Extremely Rare AUDIO - TECHNICA AT - ML170 (Japan, 1987) MM Cartridge W/Entre Shell
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:554661 | Model: AT-ML170 |
| Brand: Audio-Technica | Country/Region of Manufacture: Japan |
This is my personal Audio-Technica AT-ML170 / OFC Moving Magnet cartridge with Gold-Plated Boron Pipe Cantilever and Nude MicroLine stylus tip! Pre-mounted on ENTRE headshell from the same era, lead wires upgraded as you can see. Excellent working condition. Gently used in High-End system. This model is definitely in my top-5 of the best MM cartridges, i've tried many rare ones. You can't go wrong with AT-ML170.
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This model of Audio-Technica cartridge was made in Japan in 1987. The Absolute Sound (TAS) magazine claimed it was the best Moving Magnet cartridge ever made (see back issue 72).
The diamond and cantilever are very nice! The cartridge body is genuine AT-ML170 OFC, the stylus is original ATN170ML (MicroLine), clear plastic stylus protector included. MicroLine stylus shape is similar to the most expensive MicroRidge, you can use this type of stylus for up to 2000 hrs max! My cartridge has been rarely used as it was a back-up sample, i have many cartridges in rotation. I do not count hours while i'm listening to the music, so the exact usage time is unknown, sorry. The cartridge body is clean. You won't be disappointed, no problem in operation, it's an amazing cartridge and the sound quality is superb!
The MicroLine™ stylus almost exactly duplicates the shape of the cutting stylus used to produce the original master disc from which records are made. This enables it to track portions of the groove other styli simply cannot reach. The result is extremely accurate tracking of high-frequency passages and ruler-flat frequency response within the audible range. The unique multilevel “ridge” shape of the MicroLine™ tip wears more evenly, allowing greatly extended record and stylus life. The MicroLine™ tip is used on higher-end cartridges. Nude styli, shaped from whole diamonds, are more costly than bonded styli, with their diamond tips “bonded” to metal shanks before finishing. But because of their lower mass, nude styli track more accurately. Also, since nude styli are grain-oriented, with their longest-wearing faces touching the record surface, they last longer. Square shank styli cost more than round shank styli to make, but mounting them in laser-cut square holes in the cantilever locks them in precise alignment with the record grooves.
PLEASE REFER TO THE IMAGES, WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET!
ALL IMAGES MADE BY MYSELF
Selling AT-ML170 OFC with japanese DAM ENTRE headshell and very nice pure copper lead wires.
There are a few scratches on top of the headshell (consider the headshell as a free bonus only) ! No scratches on the cartridge (nice and clean), excellent condition.
Plug and play, this set is ready to use straight out of the box.
The total weight of the Cartridge on the Headshell is about 21 grams.
AT-ML17O Vector-Aligned Stereo Phono Cartridge:Wide Range Vector-Aligned Vibration System and Improved Paratoroidal Signal Generating System featuring PCOFC Wire.
Vector-Aligned stereo phono cartridges feature an original design patented by Audio-Technica around the world. The key to this mechanism is the two magnetic generators arranged in the shape of a "V". These two magnets are positioned to exactly match the positions of the left and right channels in the stereo record groove. Major benefits of the Vector-Aligned cartridge include outstanding channel separation, very low distortion and superb tracing performance. As a final attention to detail, even the output terminals are constructed of LC OFC copper. This meticulous care and attention given to every minute detail in both the vibration and generator systems has resulted a significant improvement in the performance and sound quality. This superb cartridge offers audiophiles and other serious listeners added musical enjoyment. Incorporating the same essential merits as other Vector-Aligned models, the AT-ML170 also features three additional technological advances:
Gold-Plated BORON CantileverIt’s tiny, gold-plated Boron Cantilever provides an extremely rigid yet lightweight platform to which the stylus is mounted. Interestingly, the gold plating acts to damp what little resonance the boron produces.
