Cheap phono cartridge - AT-VM95 - vinyl - MFSL - MoFi 

I have spent embarrassing amounts of money on this hobby and I agree without hesitation. Through speakers, I can't tell the difference most of the time between a $35 VM95C, VM540ML, 2M Blue...seriously. A cheap AT91 sounds great through speakers. With headphones it's splitting hairs. Once you setting on a good table and phono preamp, the stylus/cart becomes less of a factor. This is assuming your records are clean. I had an Audio Technica AT-LP60 in the shed just for kicks and it sounded amazing with a cheap stylus. At one point, after the tinkering it has to be about the music anyway or we are all just wasting a lot of time and money.

The AT-VM95 series is amazing value for money and offers an upgrade path that simply requires a stylus change. It is definitely worth it. I went from the E to the ML and although it was expensive, I regret nothing :D

This is a timely post for me. I have a number of MM cartridges including a VM95 ML, all of which I rotate a month at a time. I have just scored an Audio Technica AT95E and an Audio Technica Headshell. This of course is the predecessor to the VM Series. Whilst I was on the Bay I also ordered a new AT95EX stylist. My reasons behind this is the eventual upgrade path through to the LP Gear AT95SS ( a nude Shibata stylus). Cost has been the main driver, I'm afraid the Ortofon 2M Black is so close to MC prices that it becomes necessary to say 'hang on a minute' what exactly am I trying to get out of my system. At my age, 66, the hearing is like it or not decreasing, so it 's time to draw the line and just enjoy my music collection. Thank you for posting this video.

Great video. Know what sound you like. Get gear oriented in that direction (bright to warm), spend moderately. Get good pressings. Unfortunately, one does not know how good or badly a record was produced and pressed until you get it and hear it. But once you have good pressing, you're golden. Having said that, I am more convinced than ever, that great record production was always possible. The CD market, while a great innovation, did not have to blow out the record market, but it did. For a while. Over complicating the record / audio gear market with greed can blow out the record market again- I fear. Your video is timely and welcomed. Thank you.

What I'm amazed about is how clean the records are that you used as examples. I didn't hear a single pop or crack.

I've just got my first turntable ever and it has this very cartridge. I wasn't expecting much, to be honest. But, with a good pair of studio headphones (ATH50X) the amount of sound quality you get for, basically, the price of a steak is astonishing. Yes, It doesn't forgive dust and imperfections but... on a clean and well maintained record.. it's just a joy to listen. Rich and well balanced sound I must say, and comfortable too for long listening periods.

I've had my Technics 1200s for 25 years now. I've only used 2 brands of cartidges...Stanton Trackmaster II and now Ortofon Pro-S. Have the tone arm counter balance set at 3.5 grams. Last year I found a pair of Technics SB-A27 speakers on Craigslist for $150 and the guy threw in a Sherwood receiver just to get rid of it. Reviews on the receiver were not so favorable but I have no complaints. Everything sounds crisp, balanced and makes my Drum & Bass records sound awesome. Lows/mids/highs are perfect for my taste.

I don't have the best of turntables to say the least! But I put an elliptical stylus upgrade on it, along with an outboard preamp! And the resolution is plenty high! I'm proof you CAN have hi resolution/ fidelity with inexpensive equipment!

Excellent vid. Ian from hivinyws and I have spoken at length about lower end carts on a turntable with a solid plinth and a high quality tonearm. He actually did a vid about it with a Rega P1 and the stock “Rega Carbon” cart, which is just a rebranded AT 3600 that costs a lot more. I’ve tried the same test too with my upgraded and modded by KAB SL1200 MK5 and refurbished vintage Sansui belt drive deck. I put a crappy cart on my MK5 and a nice one on the Sansui, and the MK5 sounded much better. Of course, there’s more at play, but that’s the gist of it. I’ve been a record collector for 30+ yrs and an audiophile for aprox 15-20 yrs or so, and you just get to a point where you much prefer to just use a nice high quality turntable, cartridge, and phono pre (I dig tubes here), but you certainly proved a point with which I’ve experimented with in the past, only to yield rather surprising results, and similar to your own. High quality mixed and mastered specifically for vinyl records play a huge part too, which you’ve obviously got plenty of!

