Audio Technica AT33xMLD Dual Moving Coil Stereo Cartridge

The latest update to the venerable AT33 Series – the first extensive overhaul in years – brings new warmth and fullness to your favorite music. Incorporating technological and material improvements, including our first use of die-cast zinc at the base of the cartridge to ward off unwanted resonance and improve expressiveness in the mid to low frequencies, the AT33x Series cartridges let you hear the finest details across the audio spectrum.

Features

• AT33x Series dual moving coil stereo cartridge with microlinear nude stylus
• Brings out the warmth in instruments and the human voice; an excellent choice for playing rock and jazz records, particularly those recorded in the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s.
• Dual moving coil design, featuring independent left and right coils, provides outstanding channel separation.
• PCOCC (Pure Copper by Ohno Continuous Casting) coils provide pure, smooth signal transmission.
• Neodymium magnet and permendur yoke maximize energy efficiency for high-resolution, responsive playback.
• Composite cartridge body (die-cast zinc, aluminium, and high-rigidity polymer) reduces resonance throughout the body for balanced, natural sound reproduction.
• Highly rigid and dense die-cast zinc material is used at the base of the cartridge to suppress unwanted vibrations and improve the expressiveness of the mid-to-low frequency range.
• Threaded mounting holes make it easier to mount the cartridge to a headshell, especially one integrated into a tonearm.
• Microlinear nude stylus tracks the record groove with incredible accuracy, providing more nuanced sound reproduction than elliptical and conical styli.
• High-hardness duralumin tapered pipe cantilever enhances high-frequency control.
• Newly developed suspension mechanism and rubber damper design (with lower dynamic compliance than other A-T cartridges) enable the cartridge to be used with a variety of tonearms.
• Thick gold plating on the terminal pins reduces contact resistance and enhances sound quality.
• Crafted and hand-finished by artisans in Japan.

Featuring a microlinear nude stylus set to a duralumin tapered pipe cantilever, the AT33xMLD delivers warm, detailed sound, making it an excellent choice for rock and jazz records. Our newly developed suspension mechanism uses piano wire for even better tracking accuracy, lowering the dynamic compliance slightly for more substantial audio, particularly in the mid-low range.

The cartridge’s composite body, made of die-cast zinc, aluminium, and high-rigidity polymer, reduces and disperses resonance across the entire body, resulting in balanced, natural sound reproduction that doesn’t favor particular frequencies. The AT33x dual moving coil cartridge design features independent left- and right-channel PCOCC (Pure Copper by Ohno Continuous Casting) coils for outstanding channel separation and pure, smooth signal transmission. A neodymium magnet and permendur yoke create a strong magnetic field that maximizes power generation efficiency, resulting in responsive, high-resolution analogue playback.

Like all AT33x Series cartridges, the body of the AT33xMLD includes threaded holes for easy mounting (just two screws required). These threaded holes are especially useful when mounting the cartridge to an integrated tonearm. 

Please Note: AT33xMLD’s stylus assembly is not field-replaceable, but Audio-Technica offers a fee-based Moving Coil Exchange Program to properly service your moving coil cartridge.

Material Difference

The AT33xMLD’s rigid duralumin pipe cantilever, which tapers toward the microlinear stylus tip for improved response, is linked with a firm suspension mechanism, slightly lowering the dynamic compliance. Two independent PCOCC coils are positioned at the cantilever’s fulcrum to ensure pure signal transmission for each channel.

Sound Body

Each AT33x Series cartridge body is constructed of three distinct materials – die-cast zinc, aluminium, and high-rigidity polymer – optimally arranged to reduce and disperse resonance across the cartridge body so that no frequency predominates during playback. Threaded holes are incorporated into the body for easy mounting.

Audio Technica's Story

In the early 1960s at Tokyo’s Bridgestone Museum of Art, curator Hideo Matsushita hosted LP listening concerts, where people would experience vinyl records played on high-quality audio equipment. Matsushita was moved by the positive reactions guests had to the music, but was frustrated that the expense of high-fidelity listening prevented many people from experiencing it.

In 1962, Matsushita founded Audio-Technica with the vision of producing high-quality audio for everyone. And following this vision, he soon created the first truly affordable phono cartridge, the AT-1, in the company’s small flat in Shinjuku, Tokyo.

Specifications