Audio-Technica AT150Sa Dual Moving Magnet Cartridge

Great cartridge. I did a lot of research before buying it, and was not disappointed. This cartridge seems to pick up everything, so it is not recommended for older warn records. I also have an AT440MLB that I use for older records. The AT150Sa is a much higher quality, and you can hear the instruments much more clearly. One drawback is that there are metal parts on the cartridge that make it difficult to set up with metal screws. Non-metal screws are recommended. When I first set it up I had way too much buzz using the internal Audio-Technica preamp on my turntable because of the metal screws and the lack of internal grounding on the turntable. I prefer not to use the internal preamp because there is notable quality reduction with that preamp. Buying new albums on Amazon can be maddening with this cartridge because it picks up any surface noise, so the record needs to be clean and a good quality pressing. But if you are looking for high quality at a reasonable price, this cartridge is a good choice. It has a nude Shibata stylus, that sounds way better than the Micro Linear stylus on the 440MLb.

After using a number of midrange MM cartridges including the Shure V15-Type 3, the Dynavector 10X5, the Goldring 1012, and now the AT150Sa on my Kenwood KD 650 turntable, I can say that I am very satisfied with this new cartridge. I tracks almost as well as the Shure V15, which is surprising given the considerably higher compliance of the Shure V15. ( 22 vs. 10mm/N ) I did have to spend some additional time zeroing in the VTA to get the best sound out of the AT150Sa. As others have said, at first it seemed a little hard sounding, but it mellowed out very quickly into a very balanced sound from top to bottom. I am thoroughly enjoying listening to my LP collection once again. This hardware is good enough, spend your money on the software. Highly recommended.

It was exactly what I was expecting. Pure sound.

After using the AT440MLA for about a year and a half, I upgraded to this cartridge. If you like the AT440MLA, then this one is an upgrade. With the AT150SA the music is more detailed and deeper. Essentially, the AT440MLA sounds like a radio station that comes in almost perfectly, and so you rotate the dial just a little bit and get a slightly sharper sound, then you'll get the AT150SA. The AT150SA has more detail, depth and weight than the AT440MLA. As the cartridge burns in, everything unpleasant (sibiliance, inner grrove distortion, etc) are all smoothing out. At the same time, this cartridge does some larger scale stuff very well. Fairly nice bass is available as well. The tracking is very good - play with the settings to tweak the sound, but the most straightforward, beginning setup will produced results that slightly improve on the AT440MLA.This is the cartridge where you will start to concern yourself with the quality of the record, rather than the quality of your setup. You'll know, fairly quickly, that your setup is an improvement on the AT440MLA. After that, you can tweak away and get an even better sound.Clearly I recommend this cartridge. Every record sounds a little better with the AT150SA than with the AT440MLA. The 150SA is a step up from the 440MLA.An important note is that the SA in the AT150SA, which means a Shibata cut. Apparently the vertical tracking angle is important is such a needle. If your tonearm can't adjust for VTA, then maybe the AT440MLA is the better choice. But, if you can make vertical adjustments, then this is a noticeable step up from the other cartridge.

同じシバタ針搭載のＶＭ750ＳＨと比較しての感想です。ＶＭ750ＳＨはＡＴ150ＭＬＸ（製造終了）の弱点と言うか、物足りなかった低域と高域をパワーアップした音ですが、女性ヴォーカルでは若干きつく感じる事があります。AT150SaはＡＴ150ＭＬＸのしなやかさと、シバタ針特有の高域の伸び、パワフルな低域のブレンド具合が良く、ジャズ・ロック・クラシックと、ジャンルを選びませんが、敢えて言えば女性ヴォーカルに適しています。また、ノブカラーがブラックで高級感がありますね。