Our local radio station in the UK used Ortofon OM pros, i went in twice and had a listen and the turntables-EMT- sounded outstanding

All of them on this series are best buys. The ML and SH could seem expensive, but the durability of them is way longer than conical or elliptical stylus ones, approximately 800 hours for the shibata and 1k for the micro linear.

I am starting to think that the pressing is 80% & the cart is 20%. Nice clear sound from this cart but it's a great vinyl pressing!

Excellent video, thanks! Indeed, a high quality record is more important than a more expensive cart. However, in order not to mislead, it all depends on the whole system. If your amp and speakers are cheap to medium, the presented cart is fine. If you have high end equipment, you need a much better cart to match. Some of us have plenty of old records, so a good but forgiving cart is required.

I have an old DUAL CS604. It is equipped with a DMS242E originally manufactured by AT for DUAL 42 years ago. The needle, a DN242, is hard to get and an original needle cost you as much as a AT-VM95E cartridge plus the DUAL headshell. So I gave it a try. Fitting was easy and straightforward as the DUAL headshells also support 1/2 inch. As I have no stylus gauge I first adjusted the overhang by comparing the position of the old needle with the new one. Luckily the height of the systems are the same, so no shims or tonearm adjustments necessary (which are not possible on DUAL's as they have fixed arms) Then I fitted the shell onto the tonearm and checked the overhang with the print out of a DIN overhang gauge. Thanks to DUAL's snap design from the start it met the requirements, so no further adjustments necessary. When I listened to the first records, I could sense a positive difference from the beginning. The AT-VM95E has a very distinct tonal range and because of it's better channel separation and higher frequency range, you hear much more. The detail reproduced let's you hear things on your 42 year old records, that your old cartridge just couldn't fathom. Overall I must say it is a very good cartridge which is not "cheap", but inexpensive. As I change my styli regularily every 300 h it is also very economic. I also listened to the other needles here and I plan on getting the AT-VMN95ML which to me sounds brilliant and with a thousand hrs runtime it costs the same as the VMN95E which has 300 hrs. So I definitely recommend the AT-VM95 as an upgrade for your old DUAL turntable. ;-)

Wow what a quality video. Thank you. I mean it. I am a rookie in this field, who just repaired his dad old phono (Yamaha P-320) and want to replace the old stylus/cartridge (CG-7700). And I am happy to hear i dont esentially need to pay a lot for decent listening experience.

Phenomenal but you also have a fantastic technics and a excellent pre-amp. Even with a cheap cartridge you will always have fantastic results.

I love these cartridges. I use primarily use audio-technica cartridges. VM95EN /ML/SH because they have japan made bodies, and if you look closely, the headshell in the video is wired using the audio-technica OCC high-quality headshell leads which are the best I've ever used , they used to be around £20 for a 4 , now they are about £30 as of 2024. I've found the AT VM530EN to be exceptional, but top of the pile, imo is the VM740ML. i don't spend silly money on cartridges.

I say that the conical and elliptical needle for the VM series has an excellent cost benefit and has its merits of hearing. However, when you want to transcend what you have never experienced in terms of sound, the way is to take the other profiles. I am a new user of a microline VM, and for a long time I caught the price, but after listening to it, my concept changed completely

As someone who runs or used to run a lot of conicals, I'm aware of their downsides, but many of them like the DL-103 or the Nagaoka MP-100 (aka. the poor man's DL) have their merits (low price and tolerant in adjustment, sometimes lesser groove noise). I'm surprised how well this cheapo fares (I never like the very plasticky sounding AT91 variants), and its enormous upgrade potential! Thank you for showcasing it in sophisticated environment!! 👍🏻

As ever you get out what you put in... bad pressings or bad masterings cannot be cured (however some records can be flattened and deep cleaned for dramatic improvements). A well engineered cart certainly doesnt need to cost much and thats always been the case. I feel sorry for those who have to spend over 4 figures on just the cart alone to enjoy music 😂

Technics M5G headshell with headshell weight to control the resonance frequency. Also some quality headshell wiring. Nice, you really paid attention to the details! 👍

I will admit, I was sceptical for a long time, spending a bit of money for something that can either change your perspective or give you regret. I don't have high end equipment by any sense of the term. I have a Technics Sl-D303 and a MCS 6700. Both of them have an Ortofon OM cart and I used the OM10 for a long time. My buddy told me I should upgrade to a micro line stylus but spending $300 or more just didn't seem justified. Until I found a OM30 for lest that $200 NOS. Why didnt I listen to my friend before? OMG! I love it so much and I didnt have to even change carts. Literally night and day. Now I found a second OM30 for a little over $200 dollars and it will be here next week. Now it is justified.

