Audio Technica AT ML-180 Cartridge Advice


Just acquired an Audio Technica AT ML-180 cartridge with broken cantilever and was looking for advice on where to get a new cantilever rebuild and what material to choose from. My preference is a new Boron cantilever but was not sure who, apart from Soundsmith, offers this service.

Also would like to know which is the best tonearm to use for this cartridge once it's fixed. It can either go on my Audiomods Series 5 (eff. mass approx. 11g) or the arm on my Yamaha GT 2000 which has an effective mass of approx. 20g.

Thanks in advance.
ateal

dear chakster, ''the if-then'' assertions are not facts. Facts are

true statements or propositions. My suggestion was to remove

the whole cantilever/stylus from one AT and install in the other.

No need for philosophical disputes by my proposal which nearly

everyone can do by himself. I am surprised that you never try

at list to investigate the stylus construction by AT carts. There

are cheap samples while no academic education is needed to

perform this task. Your curiosity should be more worth than ,say,

$50 for an ''cheap'' AT sample. Those offered ''for parts'' can also

be used for this purpose. So the price is not an argument against.

So my argument is: see or look for yourself. After that you can

propose your own finding about ''fixing'' the suspension by

AT or 205 kinds. Even with tubed boron cantilevers which Vdh

as a capable business man had stored in his stock the question

how to connect this ''impressive'' cantilever to the tension wire

behind the cantilever is not clear, at least not to me.

By 205 one can see those small screws on the pipe behind which

function is the same as by MC carts. To center, tighten and

connect the tension wire with the cantilever. As you could see

at the end of the tube the tension wire is glued. There are no such

screws by AT kinds. So I have no idea how tension wire by AT

are fastened. As a big admirer of the new and old Grace carts

you should be even more motivated for this investigation because

those also use tension wire. J. Carr  explained elsewhere in this

thread their function and advantage.

@ateal

I had a long conversation with the VdH representative here in the US a few weeks ago and he explained that Mr VdH performs all the rebuilds himself and that he bought the last remaining supply of Boron tube.

Whilst he did not go into details on the specific step by step approach of how he performs the rebuild, he did explain that a new boron tube cantilever, VdH natural diamond and new suspension would cost me $750 and assured me that Mr VdH does this work himself in his retirement.

I was only passing on this information from a reputable agent of VdH it is not my assumption or opinion.


That’s good, but costly.
For anyone who would like to avoid refurbishing of the stylus i can offer fully working AT-ML170 with original ATN-ML170 stylus in perfect condition! Special christmas offer, just one of these from my personal archive.
Dear  @iwasgointo  : The Signet TK10ML MK2 or the AT24 outperforms the 180.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.
@iwasgointo Signet is subsidary of Audio-Technica in USA, while the real Audio-Technica was made in Japan. Signet is not available in Japan. In it’s own country the Audio-Technica is a champ and AT-ML180 OFC and AT-ML180 OCC are unbeatable.

Not sure which AT-ML180 do you mean ?

I will share some more pictures i made with my samples, because i was shocked to discover the difference is not only a coil wire etc.

There are two different versions of them (read on the boxes):

1) AT-ML180 PC OCC version has a Gold-plated Beryllium Cantilever and this particular model is the latest one, it was discontinued in the mid 90’s. There is a computer code printed on the backside of the box and OCC printed on the frontside of the cartridge, so this is a "modern" version from the 90’s. PC OCC (PURE COPPER by OHNO CONTINUOUS CASTING). Probably the last bunch of AT's beryllium is gone by making this version. Beryllium was restricted to use, no more beryllium cantilevers.

2) AT-ML180 LC OFC version is earlier, it has Gold-plated Boron Cantilever, the box does not have any computer code, this model is from the late 80’s, it’s rare! LC OFC is Linear Crystal Oxygen-Free Copper.

As you can see all models in AT-ML series comes with Gold-plated cantilevers. The gold plating acts to damp what little resonance the boron or beryllium produces.

P.S. As far as i know the Signet cartridges are different in many aspects, for example: Signet Boron cantilevers are not Gold-Plated. Those cartridges assembled in the USA, not in Japan. I don’t think they are better than Made In Japan top of the line models from the Audio-Technica. AT-ML180 is a flagship MM cartridge in Japan in the 80s, remember all the competitors at that time on the japanese market?

And finally: Where is Signet or Precept now and where is the Audio-Technica? Think about it.