I just got one of these for ripping my rare stuff that has been sitting round un-listened to for far too long. I bought it based on your measurements, so many thanks! I love it!Audio-Technica AT VM95ML. In 2024 no one should be using an elliptical stylus. A micro-linear stylus will provide you a more even frequency response as it moves toward the inner groove and will also have less distortion and do better with worn records than an elliptical. It will work well with the Schitt as you can load it appropriately (the lower the capacitance the better). Having owned and measured 50+ cartridges the VM95ML and the VM540ML are the only modern cartridges that I can recommend with a clear conscious.
You will likely find measurements of the recommended cartridges in our cartridge measurement library if you want to compare them and find best loading setttings
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New phono cart needed
- Thread starter DWPress
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I know I'll be the odd man out here, but I'm not a huge fan of either the 540/740 ML or the 95ML. They do track really well, but I can't get past the frequency responses of either one. The 540 is just too bright for me and the 95, while not as bright, chops off the top end at around 14-15 KHz. It removes the air in the top treble for me. With digital EQ, both would be great.
Load capacitance is not the issue. I run super low capacitance Beldon cables to a Cambridge Duo. Turntable is Technics1200GR.
I much prefer the Ortofon Concorde with Stylus 30/40 for correct frequency response. I realize both are much more expensive so not much help there...
Load capacitance is not the issue. I run super low capacitance Beldon cables to a Cambridge Duo. Turntable is Technics1200GR.
I much prefer the Ortofon Concorde with Stylus 30/40 for correct frequency response. I realize both are much more expensive so not much help there...
Balle Clorin
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what is your age? Young folks hear the AT rise better than old
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51, so not young by any stretch. I could hear above 15KHz last time I checked.
Balle Clorin
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When you are 64 you will enjoy AT more... Keep listening while the ears are good,,,
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Who knows, maybe my 95ML unit cuts off slightly lower than yours. There is definitely unit to unit variation in these mechanical things. It's also really subjective and I got my 95ML after I already had the Ortofon, so I was used to the flatter/extended treble.
JP
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VM95 wants to see far more capacitance than the 5/7 - 250-300pF for the flattest response.
In regard to "air", I've just never found that to have much merit unless the cartridge is peaked up enough that noise becomes evident. This is a layback done with a Kleos along with an 15kHz HP version, and the same HP version pitch shifted down 32 semitones so us old people can get a sense of what's going on up there. Levels preserved.
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I run my AT95's & Golding E-series which use that same AT generator at 330 pF, tonearm wiring + interconnect cable + preamp.
Fun fact the AT95 stylus and Goldring stylus can be interchanged. Looks weird but works.
Fun fact the AT95 stylus and Goldring stylus can be interchanged. Looks weird but works.
Nothing wrong with the M97x body... just get a replacement stylus...
When replacing the stylus you can go for an equivalent to the original eliptical, or you can step up into line contact needle types and even up to the more extreme models like the Jico SAS with a boron or ruby cantilever and extreme line contact needle type.
You can also go the other way, and downgrade to a conical stylus!
If the cartridge is correctly aligned (in terms of geometry) - replacing the stylus avoids any of the messing about with regards to proper mounting and alignment.
I like the ortofon's and the AT's - but I also like the Shures - and this is an opportunity to go "high end" if you are that way inclined - fit a SAS stylus, and your M97's performance is taken up to the equivalent of an Ortofon 2M Black, or Audio Technica VM750/760...
Stylus upgrades are more readily available for the Shure body, than they are for the AT or Ortofon bodies...
When replacing the stylus you can go for an equivalent to the original eliptical, or you can step up into line contact needle types and even up to the more extreme models like the Jico SAS with a boron or ruby cantilever and extreme line contact needle type.
You can also go the other way, and downgrade to a conical stylus!
If the cartridge is correctly aligned (in terms of geometry) - replacing the stylus avoids any of the messing about with regards to proper mounting and alignment.