Best cart available, for the money. I've sold and installed about a dozen at my store, with zero complaints. I even use one on my store table.

Yup, love this cart and the ability to swap out styli in an instant. Been debating getting a conical just for older records and 45s, but I'm wary of the dreaded IGD.

What an awesome little cart, thanks for sharing this you do amazing work.

Ok, mine arrived today. It is a very nice one and it's fair even to most sibilant records I have. I'll definitely upgrade to the ml, but this gives me more time to save money.

Thank you for this video. Just ordered the VM95C. When the time comes, I'll upgrade the stylus depending on my budget.

A couple years ago I modified a Technics SL-Q2 and the owner sent his AT--VM95E with it. I did a comparison video afterward and I have to admit it sounded pretty damn good! I didn't realize they have a Shibata stylus for it also - interesting!

My experience so far is, that each cartridge has its merits. It depends on the kind of music you are listening to, sometimes a specific cartridge for a specific track fits perfectly and you are overwhelmed. Sometimes you are less convinced. We have to make compromises. And I agree - an expensive cartridge does not necessarily mean to have a better sound quality - there are a lot of parameters to consider.

Good stylus, good turntable, good amp/ preamp and nice set of speakers don't have to cost an arm and a leg. This form of music isn't free from dickheads saying you need a 5000 needle to play back your honky tonk 45s. A lot of snake oil and no real reason to spend a years sallery on one stylus yet alone for a nice stereo. This channel is so amazing. Affordable equiptment. What do you need more?

No other cartridge can't beat this price/performance, I have an old AT-125 and a AT-95E, I prefer the sound of the AT-125 but in this 35 dollar price this is a must for analog beginer on a budget, do not look for anything else.

Wow this takes me back to 1980.

Dire Straits-- forever!!!

if you have the money, go for a moving coil cartridge.I regret bying the Ortofon 2m bronze. I've should have bought the Quintet bronze straight away,It sounds so mutch better.

Thanks for your honest video in the world of hifi myths and nonsense.

Thanks for going the extra mile. It's appreciated. :)

Audio Technica has hit a homerun with the VM95 series.

You had me at Peg!

3 years ago , i bought a AT-LP120 turntable with the at-95E cartridge ..but.just because of the poor sound output of the turntable , it sound kinda flat and not so good ... and then , i swapped the cart on my Technics SL-220 and i heard all this cart was having to give .....Good bass and treble response !

Hello from Brazil! 🇧🇷🇧🇷 Can you make a IGD comparison of the conic vs ML?

Mileage may very, diminishing returns, hearing loss, types of records. I find it important to have a cartridge and stylus that can deal well with IGD. I use a Micro line for digitizing. Conical and ellipticals can have their charm. A Jico SAS stylus can upgrade some older cartridges. The AT 95 is a solid upgradeable performer with the AT sound which I like, pretty good place to start. Some people prefer different sound signatures of other brands.

I have experimented with carts, but my biggest revelation is owning a pro ject record cleaning machine...admittedly bought for half price last year.

Great sound but this is a great pressing as well. The AT95 ML is a better tracker and I would recommend it for metal.

Hi, great video, but FYI you are showing the AT VM95E in the video profile pic, when the video itself is about the VM95C! I've been using a Nagaoka MP-110 on my Pioneer PL-518 for the past three years, and I'm really thinking about going back to conicals -- the quality of the music here sounds just as good (or better) than my MP-110. I used conicals for like 20 years on my cheap plastic automatic turntables, then upgraded to the Pioneer and realized ellipticals were considered best. In my experience, they just bring out more IGD...and also their lifespan is much shorter. The MP-110 is rated for 250 hours by Nagaoka...and the VM95C is rated for 500 HOURS by Audio Technica! Twice the lifetime for a fraction of the cost.

The better stylus options for the VM95 make a big difference. I would personally skip this conical version and aim a little higher at least. I'm using the VM 95SH and it does perform well above it's price point.

