Has anyone heard the ATN 95SE and ATN 95VL stylii ?
The VL is about twice the price of the SE and harder to set up correctly due to it's finer contact area.
Somebody said that considering price, set up issues and perceived improvement over the SE, it was preferable to use the SE. Any opinions on this ?
Thanks.
The VL is about twice the price of the SE and harder to set up correctly due to it's finer contact area.
Somebody said that considering price, set up issues and perceived improvement over the SE, it was preferable to use the SE. Any opinions on this ?
Thanks.
I have no experience at all of this cartridge or these stylus options. I'm assuming the more expensive one is a line contact stylus and the other is elliptical. I have five moving coil cartridges, three are line contact and two are elliptical. I am using the line contact cartridges almost exclusively these days for their considerably better HF extension and detail, but they are harder to set up and geometry is more critical. I will probably only buy cartridges with line contact or shibata geometry going forward.
How good is the arm you are going to mount this cartridge on?
How good is the arm you are going to mount this cartridge on?
Hi,
Simple fact is the VL will better the SE out of the box, by a bit,
but effectively last ~ > 4 times longer to whatever level of
degradation you think would merit a new stylus.
I don't buy line contacts just based on new sound quality,
I buy them because they last far better than ellipticals.
For that reason I only ever buy LC moving coils. FWIW
my LC MC cartridge cost £86 exchange many moons ago.
Its still going strong (Ortofon MC 15 Super - nude FL.)
rgds, sreten.
Simple fact is the VL will better the SE out of the box, by a bit,
but effectively last ~ > 4 times longer to whatever level of
degradation you think would merit a new stylus.
I don't buy line contacts just based on new sound quality,
I buy them because they last far better than ellipticals.
For that reason I only ever buy LC moving coils. FWIW
my LC MC cartridge cost £86 exchange many moons ago.
Its still going strong (Ortofon MC 15 Super - nude FL.)
rgds, sreten.
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Have No idea .. until the Postman Delivers 😉
I figured: for 100$ ? What the hell.
It may even be good... or not.
Bought too many Shures since '70 to be new to cart dissapointment
The 95Vl will have it's Acid Kool Aid test ..soon enough.
But then I only have ~200 Lps from a misspent youth and small intention of buying more,
More dilletante than nutter.
I figured: for 100$ ? What the hell.
It may even be good... or not.
Bought too many Shures since '70 to be new to cart dissapointment
The 95Vl will have it's Acid Kool Aid test ..soon enough.
But then I only have ~200 Lps from a misspent youth and small intention of buying more,
More dilletante than nutter.
Thanks guys for the inputs. I am aware that the line contact stylii will last longer and considering that I don't play vinyl too often maybe the VL will last a lifetime ! I'm not a spring chicken anymore ! 🙂
I have about 200 albums and might add just a few more if I find something I like or some great old ones. I think that will happen very slowly , if it does. I mainly want to listen to what I already have.
I have a Technics SL120 with EPA120 arm and a Thorens 124 with a Audio Technica tone arm ( AT1010 I think ).
I want to get one more cartridge as a standby and was wondering if a stylus is enough . But the spare stylus is almost as expensive as the cartridge.
Maybe I'll settle for the VL version.
Thanks.
I have about 200 albums and might add just a few more if I find something I like or some great old ones. I think that will happen very slowly , if it does. I mainly want to listen to what I already have.
I have a Technics SL120 with EPA120 arm and a Thorens 124 with a Audio Technica tone arm ( AT1010 I think ).
I want to get one more cartridge as a standby and was wondering if a stylus is enough . But the spare stylus is almost as expensive as the cartridge.
Maybe I'll settle for the VL version.
Thanks.
Postman delivered..
Spent 10 15 mins, removing My Grado ..damn pins pulled out of it on removal.
Solder too hard to use Joe ?
Refitting the AT proved simple. Set up Azimuth, VTR and Tracking...
Easy peasy.
