Audio-TechnicaVM610MONO Dual Moving Magnet Cartridge for Mono LPs (Blue)

I recently bought this as I have many classical recordings from the 1950s. I make digital transfers and post them on YT. This process requires reformatting the stereo that I record back into mono. My thought was to record in mono to save a step. I was, however, not prepared for the tremendous improvement in sound of this cartridge on these mono recordings. The music is clearer and cleaner than what I had used (stereo cartridges). Surface noise (hiss and crackle) was cut at least 75%. The sound is bright and punchy, which has been my experience generally with AT cartridges. It has a great deal of gain, and I in fact had to turn down the volume from what I normally listen at. The cartridges I have been using (Grado Platinum, AT, Shure) are wonderful for stereo but this one beats them hands-down on mono records. Honestly, I had no expectation that it would make such a big difference - and am now thinking of digitizing some of my favorite vinyl again with this cartridge.My only quibble is that it came with just one mounting screw/washer/nut. Luckily I have extras of these around and was able to attach the cartridge to the tonearm head shell.If you are playing mono records, and want to hear them the way they were meant to be heard, I highly recommend this cartridge.

Improved signal to noise ratio on both original and modern monaural reissues.This cart and stylus combination yields results that are well worth the investment.I am using VM610MONO on my LP120 and many of my mono records sound as if I am listening to them for the very first time.Furthermore,I must say that I have been extremely pleased with every VM series cart and stylus that I have tried thus far.By the way,I am not sure if this makes any difference but I selected the AT-HS10BK head shell when I mounted my mono cart and stylus and made sure to adjust the counterweight accordingly.Would buy again.

I was a bit of a skeptic when I bought the mono cartridge, but after playing several older, not stereo compatible records I am sold on it. Maybe it is the stylus shape, maybe internal wiring, but it has much less surface noise than a true stereo cartridge. Having perfectly matched left and right channels makes the mono listening experience better. It brought many older lLP back to life, would not have believed it would make that much of a difference. Perhaps the more expensive AT mono sounds better, but this one works fine for me. My stereo cartridges are a Nagaoka MP-110 and a Denon DL-110, both of which sound great on real stereo LPs.

First off, the cartridge sounds amazing on modern mono reissues (Beatles, Jefferson Airplane, Miles Davis, etc.) Just great clarity, low noise, everything I wanted at a reasonable price.But I was pretty disappointed that I needed to go rooting around my junk drawer for screws... The AT Website for this cart says:Accessories Included Four cartridge installation screws (5 mm x 2, 10 mm x 2), two washers, two hexagon nutsNope! One screw. One nut. No washers. It came mounted on a very cheap demo "headshell" with only one screw and one nut.

The cartridge came included with setup instructions and was packaged very safely, and was easy to set up. It included plenty of hardware to mount it with. I paired this with an Audio-Technica head shell for s-shaped tonearms, which also included mounting hardware. After testing this out on a variety of older mono records that I had, I can say I am very impressed with the results and the sound quality. There is full bass and clear highs, all in all the playback is very smooth. It was worth it to purchase a dedicated cartridge for mono records.

I read that a mono cartridge would really make the older mono recordings sound better. I read that technology in the cartride would reduce the noise during playback. I was skeptical. Then, given that a stereo cartridge was 30% of the price of this catridge, I wondered if it could sound 3 times better. I heard an expert on the mono LPs of the 50s and 60s on the radio. He claimed the best way to hear these recordings was the way they were designed to be heard, so I bought this cartridge. To be fair, I am no audiophile. However, I heard no difference in any aspect when using this cartridge. If it was the same price as my other cartridge would I be as critical? I can't be sure. But I know it was not worth the price to me.

I put this on my Denon DP45f turntable and the cartridge track like a champ and plays mono records beautifully.Take your time getting the cartridge set correctly...

Great so far, only issues are related to mounting, setting balance and tracking of any cartridge and tone arm. Sounds great so far.

The media could not be loaded. Es increíble la calidad de sonido que este cartucho aporta a la reproducción de los discos monofónicos, los hace revivir! Comparé el sonido con el cartucho VM540ML (estéreo) y sí hay una diferencia muy notoria. El cartucho VM610MONO genera una señal monoaural muy "centrada" y muy nítida que proyecta el sonido de una forma realmente muy agradable!

This is a brilliant sounding Mono cartridge, the only disappointment is I waited so long to buy one! I use an Audio-Technica AT-VM95SH stereo cartridge so was tempted to try this mono cart to see if it could improve the sound of my (already excellent sounding) Beatles/Stones/Kinks & Dylan in Mono vinyl box sets. And boy does it! The noise floor is incredibly low. The sound is smoother overall, but somehow also more dynamic. I am astonished how good this cart is - especially considering the low price. If your tonearm has a removable headshell (I bought a pair of Audio Technica headshells for about £20) then you can add one of these superb cartridges to your setup and swap out headshells in seconds. My stereo cart is very similar in weight and the tracking forces have the same range so very possible to set it up and swap headshells without having to make any adjustments at all. Highly recommended I couldn’t be happier with this purchase.

il disco sta girando, è un 33 giri da 10 pollici....sembra rivivere, è un piacere sentirlo. direi che questa testina fa ottimamente il suo lavoro.

Installée sur une audio technica LP5. C'est absolument parfait et le changement entre stéréo et mono est super rapide si chaque cellule a son porte cellule.

...man es denn befestigt bekommt.Ich wollte das System auf einem Zweit-Headshell montieren um damit einen Stapel alter Mono-Platten aus den 50’ern und 60’ern zu digitalisieren. Das System klingt gut, allerdings gestaltete sich die Befestigung echt übel. Es blieb keine andere Möglichkeit als die mitgelieferten Schrauben von unten durchzustecken und die Muttern auf dem Headshell aufzudrehen, da Audio-Technica sich bewogen fühlt, normale Sechskantmuttern beizulegen anstatt Rundschlitzmuttern. Jetzt siehts einfach nur Sche..e aus und die Justage wird erschwert da sich Schrauben und Muttern verkanten da die Muttern nicht in die Schlitze der Langlöcher des Headshells passen.Danke Audio-Technica das ich jetzt erst mal noch einen Satz Befestigungsschrauben bestellen darf! 😣