Very nice cart. I listened to all the shootout videos and also recommend the discontinued but available AT100e for

Hola Francisco: En tu video anterior, *Muddy Waters-Country Boy* , hice mención de los "Tallados locos" como forma de referirme a esos cartuchos los cuales tienen esas Stylus mas sofisticadas, pero desfavorablemente cada tallado de esos hace que los costos se disparen en proyecciones geométricas y hasta exponenciales. :P Me puse a investigar lo que ofrece esta linea, y realmente es una alternativa a la serie Ortofon 2M y otras marcas incluida las propias AT, francamente me sorprende pero al mismo tiempo es algo que sospechaba de que los "Costos y Dificultad de producción" con las mejoras tecnológicas que ya tenemos en este siglo pues no deben ser tan altos. Es decir con esas maquinas programables pues no debe costar tanto fabricar esos "tallados locos". Viendo la linea que ofrece este cartuchos y sus Stylus, a un precio tan Inferior, pues podría ser la forma de que mas usuarios quienes vivimos en "tercermundolandia" podamos acceder a lo mejor de lo mejor, por apenas una fracción del precio que tienen las marcas tradicionales. En Amazon/USA, por tan solo US$200 de los verdes + gastos de envío ofrecen la Shibata con todo y cartucho. Eso es el 27% de lo que cuesta actualmente la 2M Black. La diferencia es que Ortofon garantiza 1000 Hrs, en cambio AT 800hrs. Cosiderando el Precio sigue siendo una ganga. Por otro lado las 2M son más bonita pero seria mejor escuchar que tan buena es esta linea AT en la zona de los IGD. Después de todo "los tallados locos" justifican sus precios, algunos escandalosos, porque pueden lidiar con la "Zona Temida". *¿Que opinarán de esto los "Guruses" del High End?* ¡Saladines!

1:38 this nude shibata has the same cantilever as the bonded elliptical one, maybe therefore it’s the cheapest shibata I’ve seen.

I love this new AT series. Amazon in Canada had the VM95S (shibata version) with head shell on sale for $261 CAD. Not exactly your point here but I got a world class cartridge for half, third, or even a quarter of cartridges with the same performance. I also have an AT 3600 with a replacement elliptical stylus and it also sounds really good, probably $60 total. It makes you question all the other purchases ;)

No one tell Cheap Audio Man about this channel, he trashed this cartridge in a recent review.

Blow your mind !!!

And off course captive threaded holes,excellent

I would go with CD's if this was what I was stuck with. My suggestion is to get a vintage Shure cartridge at a favorable price and then buy the after-market stylus you prefer for said cartridge. My best cartridges are the Shure V-15 Type 3 and Audio Technica 440MLa. You get what you pay for and prices these days for good cartridges are not for the faint of heart.

This is great loads of knowledgeable people, I'm new to vinyl and I'm on my second turntable after going from a project rpm 1 Carbon(30yr old teac amp) to a rega p2 and brio amp with a pair of lovely old rega jura speakers and the sound comparison was a revalation. The rega has carbon cartridge and I'm now looking to upgrade my needle and this looks like a viable option and like a few other comments on here I'd rather spend money now on the records! Any help or advice would be much appreciated 🙏

Imho the ML variant is the one with the best price/quality ratio,despite costing five times that of the C variant. Its not only a clearly better tracker that offers better resolution and clarity,but also wears way slower out.

0:48 the 23x1 comparing looks like a comparison between the ortofon mc anna and that’s a 660€ cartridge

My Ortofon 520mkii recently broke, very similar to the replacement 2m Blue I understand. Having watched several video's regarding the AT 3600l all very positive decided togive it a go and just upgraded the stylus to a Atn 91r. where I live it's slmost a tenth of the price. The listening experience really is very enjoyable, perhaps not quite the reverb and staging but I have very quickly settled into this new cartridge. Give it a try, you will be pleasantly surprised I am sure.

Aja is one of the very best recordings to be put onto vinyl. A dem & review classic. Also consider John Martyn's Grace & Danger featuring none other than Phil Collins!!