MicroLine StylusThe stylus used is of the latest and most advanced design: Nude Square Shank Micro Line stylus more closely resembling the cutter stylus than any previous design, this shape produces better high frequency response with less wear or distortion than any previous design!
PCOFC WireThe latest technological advance is the utilization of a new, pure copper material in Audio-Technica's exclusive “Paratoroidal Signal Generator”. Together with the laminated core structure, which minimizes loss in the high frequency region, this integrated paratoroidal generator system operates at an efficiency significantly greater than conventional cartridges. The use of LC-OFC wire perfects the performance of the advanced paratoroidal coil design. A special high-temperature extrusion die produces copper with virtually no transverse crystal barriers to impede signal transmission or color sound. Thus, the coils of the AT-ML170 transmit distortion-free sound in which even the most subtle details are reproduced with clarity and purity.
Furthermore: since the left and right channels in the generator system are separated by permalloy center shielding plate, the high level of channel separation achieved in the independent left and right dual magnet system is preserved at the output stage of generator.
To further increase the accuracy of the AT-ML170’s moving system, Audio-Technica engineers have ensured against unwanted parasitic vibration with an anti-resonance ceramic mounting base.
SPECIFICATIONS AT-ML170 / OFC:
Frequency Response (Hz): 5 - 40, 000
Vertical Tracking Force: 1.25 +/- 0.3
Tracking Ability (microns) at center value VTF: 90
Tracking Ability (microns) at upper value VTF: 100
Channel Separation (dB at 1kHz/10kHz): 31/21
Channel Balance (dB): 0.5
Output (mV at 1kHz), 5 cm/sec): 4
Vertical Tracking Angle: 20 degree
Stylus Shape: 0.1mm MicroLine
Stylus Construction: Nude Square Shank
Cantilever: Gold-plated BORON
Wire Uses For Coil: PCOFC
Recommended Load Impedance (ohms): 47, 000
Recommended Load Capacitance (pF): 100 - 200
Dynamic Compliance @ 100Hz: 10.0
(* please note that Dynamic Compliance @10Hz will be around 18-20cu)
Static Compliance: 40.0
Cartridge Weight (grams) 7.0
Replacement Stylus: ATN170ML
I have a massive collection of the rare vintage MM cartridges and it would be fair to say that AT-ML170 is definitely one of the best MM cartridges of all time. There are no current production AT cartridges that can compete with this vintage gem! This model is extremely rare and every serious collector should have it, because AT-ML170 compete with top $$$$$ cartridges (MM or MC). You can find plenty of praise by searching on google or on forums like audiogon etc.
Another interesting article in the back issue of TAS (The Analog Sound, Issue 40) magazine called "Assessing the State-of-the-Art in Storage Media".
In this, J. Tammblyn Henderson reports on a listening session comparing digital master tape, analogue master tape, direct-to-disc lacquer and the "live" mike feed; the report consists of a long conversation among J.Boyk, Keith Johnson, Doug Sax, and J. Tammblyn Henderson himself.
What cartridge could have the "lowest distortion of all, " "uncanny" resolution, better than master tapes?
Kavi Alexander, auteur of the remarkable Water Lily Acoustics series of analogue vinyl discs, is monitoring disc production by comparing test pressings to the master tape. What cartridge is he using? Another moving magnet, this time the TECHNICS EPC 100 mk4. But he describes the AUDIO-TECHNICA AT-ML170 as very similar, and very close to the actual sound of the tape. In this comparison, he says, virtually no moving coil does so well; most have seriously apparent colorations.
The contrast between these views of moving magnet cartridges and usual audiophile opinion is striking. On the one hand, we have assurances of these leaders of the High-End recording industry that the best MOVING MAGNETS are very close to the master tape (or live mike feed, for direct to disc) and that they are capable of "uncanny" resolution. On the other hand, we have the prevailing perception, amounting almost to a shibboleth, of the High-End listening community, that only MOVIN COILS are realistic in some sense of that word and that moving magnets are incapable of sonic truth.
