Audio-Technica VMN95C Conical replacement stylus VM95 Series Blue

I bought this stylus to see what all the fuss is about regarding ML (Microline) styluses. It was easy to fit. I just removed the AT-VMN95C (Conical) stylus from its cartridge body and replaced it with the AT-VMN95ML (Microline); easy peasy. I then compared the sound quality against the AT-VMN95EN( Elliptical Nude). I used the LP "Anne Sophie Mutter Live From The Yellow Lounge". The sound quality of the LP itself is excellent and the recording was probably made on digital recorders. The music is excellent and really tests sound reproduction equipment to the full. I was not really expecting too much difference in sound quality but I thought I heard a marginal and noticeable difference but from an unexpected direction. As far as the music was concerned there was no difference. But with the ML stylus I heard some slight extra noises compared to the EN stylus whilst the audience was clapping. I thought that the ML stylus was not performing better than the EN. As an extra comparison I listened to the CD quality digital version of the same performance after I had balanced the volume. The extra resolution of the digital recording meant that I could put my finger on the background noise from of audience, which the ML was picking out but which the EN wasn't. The digital version of the recording is much better than the LP for obvious reasons - no pops and clicks and LP surface noise, and better dynamic range and frequency response - but the LP version came close with both the ML stylus and the EN one. Even the Conical stylus did well on an old VM cartridge.My conclusions are thus:For classical and acoustic folk music, well mastered CD digital recordings are superior.My humble analogue equipment does get close to CD quality, if I can ignore the pops and clicks etc.If my humble analogue equipment can get close to CD quality, why do I need to spend thousands on turntables and cartridges which are only going to give extremely marginal improvements?Beware of "expectation bias" and "feeling left behind" when making A and B assessments and only trust genuine blind test trials.I won't be buying the AT-VMN95SH (Shibata) stylus, as the ML is more than good enough.Its my opinion that the AT-VMN95ML stylus is excellent, but so is the AT-VMN95EN and the even AT-VMN95C holds its own. LPs are OK for pop music and Jazz, but for classical music CD quality sound recordings cannot be beaten.PS,I just pulled out a 1974 Black Lion recording of Stephane Grappelli playing with the Hot Club of London with Dis Dizley (Guitar) and Denny Wright (Guitar) and Len Skeat (Bass). Grappelli is a music genius, but his fellow musicians are virtuosos in their own right. The album was produced by Alan Bates, and was recorded by Robin Sedgley live at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. This is a brilliant analogue recording which fully brings out the quality of the musicians and the atmosphere of the crowd. My LP has survived very well with just a few crackles on the quiet bits of the album.I noticed a marginal improvement of the ML stylus over and above my EN stylus. I can't put my finger on it but I felt that I was closer to the musicians and I felt the atmosphere of the audience on the live recording. Perhaps, the stylus is able to bring out the best of older LPs or perhaps the recording is just plain better than the Anne-Sophie Mutter recording. LPs are very variable in quality and that's one of the reasons why I prefer CD.The ML stylus tracks perfectly on my equipment as it has been aligned well but I don't use anti-skate. The LP played without sibilance, with a very good sound stage and without extra so called "inner grove distortion". It is an excellent stylus and cartridge combination and well recommended.

For a quite a while I had settled for the VM95E, which is a very good cartridge and stylus for the money. But upgrading to the VM95EN, not only did I notice a subtle increase in detail and clarity whilst maintaining good bass but also more noticeibly better tracking for my more worn LPs. That alone made the upgrade worthwhileMy deck is quite a lowly AT-LP2x so a jump to the VM95ML may or may not be a step too far as I hear it's a fussy setup-er for optimal results. But the VM95EN suits my needs now.

The media could not be loaded. I’ve had an Audio Technica LPW50PB turntable since 2021. It’s a lovely turntable that came with a black AT-VM95E cartridge/stylus. For an entry level stylus, it sounded pretty good but recently, I’ve wanted to try and upgrade the sound and get more potential from this lovely record deck,After reading many positive reviews online ( including Amazon), I decided to go for this AT-VMN95EN (orange) stylus, a significant upgrade as this is a nude elliptical stylus, and my Initial first impressions are - wow!!, what a difference. The thing I noticed immediately when I first played a record, was the difference in the high end,Previously, my original black AT95E could sound a bit flat, even though the bass was pretty good, for me and my set up, it lacked crisp high end. This new orange AT-VMN95EN has that high end I was looking for, but it also retains nice bass too. It seems to have opened up the music with a great clarity that didn’t seem to be there with the black stylus,I have to confess, that before buying this new stylus upgrade, I was pretty sceptical that I would hear a difference, but to my delight, there it was. Even on the first play, it was quite evident that there was a big improvement in sonic playback,My turntable is connected to a vintage Pioneer amp and a pair of mission 2 way speakers (see all photos) and for me, the quality of record playback seems to have gone up several notches,Another important factor for me, was upgrading the stylus was a breeze with my particular turntable, as these are made to easily swap any stylus within the VM95E range, it took less than 10mins to swap the stylus out before I did a re check of my tone arm set up and re took tracking force reading using a digital scale. These steps may not be necessary when swapping out just the stylus, but I like to make sure everything is on point,Lastly, I have included a short video taken with my iPhone and while it doesn’t do this stylus full potential, it will give you an idea. It’s very early days yet, but for a stylus to sound great the first time you use it, is surely an excellent sign and I can only imagine how great this will sound once it has had time to fully settle in,In terms of spec comparison, I believe this orange AT-VMN95EN is of similar spec to the Ortofon 2M Blue , which is also a Nude elliptical Stylus! , and having used that particular cartridge on a previous turntable, I can say that from a sound point of video, the AT-VMN95EN equals it,One last thing I wanted to mention was that the audio playback was clear and crisp even at high volumes. Even with my amp set near the 12noon position on my Amps volume control, the sound was loud, punchy and crisp, and distortion free,As I said earlier, it’s early days yet but at present I’m really very pleased with the AT-VMN95EN stylus replacement, it’s sounds bloody awesome!Highly recommended!!!

I have an AT-LP120XUSB turntable and I'm thoroughly pleased with it. I have a collection of new records whilst my dad has discs going back to the 80s and 70s. Whilst my newer records sound fine with the stock needle, my dad's discs tend to sound on the harsher side, and some have horrible sibilance. After swapping it for this microlinear stylus, that has gone away entirely. New discs still sound just as good, but older discs now sound much more lively and vibrant without sounding harsh and sharp.Horribly expensive but well worth it!