Didn't bother with the Protractor sillyness For now.
Sounds? Well.. Silly Nelson's 'Stardust Memories' was pleasant / mellow, as usual Maybe a bit more detail. Entirely Pop free was the primary impression.
Next was John Mayall's "Turning Point".
Sounds were v good..You Are there live performance detail, ambience, echos, etc. NO sibilance (happily), that would have been a deal breaker.
A Major audible upgrade, leagues better than before.
Oddly the thing really cuts down on pops /crackles.
Presumably the Tip design .. or?
Whatever the actual reason, that alone is Well worth the admission fee.
A major SQ improvement over my now considered as Crap.. Grado.
No longer care that the stupid Grado's pins pulled out.
I will never reuse it 😉
Upshot is: Buy the AT95VL you won't be dissapointed, I'm certainly Not.
This thing IS a bargain. by any yardstick
Woulda done this Years ago... IF I had known
Caveat though; IF your system is on the bright /harsh Side ... as is.
Best fix it.. First, as this won't be a good choice until you fix the setup, the additional delivered detail will really spotlight an unbalanced/poor setup.
Spent 10 15 mins, removing My Grado ..damn pins pulled out of it on removal.
Solder too hard to use Joe ?
Refitting the AT proved simple. Set up Azimuth, VTR and Tracking...
Easy peasy.
Didn't bother with the Protractor sillyness For now.
Sounds? Well.. Silly Nelson's 'Stardust Memories' was pleasant / mellow, as usual Maybe a bit more detail. Entirely Pop free was the primary impression.
Next was John Mayall's "Turning Point".
Sounds were v good..You Are there live performance detail, ambience, echos, etc. NO sibilance (happily), that would have been a deal breaker.
A Major audible upgrade, leagues better than before.
Oddly the thing really cuts down on pops /crackles.
Presumably the Tip design .. or?
Whatever the actual reason, that alone is Well worth the admission fee.
A major SQ improvement over my now considered as Crap.. Grado.
No longer care that the stupid Grado's pins pulled out.
I will never reuse it 😉
Upshot is: Buy the AT95VL you won't be dissapointed, I'm certainly Not.
This thing IS a bargain. by any yardstick
Woulda done this Years ago... IF I had known
Caveat though; IF your system is on the bright /harsh Side ... as is.
Best fix it.. First, as this won't be a good choice until you fix the setup, the additional delivered detail will really spotlight an unbalanced/poor setup.
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With a little care I think you will find almost any good line contact to be an improvement over a comparable elliptical.
Welcome to the club! 😀
Welcome to the club! 😀
Actually not that much care required 😉
Went over My initial rushed/quicky cart setup, this time using the V Engine downloaded 'Thorens Baerwald Protractor.
Seemingly I had gotten it ..Exactly.. correct by; Eye, bubble level and an old draughting protractor.
Don't let the setup jargon dissuade 🙂.
It's a V Simple exercise .. sometimes described as seemingly complex, needlessly so imo,
Went over My initial rushed/quicky cart setup, this time using the V Engine downloaded 'Thorens Baerwald Protractor.
Seemingly I had gotten it ..Exactly.. correct by; Eye, bubble level and an old draughting protractor.
Don't let the setup jargon dissuade 🙂.
It's a V Simple exercise .. sometimes described as seemingly complex, needlessly so imo,
Hi,
The details are difficult to decipher from specifications,
but from what I can work out the LC and above styli
must ride on a different higher part of the groove
than sphericals and ellipticals, * and in doing so
bypass a lot of the minor wear issues of records.
rgds, sreten.
* By definition they ride between 0.7 and 0.5 major radius.
Nearly all ellipticals are 0.7 major, most cheap sphericals
are 0.7, but some are 0.6 and rarely 0.5.
Hi,
Only when you have no idea what you are doing,
and don't want to understand what you are doing.
As you say its very simple once you understand.
rgds, sreten.
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