As ASP pointed out in TAS (Issue 70), the audiophile consumer and dealer community is massively arrayed against MOVING MAGNETS cartridges. But experimentation is interesting, and in this case inexpensive. If your audiophile friends give you a hard time, you'll certainly have a pat answer: you can say if it's good enough for Kavi Alexander, Jim Boyk, and Doug Sax, it's good enough for me. The AT-ML170 has tip resonance at 40 kHz, and hence response that extends to that frequency at least. Flanders again: "The ear can't hear as high as that. Still, it ought to please any passing bat." Seriously, though, such ultra-extension does seem to be associated to exceptional top end clarity.
Everyone is entitled to personal tastes, but truth is truth. If you want to hear something like the truth, I still say-no matter what everyone else is using-that you should buy a flat-top cartridge like the AT-ML170 and avoid all MC cartridges with a rising top-end. If the sound of live music is your goal, why would you want to hear sound which is not only untrue to its source but also is something you are "seldom conscious of live".
Quotes from the Audiogon contributors:
"Today I received all the pieces of Audio Technica AT-ML170 LC-OFC. Body from Japan and NOS original stylus from elsewhere in USA. For first hour at 1.5g or so it is best tracker I've ever had, really clings. Will continue further run-in and evaluation. Thanks Raul!" - Siniy123
"Buying a used AT-ML170 was the best analog move I've ever done. Second best, buying a used DV 10xGoldL. Two reference carts that will blow away carts costing $$$$$ more." - Kiko65
"The 103Fl with the Paratrace stylus is my top MC. Better than my $3500 Benz Micro Ruby 3. Where it falls a little short, is when it gets compared with MM/MI's like my Signet TK10ML MK2, TK7CLa/155LC Sonus Dimension 5 or the AT ML170". - Don
"In my experience that AT ML-170 OCC is one of the must to have cartridges (MC or MM) along the 180 OCC." - Raul
"I also owned a AT ML-170 at one time this was one of the best ones I ever heard, near the Signet TK10.Anyway, just my take on these models." - Travbrow
"The AT 170 ML is fantastic at letting me hear, study, and analyze the tone of a particular instrumentalist on a recording; I can't think of any MC thatI have owned let me do that to the same degree." -Frogman
I'm offering REGISTERED SHIPPING with INTERNATIONAL TRACKING NUMBER worldwide!
It will be packed very well for international transit.
*I can declare whatever value you need for your custom control if that's important (just let me know).
...etica, sans-serif;">
This model of Audio-Technica cartridge was made in Japan in 1987. The Absolute Sound (TAS) magazine claimed it was the best Moving Magnet cartridge ever made (see back issue 72).
The diamond and cantilever are very nice! The cartridge body is genuine AT-ML170 OFC, the stylus is original ATN170ML (MicroLine), clear plastic stylus protector included. MicroLine stylus shape is similar to the most expensive MicroRidge, you can use this type of stylus for up to 2000 hrs max! My cartridge has been rarely used as it was a back-up sample, i have many cartridges in rotation. I do not count hours while i'm listening to the music, so the exact usage time is unknown, sorry. The cartridge body is clean. You won't be disappointed, no problem in operation, it's an amazing cartridge and the sound quality is superb!
The MicroLine™ stylus almost exactly duplicates the shape of the cutting stylus used to produce the original master disc from which records are made. This enables it to track portions of the groove other styli simply cannot reach. The result is extremely accurate tracking of high-frequency passages and ruler-flat frequency response within the audible range. The unique multilevel “ridge” shape of the MicroLine™ tip wears more evenly, allowing greatly extended record and stylus life. The MicroLine™ tip is used on higher-end cartridges. Nude styli, shaped from whole diamonds, are more costly than bonded styli, with their diamond tips “bonded” to metal shanks before finishing. But because of their lower mass, nude styli track more accurately. Also, since nude styli are grain-oriented, with their longest-wearing faces touching the record surface, they last longer. Square shank styli cost more than round shank styli to make, but mounting them in laser-cut square holes in the cantilever locks them in precise alignment with the record grooves.
PLEASE REFER TO THE IMAGES, WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET!