Parece mentira que por lo que cuesta esta aguja suena tan bien. Yo le cambio a mi Autio-Technica AT-LP5X la aguja a una sibata, en concreto la morada que se ve en el vídeo. A partir de la aguja naranja, ya empieza a notar bastante la diferencia en el sonido y las pistas de los instrumentos. Ya de porsí, la aguja verde, que trae el giradiscos de serie, suena pero que muy bien. Las Cápsulas VM-95 de Audio- Technica, con que le cambies la aguja, es suficiente, esta viene por colores y es un acto barato. Te cambia totalmente el sonido.

I have the VM95ML and VM95SH which I run on my TD125 and SL-1210GR respectively and I can't really see spending any more on cartridges as these two do everything I need.

HiFisquarepants thanks! When a person like you that has first hand experience of manny, manny different cartridges. Say something like this then it is something to take to your heart! Thanks! Keep up with the great work. 💖

You definitely run into the law of diminishing returns as the price of the cart dramatically increases. That said, your AT VM-95 series punches way above its price point; AT offers what I believe to be the best bang for your buck. When I upgraded my Planar 3 with the VM540ML (from the Carbon), I noticed a lot more detail and much better tracking. Not to mention IGD was no longer an issue.

That's a great statement. That would be awesome if anytime in the future you tell your experience with various MC cartridges

Great video! Better than any AT advert ;o)

You are using headshell weight and I assume you have auxiliary weight on back on the tonearm too, otherwise it wouldn't balance. AT-VM95 would balance nicely without added weight too. I guess it has something to do with improved bass response, isn't it? Better tracking maybe? I'm using old AT95E on a Technics turntable and I put a 3 gram shim between cartridge and headshell and added an auxiliary counterweight to rebalance the arm. While I haven't noticed sonical improvement the tracking seems to be somewhat better indeed.

How do you post videos spinning vinyl and not get blocked for copyright? I tried posting one today and got blocked immediately. I just put a new AT VM95EN on my turntable and wanted to show it off. Thanks.

Great video! Is it worth it to buy a cartridge at 20-30 times the price? No... Not in my opinion either and this is a great budget cartridge. But there are very good cartridges in the 2-4 times the price category... Ortofon 2M Red, Grado Black3, Nagaoka MP-100, and the Audio Technica AT95EX (AT95E with upgraded stylus) all sound better in most setups... That said, the biggest factor here is obviously the quality of your gear and the media. Those albums sound like they are absolutely sterile, not a single pop or click in your recording (I am assuming you didn't "clean it up" for a video like this), that alone will make a massive difference. A perfect condition and near sterile record will sound fantastic on any player of moderate quality, but a dirty or worn record can sound like garbage even on a setup costing 100's of times more. Still, great example of where sound quality doesn't have to equal big money.... You got a subscriber, will watch for more!

In my experience there is nothing wrong with enjoying music with a cartridge that has a bonded conical stylus. I have a Technics P33 cartridge with a JICO SAS stylus and an Audio Technica 300p cartridge with a bonded conical stylus both of which I enjoy listening to my music just as equally. I agree that keeping records clean and looking after them is important. I think the adage "More isn't necessarily better " is true.

It's like a beer 🍺, you don't need it but it's nice. I wouldn't break the bank for any audio equipment personally💜✌

awsom videos thank you. but usualy we deal with bad pressing from many reasons. so the better stylus shape help to collect more details with less sibilnance.

Fluteboy Nice reviews, Have you done a review on the VMN95EN?

That cartridge is way out there on your overhang.

I've gone through so many catridges through the years, ortofon om5e, red, blue, nagoaka mp110, now settled on at540ml I think it's got the best balance, and is the best for tracking.

One of the biggest problems that I have is that it’s impossible to do a side by side comparison, switching between both to hear any difference, so the hype that more expensive equals better quality is probably subjective

You got to love how many people want to spend thousands of dollars in to equipment but haven't got a clue about the music they are buying. Once I went to an audiophile show and a guy putted a U2 cd in an over 100.000 Euro system 🤦‍♂Personally I am going to get one of this as my backup since my historical dl103 has arrived at the of the lince afgter almost 15 years of honored service and retipping....it had that magical factor that only a bunch of dl103 out a of batch have and I will be trying to get an hana but it will take time.

AT-VM95E will be a LOT better sounding though. The conical styli don't give enough detail, you need an elliptical for that!

