For almost 40 years, Audio Technica have manufactured the AT95E cartridge and stylus.
And during that time it has delighted very many vinyl listeners.
And the reason for it is very simple - it is a fantastic performer and it doesn't cost very much.
And even those beloved audiophiles...
...have had to recognize that this is a tremendous cartridge and stylus, despite its humble price and stature.
And it has even been recommended to me on numerous occasions on various vinyl forums.
So if anything this is a perfect example of the old phrase: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".
Well, Audio Technica have decided to fix it.
And in 2018 they launched their new VM range which includes the AT-VM95E
and here they are side by side.
First thing we can see is that the original AT95 is very square and angular in design,
but then it was designed all the way back then
while its replacement is much softer and more curved.
And, most wonderful of all, the screw mounting threads have been installed in the cartridge itself
which means you don't have to faff about with those piddly little nuts
when it comes to installing and aligning your cartridge.
Dropping them as you're trying to assemble it on the head shell!
All you need are the screws, those little plastic washers, and a screwdriver
and the installation and alignment - it's just so easy, you can't go wrong.
And as I said they've launched the VM range,
and their VM range comes with various flavours of stylus for you to choose from.
They all come with the same standard cartridge so whichever price point you decide to start at,
there's always room for improvement.
If you're upgrading your stylus you don't need to upgrade the cartridge as well, because
it will sing all the way to the top.
So let's start at the bottom of the range.
For an absolutely astounding £29 you can purchase the AT-VM95C variant
which features a conical or spherical tipped stylus which gives you a very respectable 500 hours of playing time.
Taking a step up, for £45 there is the E variant with an elliptical tipped stylus,
and because an elliptical stylus tracks more accurately than a conical, it's going to wear down quicker,
so you get the standard 300 hours of playing time out of that.
If an elliptical tipped is not good enough for you, then how about an elliptical nude stylus
where the entire stylus itself is a whole diamond.
This is the EN variant in orange, and it costs you £100, and again will give you 300 hours of playing time.
Taking a step up and costing £149 is the ML variant in red, and this features the Microline stylus
which is renowned for its quality, and very resilient to inner-groove distortion, or end of side distortion
as I always called it, and you get an astonishing 1000 hours of playing time out of it.
So it really does represent perhaps the best value of the lot.
You could buy three of the elliptical tipped ones for £135, and that will give you 900 hours of playing time
or you could just buy the one Microline stylus, and it will last as long, it will cost as much
but you've got a Microline stylus, so you've got absolutely fantastic performance
so if your money permits I would go for the red one.
And then at the top of the range the legendary Shibata cut stylus, the SH variant in brown.
This costs £179 which is astounding for a Shibata stylus
and that will give you a very good 800 hours of playing time.
And then coming in last we got the SP variant in grey.
Costs £70 and gives you 500 hours of playing time.
This features a 3mm conical stylus
and it is essential if you are going to be playing shellacs.
[Music: Lew Stone's Monseigneur Band with Al Bowlly - "My Woman"]
So here is the AT-VM95E installed on my Dual turntable. And some people are gonna be like:
"No, you've put the wrong cartridge on your turntable, you shouldn't be using that...
...you should be using the Ortofon OM, it's the perfect match for your ULM tonearm..."
Well yes it might be the perfect match for it, but unfortunately
I don't like it's easy listening sound anymore!
When it comes to rock music, I'm not necessarily a rock listener
but an easy listening cartridge is not what you need.
You need treble content, you need good attack and bite, and the AT-VM95E provides plenty of it.
So when it comes to rock music you will not be left wanting.
It will give you proper treble response by the bucketload.
Now compared to my old Ortofon OM cartridge
the Audio Technica is less forgiving when it comes to dust and scratches.
But if you give it some well looked after vinyl, it will delight you.
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Now, compared to my old Ortofon OM cartridge, that one had a weight of 2.5g.
This the ATVM 95 II comes with a weight of 6.1g (not 8.1 as said), so it's a slight heavier
and in fact that itself increases the mass of the tonearm.
This one comes with a recommended tracking force of between 1.8 and 2.2g.
I just set it bang in the middle at 2g.
And yes my turntable has a low mass tonearm, fortunately Audio Technica cartridges are
quite forgiving of tonearm/cartridge mismatches.
And the performance is absolutely astounding.
I wanted more faithful treble content and that's exactly what it's given me.
It is a phenomenal cartridge, and for £45 you simply cannot go wrong.
It is highly recommended.
So while the AT95E may have been wonderful for 40 years, its replacement is a very capable
replacement, and I fully recommend it.