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Turntable advice requested, please!

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Strumbringer

Strumbringer

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For about half the price of an equivalent cartridge - you can get a stylus that fits your existing cartridge and is an upgrade.... sort of like fitting a turbocharger lowered suspension and sports wheels/tyres to a family sedan... yes you can take its performance up several levels - all with just a stylus upgrade.

As a bonus, you don't have to mess about with mounting and aligning a new cartridge.
This is great information! Do you have any idea how I could go about finding an upgraded cartridge that would be a direct slide-in replacement? I would have no idea how to start searching this out.

It would be an absolute ideal scenario if I could have a new/improved stylus and not have to mess with mounting and aligning a new cartridge!
 

spiral scratch

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There are few cartridge manufacturers (for MM) and many cartridge sellers - which results in the same core generators being rebranded, repackaged, fitted with various wooden, metal or plastic surrounds and then sold under many differing brands.

The cartridge you alread have there - is looked on with contempt as the cheapie Audio Technica AT3600, and regarded with great respect as the Clearaudio Maestro, it also owns the mid market as the VM95 (and has appeared under a plethora of other brands including Lynn and Rega at various times).
The core poles/generator is the same across all of these, the surrounds and mountings vary, and the combination of the surround and the plastic stylus holder shape, is often used to limit the ability to swap styli from one brand to another (without plastic surgery).

For about half the price of an equivalent cartridge - you can get a stylus that fits your existing cartridge and is an upgrade.... sort of like fitting a turbocharger lowered suspension and sports wheels/tyres to a family sedan... yes you can take its performance up several levels - all with just a stylus upgrade.

As a bonus, you don't have to mess about with mounting and aligning a new cartridge.

Great advice. Did you happen to have the model number for that stylus you mentioned?

I'd also add with an additional stylus you can swap them around, so save the nice one for your cherished finds and serious listening. Use the cheaper one for the beaters and day to day.
 

mhardy6647

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Someone mentioned the Marantz (Clearaudio) TT-15S1.
I have one. It is OK, not great. For the $, it's poor to fair at best. That "Virtuoso Ebony" cartridge, to me, is a lifeless dud. It is, apparently, a rebodied A-T of no particular repute.
The implementation of pretty much all of it is crude.

It looks nice, but has little else going for it. Especially for the $.
One of the worst -- possibly the worst -- audio investment I ever made.

DSCN5304.jpg
 

mike70

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In my opinion, I repeat ... my opinion ... Clearaudio is a "boutique" brand.

I'm saying the products are bad? No.
I'm saying the price / performance goes more to the eyes, the appearance.

Project, Rega, Technics, Sota, ... I like them as honest designs for the price tag. I don't know about the new Thorens or Dual.
 

dlaloum

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glad to hear you got it sorted. Enjoy!

Regarding cartridges I think the VM95E would be worth considering. When I suggested a lateral move I was thinking of the 95E, it's predecessor. The VM95E offers a more refined stylus which should give better resolution. I believe that is a mid mass arm so any mid compliance cartridge should work OK. Yeh, there's a lot of options and cartridges are an acquired taste that tend to have groups of followers depending on their preferences. Anyways you have a new needle on there so you should have years before you need to think about a replacement and plenty of time to look into options.

If there's a shop in your area they will install cartridges for $30 or so depending. I do my own as there isn't anyone around me. It gets easier as you go and there's plenty of videos on set up. It's slightly delicate work, but with your bayonet style arm the removal and attachment from the headshell is simplified. It's an S arm so there might be a simple clip-on option (a la Technics) for overhang and alignment which makes set up very straight forward.
The cartridge he has on there is from the same AT family.... no need to get a new body - just purchase a better stylus.
Great advice. Did you happen to have the model number for that stylus you mentioned?

I'd also add with an additional stylus you can swap them around, so save the nice one for your cherished finds and serious listening. Use the cheaper one for the beaters and day to day.

I made an earlier post on the topic:


and I mixed myself up - this cartridge is NOT a relative of the AT95 family.... it is a different family... but has even higher potential, as exotic styli are readily available, which is not the case with the 95... which maxes out at midrange styli, unless you go for a Clearaudio stylus.