THX GR8 vid!!! I wanna add this cart to my collection. SOUNDS GFR*!!! GOD BLESS!!!

Maybe put the cartridge on one of the inner tracks instead of the outer ones. The Steely Dan Aja record has some really tough to deal with high frequency energy on Deacon Blues and Josie where cheap cartridges begin to sound... cheap. The closer you get to the center of the record the more apparent the differences will be. With that said, I also don't like investing large amounts of money on cartridges, and have settled on Nagaoka MP150 or MP200 stylus replacements (when I can afford it).

いつも素晴らしい動画をありがとうございます。　Thank you very much for your great job♪

With really good pressings, my 2M red sounds amazing. But I get sibilance on inner tracks on some records that are not pressed as well. The VM540ML solves this issue and allows me to have good sound from lesser pressings. But the price difference is so steep - I agree it’s better to buy good pressings and to keep them clean.

What video camera do you use? IS GREAT!

Both of those on a diffucult pressing or inner grooves may give poor results.

What record player are you using? This sounds fantastic.

I had to go to the ML to get rid of IGD/

Your channel is just fantastic. I've gone back to vynil some time ago because I love them, however, much as I try and spent a lot of money upgrading turntables and cartridges I can't get rid of inner grioove distortion, which is driving me mad, really, to the point of reconsidering ever leaving my hobbie behind onve again. After seeing this one it seems that a good choice form me would be to upgrade my ATVM95e form my ATLP120xusb to a microline. What are your suggestions? I really need your advice because I am very disheartened by the whole thing about IGD which is really ruining my vynil experience. Thanks!

Me ha encantado el vídeo. Agradecería que algún día hicieras un vídeo con la cápsula groove tool de Numark. Esta tiene una separación de canales de 26db. Las AT baratas suelen andar por los 23db. La Numark es más resolutiva y abierta. Gracias por tus vídeos!! Saludos desde Barcelona.

I have that AT-VM95C, what do you think about AT95E cartridge? Grettings from Honduras, Central America.

well, once you've tasted the finest, your brain and ears know how a good cartridge does sound; if you're unable to hear the difference between some of different ranges and prices, my God, you're deaf! Any good pressing record would reveal it.

I just want my records to last as long as possible

I would like to hear your $11 AT3600L demo

This is real. In the past I have had some better carts but bad quality records of licensed releases from former socialist countries. The end result was nothing special or even bad listening experience. Now I use only AT-VM95C on new vinyl and some west german pressings from 80`s in very good condition. It sounds on audiophile level for me.

Yes I agree with others saying it is the vinyl pressing that matters a lot. So disappointed I've recently bought 3 different brand new Queen reissues and they look and sound like they came out of a dumpster, even after several deep-cleanings. However, I just got the Pink Floyd Animals reissue, and it's perfect, better than on CD. Same with Zeppelin reissues I've bought. (using a VM95ML btw, I can't see my 50 yr old ears ever wasting $$$ upgrading from that stylus)

There's no point in having an high grade cartridge when the rest of the setup is not at least on par. Better having a decent cartridge which you can appreciate up to its maximum quality thanks to a nice turntable and good quality electronics. That's why I stick with my Denon DL-110 bought when in costed 130€ (it destroys cartridges up to 600€, namely Goldring 1042 and Nagaoka MP500), and spend money upgrading electronics, cables, and so on (the capacitors and resistors issue is mostly unknown or misunderstood by many, ask Francisco and he'll tell you 😜).

Well, finally it seems I'll have to go for the vm95c. And then upgrade to the microline stylus. Maybe not even upgrade, because of electrical issues causing humming and interference here... 😢 Almost giving up on my collection and best hobby.

Dang nice looking video. What was this shot with?

I just got this cartridge (with headshell), and I have one issue: the left channel acts as if it’s not getting a n y signal at all.

Nice Video!

Hi. What mat are you using? Tried the AT3600 and AT95E. Also Nagaoka MP200. Now i use VM740ML. Very happy with it. Not too bright and microline stylus. It does cost 300€/$ though but worth every cent!!

If your stuff is good, the cartridge doesn't add much anymore. It's pointless to waste money on large cartridges!

I have the old 95 version with the bonded needle (the green one), also 2M blue and it sounds more natural with greater depth on a 1210mk2, 200€ riia