT440MLa with original stylus. Just ordered a stylus for AT440MLb as backup, while I could find. What is your impressions of MLa vs MLb?
 
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