There is a lot more dynamic and control. Punchier bass. More accuracy in the mid-range. The music opens up and the musicians become more present. The whole music listening experience is more engaging. The increase in sonic performance is fascinating. Use an external preamp, a powerful 2-channel power amplifier and a set of good quality loudspeakers. No need for high-end gear.

thank you for constantly repeating your view on this, but let me say this to you - and listen carefully because I say this only once: I disagree with you. The comparison to the comparably priced Ortofon 2M Bronce positioned the 740er even clearer in the rather fine, restrained category. The Ortofon goes off like the fire department and also leaves behind the 540er far behind, the Audio-Technica VM740ML is always trying to overview - and it also preserves. These diffferences led me to rearchive my entire collection with the VM540ML after having spent years on collecting and archiving it with the AT440MLa/b. I was able to rearchive everything in about 100 days, with 3h or recordings on a daily basis.Audio-Technica’s VM line consists in five moving-magnet models of which the 540 is the middle, the 760 the flagship. I am treating them together because their sound is so similar that most of what I have to say about the one can be applied to the other without much qualification (though I’ll have more to say about their differences later on). When I compare the Ortofon 2M Blue with the VM540ML, I found the VM540ML to be smoother and more rolled off without sacrificing details or dynamics. The fundamental frequency spurs and the harmonics of the 200Hz and 2.1kHz tones are shown above 17kHz harmonics are out of band. Level 1 has the 200Hz tone groove velocity at 1.0cm /sec, 2.1kHz is at 4.8cm / sec and 17kHz is at 4.4cm /sec. The RIAA de-emphasis changes the relative levels of the test tones in the spectra. TTR 117 has only a lateral (mono) test and no vertical. The LP has 6 levels. They go up 7dB for the top Level 6 test. At Level 6, groove velocity for the 200Hz tone is at 2.2cm/sec, 2.1kHz is at 11cm / sec and 17kHz is at 10cm. There was plenty of the performer’s breathing heard between notes, indicating good subtle detail recovery. The piano solos also had a vibrancy about them, with wonderfully clean ringing sounds to the notes and a good weight to the lower registers. On “Versatile” the flutist switches to a bass flute which is fleshed out nicely by the VM540ML. The deeper, now almost midrange, body to the notes was quite palpable and the change up in the performer’s breathing and mouthing was also quite noticeable.

Now, that being said, AT styli are highly swappable / compatible across lines -- and that includes older with newer too. For instance I have tried my 150sa shibata on a newer 440mlb and it was fine, couldn't really tell a difference compared to the 150 body.At low frequency, the stylus shape is not what dominates. The design of the cantilever, magnet and rubber assembly are the keys to getting this performance. As an example of this, the Audio-Technica AT-OC9/MLII performs better in these highly modulated groove tests, for reasons that are not clear, using information published in Hi Fi News and Record Review and independent measurements by John Elision in a news group.

I'm using the AT VM540ML with a Goldring GR-1 turntable from 2006, a rebadged Rega Planar 1 and an EAR 834 "clone" tube Phono preamp with two Matsushita 12AX7 tubes and one Matsushita 12AU7 tube which is used as a "buffer tube". The first sounding turn of the groove of a 12" LP record has a radius of 146mm, and the last a 56mm diameter. The length of the first turn is thus 2 x π x 0.146m = 0.917 meters and the last, 0.352 meters. Given that a record turns at 33⅓ RPM, which equates to 0.556 turns per second, the velocity of the stylus within the groove is 0.509m/s (20 inches per second) on the outermost turn and 0.196m/s (8 inches per second) on the innermost. A 10kHz sinewave inscribed in the groove wall has thus a wavelength of (0. 509/10000) = 51μm on the outermost turn of the groove, and a wavelength on the innermost turn of 20μm.” The AT160ML is refined, extraordinarily detailed and supremely musical and articulate. The VM760SLC is all of the above and adds an extra degree of subliminal detail, transparency and neutrality. Feb 2020 08:58Moving mass is the whole point of mc's. If they are higher moving mass there is really no point. With high output mc you loose ability to change stylus and suspension for no gain. I am sure some high output mc's sound ok, even good, but if someone is buying a high output mc money is better spent on a mi or mm.If you want a brighter sound than the 95EN, then the 540, 740, 750, and 760 will deliver that. You could also just turn up the treble control if you have one. The VM540ML provides plenty details, dynamics and openness without becoming overly analytical or fatiguing. When I listen to Leonard Cohen ‘Live in London’ his voice is strong and present with lots of texture, without ever becoming crisp or harsh sounding. It sounds very engaging but still smooth as silk.