The highest end styli you can get for this cartrige are the Jico SAS (with Boron cantilever and Micro-Line high end needle)


This takes the cartridge into the high end where it competes with multi $000 cartridges.... very good value!

Less expensive alternatives - hard to find... mostly standard conical/spherical replacements - having trouble finding eliptical of line contact types on a more basic Cantilever... - codes are 712-D7, PM2308 and AT952

Versions of these with aluminium cantilever and HE or Shibata needle used to be available for between US$70 and US$100.... now I cannot find them on a search at all.... the choices now seem limited to absolute bottom end spherical, and high end exotics (!?!).

Some caution is required - various people have recommended the AT952/712-D7 replacement styli for the Grace F9 bodies (I included some links in the posting I made earlier)- the Grace styli have a round shank, whereas these cartridges have a diamond shaped shank (much like Shure styli)... although some claim that the diamond shank styli can fit into the round hole Grace (and they may well!) - the opposite may or may not be true... caveat emptor - there are lots of frankencartridges out there that work superbly - the trick is to ensure that the moving magnets are in the correct position between the poles of the generator body, and at the correct angle - a lot of combinations work very well indeed.
 

HonestSonics

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I haven't read the whole thread so apologies if you have already made your decision, but seeing as you have a vintage Technics amp it made me think a 70s/80s Technics turntable would pair nicely. I have a (refurbished) 1710 mk1 which, while servo rather than quartz lock (the MK2 is), is very steady, runs silently and sounds lovely. It has direct drive, suspended platter and a semi-automatic tonearm mechanism. I think you'd have to spend significantly upwards of £500 for a new turntable model with equivalent performance and build quality.
 

Golf

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Did some »research« at the Audio-Technica website in order to understand the AT-VM95E product line and its naming scheme. Seems they offer 6 different replacement styli, ranging from 21 € to 189 €

Cartridge name:

AT-VM95

Stylus names:

AT-VMN95C (blue body)​

AT-VMN95E (green body, default?)​

AT-VMN95EN (orange body)​

AT-VMN95ML (red body)​

AT-VMN95SH (brown body)​

AT-VMN95SP (white body)​




[Edited the cartridge name]
 
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spiral scratch

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mike70 recommended the VN95EN. This has a nude diamond similar to the Ortofon 2M Blue. Might get you similar sound for less cash, so definitely worth considering if you're still feeling the upgrade itch. The nude diamond is meant to provide a lower mass for the stylus/cantilever so if properly implemented should again provide better resolution than the bonded tip on the AT-VMN95E.
 

mhardy6647

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The Hana cartridges are great values (even at full list price), IMO.
I've been thinking about snagging one for some time... this might incentivize me to do it. :)
 
OP
Strumbringer

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The cartridge he has on there is from the same AT family.... no need to get a new body - just purchase a better stylus.


I made an earlier post on the topic:


and I mixed myself up - this cartridge is NOT a relative of the AT95 family.... it is a different family... but has even higher potential, as exotic styli are readily available, which is not the case with the 95... which maxes out at midrange styli, unless you go for a Clearaudio stylus.

The highest end styli you can get for this cartrige are the Jico SAS (with Boron cantilever and Micro-Line high end needle)


This takes the cartridge into the high end where it competes with multi $000 cartridges.... very good value!

Less expensive alternatives - hard to find... mostly standard conical/spherical replacements - having trouble finding eliptical of line contact types on a more basic Cantilever... - codes are 712-D7, PM2308 and AT952

Versions of these with aluminium cantilever and HE or Shibata needle used to be available for between US$70 and US$100.... now I cannot find them on a search at all.... the choices now seem limited to absolute bottom end spherical, and high end exotics (!?!).

