Audio Technica VMN760xSL Reveiw

I wrote this brief review of the subject cartridge for Amazon and thought it would be of interest here as well.

This cartridge performs well above expectations.  It is mounted in a Technics SL1200GAE turntable and it has been compared to an Ortofon 2M LVB, and an Audio Technica ART20 among others.  Two phono preamps were used for evaluation:  Conrad-Johnson ART Phono and PS Audio Stellar Phono.  All cartridges set up using AnalogMagik software.  By any criteria the 760xSL performed at an exceptionally high level.  Compared to the Ortofon, perhaps the nearest competitor, it offers slightly leaner bass, but in exchange is ever so slightly cleaner and better defined.  Both offer boron cantilevers, the LVB has a Shibata stylus, whereas the 760xSL has a fine line stylus. Which is better is a matter of taste.  To me perhaps the LVB might be the better choice for classical music, the 760xSL for jazz etc.  However, the differences are minor and given that the LVB costs almost twice as much.... The ART20, even costing over $3,000.00 is considered by many to be perhaps the best moving coil cartridge available for the money available in the world today.  It is a marvelous thing.  So how does Audio Technica's best Moving Magnet cartridge compare with it?  Moving Coil cartridges are recognized as having superior detail retrieval compared to Moving Magnet cartridges.  Is that so here?  Not really.  MC cartridges should also have greater sound stage, superior tracking ability and so on.  Again not so between these two.  So is there any difference?  Oh yes,  the ART20 has a richness of sound that is unmistakable.  With very high end sound systems the ART20 will be better, but the difference is one of nuance.   The 760xSL has all of the essentials covered.  It is quite simply astonishingly good.   It is perhaps the modern day equivalent of the Shure V15Vmr.  It hits way above it's weight.  Highest recommendation.