Audio-Technica VM670SP

The Audio-Technica VM670SP is a specialist mono cartridge designed exclusively for playing 78 RPM shellac discs, the format that predates modern vinyl and requires very different tracking geometry. Its 3.0 mil conical bonded stylus is sized to match the wide, shallow grooves cut into 78s, avoiding the groove-bottom noise and mistracking that a standard LP stylus produces on these older records.

A Vertical Dual Magnet design with internally connected magnets rejects vertical rumble and focuses the cartridge on horizontal groove modulation only, which is how 78 RPM mono recordings were cut. The cartridge uses an aluminum pipe cantilever and PCUHD coils, and its higher recommended tracking force of 4.5-5.5g is tuned specifically for the heavier tracking that shellac pressings need.

Part of the VM600 Series, the VM670SP mounts to any standard 1/2" headshell, making it a straightforward way to properly play 78 RPM collections without resorting to a modern stylus that can damage these older, more fragile pressings.