Some caution is required - various people have recommended the AT952/712-D7 replacement styli for the Grace F9 bodies (I included some links in the posting I made earlier)- the Grace styli have a round shank, whereas these cartridges have a diamond shaped shank (much like Shure styli)... although some claim that the diamond shank styli can fit into the round hole Grace (and they may well!) - the opposite may or may not be true... caveat emptor - there are lots of frankencartridges out there that work superbly - the trick is to ensure that the moving magnets are in the correct position between the poles of the generator body, and at the correct angle - a lot of combinations work very well indeed.
Thank you again! It looks like the Grace RS-9EB (green, bonded elliptical) or the Grace RS-9E (blue, nude elliptical) are the two I could likely afford, leaning towards the former, as I'm not sure if my TT is "worthy" of the latter. If these are indeed slide-in replacements and I don't have to change/mount/align, that is indeed the way to go. I can always contact Soundsmith and confirm before purchasing.
 

Bob from Florida

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The Hana cartridges are great values (even at full list price), IMO.
I've been thinking about snagging one for some time... this might incentivize me to do it. :)
I tried both the EL and SL. Currently using the SL and happy. One thing to be aware is both of these weigh 5 grams, so your minimum weight for the arm is important.
 

mike70

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I was in the fence with Hana and finally bought the AT33 ptgii with boron cantilever and microline stylus. Very happy.

In my "blind tests" with a 540ml mm upgraded with aluminum body ... The AT33 was a tiny more clear in voices, cimbals and soundstage. (digitalized tracks and using Foobar ABX comparator)

Both cartridges makes you forget about that you're listening to vinyl ... perfect tracking from beginning to end. Highly recommended as the pro reviewers say

My SUT can be configured for the not common Hana electrical parameters (similar to Denon 103) ... I'll try it someday, sure.

The vm95en is a hell of cartridge for the price, if you like the sound firm, is a steal.
 

Bob from Florida

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Someone mentioned the Marantz (Clearaudio) TT-15S1.
I have one. It is OK, not great. For the $, it's poor to fair at best. That "Virtuoso Ebony" cartridge, to me, is a lifeless dud. It is, apparently, a rebodied A-T of no particular repute.
The implementation of pretty much all of it is crude.

It looks nice, but has little else going for it. Especially for the $.
One of the worst -- possibly the worst -- audio investment I ever made.

View attachment 240157
I agree the Clearaudio brand is expensive. I have the Performance DC with the Satsfy Carbon arm plus I added the VTA lifter. It looks like the arm on the Marantz is the aluminum version of that arm. I really can’t fault the arm - I do have the magnetic ceramic bearing in mine, but it is a much more expensive package. What is it about the Marantz that makes it bad?
 

Golf

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Regarding the AT-VM95 family once again: I am no longer sure whether its members all share the same cartridge body or not ... :oops:

I checked the product photos of AT-VM95E and AT-VM95ML, expecting to find no differences other than the stylus sections. OK, I arranged them side by side for better comparison. Take a close look at the cartridge body lettering:
Cartridges-compared.jpg
 

mike70

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you´re searching wrong .... is the vm95en (vm95 elliptical nude) not vm95e (budget model). The budget models (vm95c conical and vm95e bounded elliptical) are maded in China, but the bodies "are compliant" with all the styluses in the 95 series.

The Nude stylus is created from a full diamond piece (not a diamond tip glued to an aluminum base or something to create the stylus), and the craftmanship is more complex too. So the upper price.
Microline and Shibata have a nude stylus and a much more complex and precise cut.

D_NQ_NP_951751-MLU28864861568_122018-O.jpg
 
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mike70

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You read all the text that comes after that?
I thought you expect ALL the line Made In Japan
The elliptical made in Japan is the EN model
 

Golf

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My question here is:

Within the AT-VM95 Series, we see 6 different (replacement) styli. OK, understood. But are there also 6 different cartridge bodies?
 

mhardy6647

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I tried both the EL and SL. Currently using the SL and happy. One thing to be aware is both of these weigh 5 grams, so your minimum weight for the arm is important.
There are ways of managing that :)
In the good ol' days, cartridges usually came with a little packet or box of screws and nuts of different lengths (and sometimes materials of construction) and some little slotted weights of various thickness to get 'em in range of an arm's balancing capabilities. :cool:
 
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