ALL IMAGES MADE BY MYSELF
Selling AT-ML170 OFC with japanese DAM ENTRE headshell and very nice pure copper lead wires.
There are a few scratches on top of the headshell (consider the headshell as a free bonus only) ! No scratches on the cartridge (nice and clean), excellent condition.
Plug and play, this set is ready to use straight out of the box.
The total weight of the Cartridge on the Headshell is about 21 grams.
AT-ML17O Vector-Aligned Stereo Phono Cartridge:Wide Range Vector-Aligned Vibration System and Improved Paratoroidal Signal Generating System featuring PCOFC Wire.
Vector-Aligned stereo phono cartridges feature an original design patented by Audio-Technica around the world. The key to this mechanism is the two magnetic generators arranged in the shape of a "V". These two magnets are positioned to exactly match the positions of the left and right channels in the stereo record groove. Major benefits of the Vector-Aligned cartridge include outstanding channel separation, very low distortion and superb tracing performance. As a final attention to detail, even the output terminals are constructed of LC OFC copper. This meticulous care and attention given to every minute detail in both the vibration and generator systems has resulted a significant improvement in the performance and sound quality. This superb cartridge offers audiophiles and other serious listeners added musical enjoyment. Incorporating the same essential merits as other Vector-Aligned models, the AT-ML170 also features three additional technological advances:
Gold-Plated BORON CantileverIt’s tiny, gold-plated Boron Cantilever provides an extremely rigid yet lightweight platform to which the stylus is mounted. Interestingly, the gold plating acts to damp what little resonance the boron produces.
MicroLine StylusThe stylus used is of the latest and most advanced design: Nude Square Shank Micro Line stylus more closely resembling the cutter stylus than any previous design, this shape produces better high frequency response with less wear or distortion than any previous design!
PCOFC WireThe latest technological advance is the utilization of a new, pure copper material in Audio-Technica's exclusive “Paratoroidal Signal Generator”. Together with the laminated core structure, which minimizes loss in the high frequency region, this integrated paratoroidal generator system operates at an efficiency significantly greater than conventional cartridges. The use of LC-OFC wire perfects the performance of the advanced paratoroidal coil design. A special high-temperature extrusion die produces copper with virtually no transverse crystal barriers to impede signal transmission or color sound. Thus, the coils of the AT-ML170 transmit distortion-free sound in which even the most subtle details are reproduced with clarity and purity.
Furthermore: since the left and right channels in the generator system are separated by permalloy center shielding plate, the high level of channel separation achieved in the independent left and right dual magnet system is preserved at the output stage of generator.
To further increase the accuracy of the AT-ML170’s moving system, Audio-Technica engineers have ensured against unwanted parasitic vibration with an anti-resonance ceramic mounting base.
SPECIFICATIONS AT-ML170 / OFC:
Frequency Response (Hz): 5 - 40, 000
Vertical Tracking Force: 1.25 +/- 0.3
Tracking Ability (microns) at center value VTF: 90
Tracking Ability (microns) at upper value VTF: 100
Channel Separation (dB at 1kHz/10kHz): 31/21
Channel Balance (dB): 0.5
Output (mV at 1kHz), 5 cm/sec): 4
Vertical Tracking Angle: 20 degree
Stylus Shape: 0.1mm MicroLine
Stylus Construction: Nude Square Shank
Cantilever: Gold-plated BORON
Wire Uses For Coil: PCOFC
Recommended Load Impedance (ohms): 47, 000
Recommended Load Capacitance (pF): 100 - 200
Dynamic Compliance @ 100Hz: 10.0
(* please note that Dynamic Compliance @10Hz will be around 18-20cu)
Static Compliance: 40.0
Cartridge Weight (grams) 7.0
Replacement Stylus: ATN170ML
I have a massive collection of the rare vintage MM cartridges and it would be fair to say that AT-ML170 is definitely one of the best MM cartridges of all time. There are no current production AT cartridges that can compete with this vintage gem! This model is extremely rare and every serious collector should have it, because AT-ML170 compete with top $$$$$ cartridges (MM or MC). You can find plenty of praise by searching on google or on forums like audiogon etc.
