MicroLine profile diamond stylus offers high frequency response with less wear and distortion than elliptical or conventional linear contact styli. This bass lushness continued in songs like “Hide in Your Shell” and yet contrasting with this abundant low end were details like the finger snaps that sounded eerily real and echoing just above my left and right speakers.

Earlier this week I was playing around with the VM540ML and a trio of near identical Rotel amplifiers, the only difference between the 3 of them is the amount of capacitance in the phono stages, 100pF, 150pF and 250pF.The VM540 ML produced a very low noise floor, showed no sibilance at all, and was capable of providing a highly accurate impression of the original musical event. This is tiny at 2um because the frequency is up 10x and as we pointed out above, groove size goes down with frequency for constant output. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Carlo currently lives in Granville, Ohio with his wife, two sons, and a very old, but chill dachshund. There are many alternatives from Ortofon and other companies, but the Audio Technicas are praised for their great value for the money.

It picks up a crackling noise, always in the right channel only and usually towards the beginning of a side. The low frequencies are very present after the break-in, you do feel them but they are so well balanced with the rest of the music. The diamond looks like it might not be mounted quite straight, but the magnification of my loup isn't sufficient to be sure. Today, Audio-Technica’s audio products have become globally synonymous with consistently high sonic performance paired with impeccable build construction and artistic design. This has been combined with a few other upgrades such as a phono box, hybrid cork/leather mat and a platter stabilisation weight and this has absolutely maximised the sound out of my AT.Microlinear profile diamond stylus offers high frequency response with less wear and distortion than elliptical or conventional linear contact styli. I have a 60x loup which is just about good enough to see if there's any crud on the stylus and it looks clean.