Audio-Technica AT-VMN95SH VM95 Series Shibata replacement stylus

Product Information

I will say it is not as "transparent" if you will. But I have noticed no weak spots in bass, mids, or High's. I listen to a lot of Genres and it has shined with each. Jazz especially has just been a joy to hear. I struggle to stop listening because I just enjoy it so much. Older Mono records have a U type Groove Mono/78RPM 3.0mil is the accepted norm& Steel Needles for gramophone records

The two most common stylus shapes are spherical styli (also called conical) and elliptical styli (also referred to as bi-radial). Both types have positive and negative attributes… Spherical stylus The VM95 Series suspension design and compliances of VM95 Series have been designed for optimum audiophile reproduction. Square shank styli cost more to make than round shank styli, but they allow precise alignment in the case when they are mounted in a laser-cut square in the cantilever. Also, the square shape can lead to mass reduction. The elliptical shaped stylus bears greater resemblance to the triangular shaped cutting stylus that is used when cutting master records.The elliptical stylus is able to follow the groove oscillations more accurately than the sphericaltype, and its distortion and phase error will,therefore, be less.& stylus life will be extended compared to a Spherical Stylus

VM750SH

SAS -Natural single-crystal, nude-mounted octahedral diamond stylus tip ,The stylus tip is of optimum height and a uniformly ultra-precision finish. The Super Analogue Stylus has a curvature with a smaller radius that was impossible with the Micro Ridge Stylus. As thin as a razor blade and machined with ultra precision, the stylus tip ensures unsurpassed fidelity.Polished finish that virtually preserves your record's grooves.World-class polishing technique is used on each stylus. This is designed to preserve the details of the record groove structure for a very long time — virtually for the life of the vinyl. The grooves of a record are only 2.2 thousandths of an inch (0.0022") wide at the top, and shaped like a V, so a few millimetres difference here and there can make a huge impact on how your music comes out. The AT-VM95SH, features a Nude Shibata stylus, one of the most acclaimed stylus format by high end audiophiles. The Shibata stylus produces mid and bass sounds strong and rich in addition to offer a frequency response up to 25,000 Hz. For the review, the VM95 was mounted to a 1970’s Technics SL-1500 direct-drive table with the standard lower cost version of the SL-1200 skeletal gimbal arm. With a 15g effective mass, this arm provides a very compatible 11 Hz resonance frequency. As designed, the VM95 will perform best with higher mass tonearms or those with detachable head-shells. This Technics table represents a natural choice at the VM95’s price-point.

Also note something more interesting. The minor/major radius dimensions, and footprint for the AT's MicroLine, is exactly the same as Jico's (Namiki's) SAS stylus. I bet they are exactly the same stylus Although I mention the upward tilt in the treble, it’s not a deal breaker. To put it into perspective, the ‘reference’ MC (100ohm load) sounded slightly darker and ‘closed in’ against the Shibata. Increasing MC loading to 400 ohms brought both to equal footing in overall balance suggesting the VM95 is very close to the sweet spot in overall tonality. V95ML Micro-LineIt is evident that if this transcription falters, there is no downstream knob to correct for it. I applaud Audio-Technica for recognizing this fact and offers a real solution amenable to any budget. Although the images above seem exaggerated, this is exactly how the signal is generated from vinyl and is a focus of this review.

A Worn stylus can cause Serious ( IrreversibleDamage ) to your records, and provide poor sound quality The cross-section of an Elliptical stylus is an Ellipse, which is a flattened circle, created by taking a Conical shape and shaving slivers off the front and rear, as illustrated below. The only real downside of Fine Line and Shibata styli is that they require much more precise alignment, as you’ll hear the difference much more readily if they’re sitting off-centre in the groove. If you’re using a stylus like these, use the Align It DS2 to make sure everything is sitting exactly where it should be. Shine bright like a diamond

AT-VMN95SH

The cross-section of a Shibata stylus is basically an Elliptical shape with extra slivers shaved off on one end to create a hybrid asymmetrical shape, as illustrated below. SAS is a variation on the MicroRidge stylus created and marketed by the Japanese company Jico. There are those who suspect that this stylus is actually supplied by Namiki, see the MicroRidge section above. Interestingly, when viewed under a microscope, this shape looks somewhat similar to a Philips screwdriver but, of course, infinitely smaller. With the naked eye, one cannot see the architectural marvel that the SAS is. The Micro-Ridge (or Microline) stylus is a very advanced, computer designed tip shape that comes very close to the shape of a cutting stylus used to produce original master discs. They are difficult to manufacture, and very expensive, but when aligned correctly are capable of the best high-frequency performance with extended record and stylus life. Such performance is made possible by the advanced multilevel “ridge” shape of a MicroLine tip. Stylus for 78 RPM records