Another interesting article in the back issue of TAS (The Analog Sound, Issue 40) magazine called "Assessing the State-of-the-Art in Storage Media".
In this, J. Tammblyn Henderson reports on a listening session comparing digital master tape, analogue master tape, direct-to-disc lacquer and the "live" mike feed; the report consists of a long conversation among J.Boyk, Keith Johnson, Doug Sax, and J. Tammblyn Henderson himself.
What cartridge could have the "lowest distortion of all, " "uncanny" resolution, better than master tapes?
Kavi Alexander, auteur of the remarkable Water Lily Acoustics series of analogue vinyl discs, is monitoring disc production by comparing test pressings to the master tape. What cartridge is he using? Another moving magnet, this time the TECHNICS EPC 100 mk4. But he describes the AUDIO-TECHNICA AT-ML170 as very similar, and very close to the actual sound of the tape. In this comparison, he says, virtually no moving coil does so well; most have seriously apparent colorations.
The contrast between these views of moving magnet cartridges and usual audiophile opinion is striking. On the one hand, we have assurances of these leaders of the High-End recording industry that the best MOVING MAGNETS are very close to the master tape (or live mike feed, for direct to disc) and that they are capable of "uncanny" resolution. On the other hand, we have the prevailing perception, amounting almost to a shibboleth, of the High-End listening community, that only MOVIN COILS are realistic in some sense of that word and that moving magnets are incapable of sonic truth.
As ASP pointed out in TAS (Issue 70), the audiophile consumer and dealer community is massively arrayed against MOVING MAGNETS cartridges. But experimentation is interesting, and in this case inexpensive. If your audiophile friends give you a hard time, you'll certainly have a pat answer: you can say if it's good enough for Kavi Alexander, Jim Boyk, and Doug Sax, it's good enough for me. The AT-ML170 has tip resonance at 40 kHz, and hence response that extends to that frequency at least. Flanders again: "The ear can't hear as high as that. Still, it ought to please any passing bat." Seriously, though, such ultra-extension does seem to be associated to exceptional top end clarity.
Everyone is entitled to personal tastes, but truth is truth. If you want to hear something like the truth, I still say-no matter what everyone else is using-that you should buy a flat-top cartridge like the AT-ML170 and avoid all MC cartridges with a rising top-end. If the sound of live music is your goal, why would you want to hear sound which is not only untrue to its source but also is something you are "seldom conscious of live".
Quotes from the Audiogon contributors:
"Today I received all the pieces of Audio Technica AT-ML170 LC-OFC. Body from Japan and NOS original stylus from elsewhere in USA. For first hour at 1.5g or so it is best tracker I've ever had, really clings. Will continue further run-in and evaluation. Thanks Raul!" - Siniy123
"Buying a used AT-ML170 was the best analog move I've ever done. Second best, buying a used DV 10xGoldL. Two reference carts that will blow away carts costing $$$$$ more." - Kiko65
"The 103Fl with the Paratrace stylus is my top MC. Better than my $3500 Benz Micro Ruby 3. Where it falls a little short, is when it gets compared with MM/MI's like my Signet TK10ML MK2, TK7CLa/155LC Sonus Dimension 5 or the AT ML170". - Don
"In my experience that AT ML-170 OCC is one of the must to have cartridges (MC or MM) along the 180 OCC." - Raul
"I also owned a AT ML-170 at one time this was one of the best ones I ever heard, near the Signet TK10.Anyway, just my take on these models." - Travbrow
"The AT 170 ML is fantastic at letting me hear, study, and analyze the tone of a particular instrumentalist on a recording; I can't think of any MC thatI have owned let me do that to the same degree." -Frogman
I'm offering REGISTERED SHIPPING with INTERNATIONAL TRACKING NUMBER worldwide!
It will be packed very well for international transit.
*I can declare whatever value you need for your custom control if that's important (just let me know).
