Audio Technica At95e Phonograph Cartridge 1/2 Mount

Product Information

The VM95 Series suspension design and compliances of VM95 Series have been designed for optimum audiophile reproduction.

As for the relatively poor showing for the Ortofon Anna, Continuum Caliburn, Ypsilon VPS-100/MC-16 combo, read on! Its transient performance was also fast and very clean. The cymbals sparkled realistically and were sized just right. You could easily hear the guitar comping on the right channel and the piano’s body, transient definition and physicality were also notably good. But I now understand that the AT-LP120 is a very good foundation for a awesome HiFi turntable. If you are willing to spend a bit of time and money on modifying and upgrading it. The thing that sold me on this experiment was the phono stage! The Graham Slee is no joke. The bass response had just the right amount of "tube" without the sloppiness that real tubed phono stages can have.I find that when I switch from MM to LOMC.....the non-audiophiles look at each other in apparent puzzlement....whilst the audiophiles usually go...."oh yeh, listen to the 'tightness'? And the bass is solid and defined.....and boy....those cymbals...how 'clear' is that?" It especially well defined the slight ambience around the saxophone and I thought its presentation of Ms. Taylor’s voice was especially convincing and pleasing. The VM-95 body is an example of Audio-Technica’s dual-magnet design and in the 95E is partnered with a bonded elliptical stylus that is mounted on an aluminium pipe-style cantilever. This borrows from the special EX version of the AT-95 that comes fitted as standard to the company’s LP5 turntable ( HFC 405). The body has been designed to reduce resonance and feels a whole lot more substantial than the original AT-95E.

The guitar on the right channel was buried and not distinctly presented as it was through the two Ortofons and the piano’s transients were slightly blunted but the instrument’s woody warmth shone through and I like the way it presented the saxophone’s reedy tone. All of the Traveler files played at the same speed (fast). The Continuum file with the Ortofon Anna was at the correct speed. At least one reader discovered which was the Anna by identifying the one slower file. The sonic differences between the AT95E and SA are nothing short of enormous. The SA’s high frequency performance is vastly improved, with silky, smooth transients, better extension (unless you confuse “crunch” with genuine extension) and “gobs” more resolution. But the stylus profile requires careful SRA setting to get good sonic results and low Intermodulation Distortion (IM), so it should only be used on tone arms that allow you to adjust VTA/SRA and only if you are willing to go the “extra mile” during set-up. I wanted to investigate if there is a way to significantly increase the sonic performance of my AT-LP120 without totally breaking the bank.

In the end there wasn't that much of a sonic difference with the only real difference noted was a somewhat 'warmer' sound from the M97xE, probably due to the increased output in the 30 to 60 Hz range combined with the slight upper treble roll off. All these things combined would probably give the M97xE a 'smoother' and a 'non fatiguing' sound for which it is 'renowned'. It the end, I guess it all comes down the listener preferences and equipment synergy. Regards, Felix aka catman. Very brave test Mikey......and you have done the analogue world a great service (among the many in your history). Rather than spending money on different styli, which may provide a solution but at a price, I'd suggest going for the AT120E instead. It is much, much better than the AT95E. By itself the 95 is a beauty but with an upgraded stylus ( lP Gear ), it goes from good to great, like in that might be the last mm I buy great). Total investment around 150.00 US. cheers The AT-LP120 just get an enormous amount of love in the turntable community. And there must be a reason for that.