I like the ortofon's and the AT's - but I also like the Shures - and this is an opportunity to go "high end" if you are that way inclined - fit a SAS stylus, and your M97's performance is taken up to the equivalent of an Ortofon 2M Black, or Audio Technica VM750/760...
Stylus upgrades are more readily available for the Shure body, than they are for the AT or Ortofon bodies...
OP
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Thanks for the suggestion @dialoum but I finally pulled the trigger and ordered the VM95ML today on a new shell. I'll certainly keep the M97 around for potential upgrade, still have the very nice aluminum box it was sold in.
OP
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So tonight I set up the AT VM95ML and things sound fabulous. Spinning some newish vinyl that I've only played maybe a dozen times - Fleet Foxes, Helplessness Blues and the sound with mid bass and m/f vocals sound spot on. I run it into my computer for EQ, and my active XOs so I can observe the frequency response on both channels and it looks good. 2 grams of tracking force, 42dB of gain and 143pF load capacitance.
Thanks for the assist everyone!
Thanks for the assist everyone!
I don't have much to add regarding the Sumiko because I haven't used one. In my experience the Denon has zero issues with inner grooves that another advanced stylus (VM95ML, Shure V15V-MR, Ortofon OM30) doesn't also have, which is to say basically no issues. Maybe it's due to the lower mass of the MC cartridge vs. the MM that allows the Denon to track inner grooves so well in spite of the stylus profile. To my ears if you have a tonearm that's up to snuff then just about any cart will be fine if it's set up properly, and the benefits of the spherical stylus over the advanced stylus are unquestionably worth the potential trade offs.
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I’m using the AT-VM95SH (brown) and I very happy with it
Benefits of the spherical stylus? Could you please elaborate?
Much more quiet and forgiving on less-than-perfect used records. Not picking up the dirt that’s so deep in the grooves that it can’t be removed is the most significant benefit. Advanced stylus can definitely help if there is groove wear but otherwise I found no other noticeable benefits.
Additionally I was constantly neurotic about the setup of the micro line stylii that it completely sucked the fun out of it for me. I was always fiddling with the VTF, VTA, alignment, azimuth, and it was tiring I was listening for imperfections rather than listening to the music. Whatever drawbacks there may be to detail retrieval on a spherical stylus is gained by the reduced mass of the MC cartridge. The DL-103 is wonderful sounding and there’s a reason it’s been around forever. I’m not into swapping cartridges so I’m much happier having one single cartridge that sounds excellent with my entire library.
The spherical stylus cannot track higher frequencies ... and the wear from a sperical stylus is much increased on both stylus and record (due to limited contact surface area - the same force is applied over a smaller area causing wear) - also the higher frequencies where the spherical is unable to maintain contact with the groove wall due to the narrowness of the corrugations being smaller than the width of the contact patch, will cause the stylus to "skip" those corrugations - and as it lands, it will damage the vinyl surface wherever it lands - the frequencies it rolls off, as a result, will tend to be "permanently" rolled off - hence substantially increased wear of the entire frequency band, although kicked off by the higher frequencies. Mistracking, always increases wear by an order of magnitude... and a spherical stylus will always mistrack higher frequencies... it cannot do otherwise.
Alignment issues are massively reduced of course. (there is a definite ease of use benefit!)
Picking up dirt that is deep in the groove is another pure myth ultimately the tip of the stylus (regardless of the cut) ends up at around the same depth, the sophisticated cuts just provide a long narrow contact patch, with a larger surface area on the side). - And proper cleaning is always the best solution... but choosing a stylus that rolls off the frequencies that include much of the noise is another alternative
And your primary concern about being constantly neurotic about setup of ML styli... certainly isn't a comment associated with performance!
Reduced mass of MC cartridge?!? - typically MC cartridges are heavier than MM/MI cartridges, and they track at higher tracking forces.
The claims of reduced tip mass for MC cartridges, are a complete myth - as the cartridges with the lowest tip mass ever recorded were all MM's!! (Technics EPC100mk4)
A spherical stylus is a relatively lo-fi answer to a question that primarily is focused on ease of use.
If it rocks you boat, that's great.
