Very hard to diagnose without knowing the state of your records. I would buy or borrow a record which is known to sound great and hear what happens then. Detail subtleties are also dealt with proficiently, and the vocals on the Dixie Cups' Chapel of Love possess an insight that's great at this price level. If it were my system I would use my CBS STR100 to take sweep measurements at the phono preamp output, and graph the different loading options. I would then use whatever option gave me the flattest/most accurate response.

After proper alignment and setup, I set VTF to 1.9 and started listening to my N°1 favorite record for assessing sound: (Getz/Gilberto/Jobim).

I think the compliance number listed for the OMB-10 at turntableneedles.com is incorrect, but I can't find the offical Ortofon chart at the moment to verify that. I have been reading a lot of posts on this great forum since then, never dared posting as I could find most of the answers here, and was not knowledgeable enough to help I think.

Thanks 02audionoob! Your post are always helpful and have focused my search. So, i think i'll wait on the Nagaoka for a different table. As far as the Ortofon's, the 2M Red rated compliancy is 20, isn't that considered high? I remember your post of OM10 as well, which is essentially the reason why I was able to widdle down my options. The most annoying part about this is that these records that I am playing are NM to VG+. These are not old records with various amounts of wear and tear. Also, these are new pressings, that sound absolutely fine on the Ortofon. Could an alignment issue be the cause of this issue? I've aligned it to the best of my ability, so even if it's not perfect, it shouldn't be causing this much popping/sounds.The sound which pleases our ears is something personal to each one of us and manufacturers know that. Thanks for your advice and recommendations.But look at the compliance spec for the OM20...it's 25. And you're quite welcome. It's always great fun to help out in the analog room. So the OP has now a lot of different opinions to choose from. Let us know which one you bought and if you like it. TT is a Denon DP23-F that I got a few months ago "almost new" for €40 in replacement of my AT-LP5 that I never really liked. top end and high midrange was noticably restricted,high treble in particular sounded muffled and generally absent...detail levels were low and the lumpy bloated bass was devoid of any real articulation...

Anyway, sounds good to me for now, time to spend some time listening to good records instead of playing with dip switches ;) ;) Re. the AT 440mlb , I tried one of those for a while and didn't really like the sound, I found it a bit 'bright' and tiring to listen to ... much the same as you. Many others around here loved it though, so we are all different in our perspectives ...Vinyl Rega Planar 2, Incognito rewire, Deepgroove subplatter, ceramic bearing, Michell Technoweight, Rega 24V motor, TTPSU, FunkFirm Achroplat platter, Michael Lim top and bottom braces, 2 Rega feet and one RDC cones. Grado Sonata, Moon 110 LP phono. Good advice, probably, to spend a little more and just get the Ortofon 2M Blue. But then, I wonder, what would the comparison be moving up to, say, the Nagaoka MP-150...etc. And then....getting into spending more money. I installed the AT-VM95E in November 2020 for three weeks and played about 25hrs. I did exchange the ML because I thought I was at about 500hrs with the ML and I wanted something to compare. But, as usual in this neverending tweaking business, brain adapts itself. It sounds better but I can't honestly say if it IS better than before or not.

The table is actually current connected to a DJ mixer (Pioneer DJM-800). Maybe this is a gain staging issue on the input? I will try lowering the gain, and turning up the master to see if that has any effect. But I think most people - me included - get cought to some YT vids and the praise for the Nagaoka MP-110 and the hype was there. Before the hype I didn't even know much about that brand Nagaoka, beides they make nice inner sleeves. What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence. I had the MP-110 for a day. I liked it but needed more so I bought a NOS MP-20. I find the Nagaoka's are well balanced, relaxed and have tight bass. I had a mint AT15Sa previously and I find the MP-20 is miles better.We found its square casing easy to fit and align, and from the outset our sample gave a bright, immediate sound that would work well in pepping up a dull system. The MP-110 reveals a sweet midrange, although we'd like some more bass weight to support its light and breezy character. For AT, well, I like the VM95SH just a bit more than the ML, but neither are a pimple on a Nag to my ears. Both are real nice, but they just can’t match a MP-110.