Audio-Technica AT-VMN95ML Microlinear Replacement Turntable Stylus Red

Bought this to replace the stock VMN95E on my TT. I dont hear any discernible improvement.

Decided to put this to the test and spin the loudest record I own, Wrath by Lamb of God. On the VM95E, there was a lot of noticeable inner groove distortion due to how heavy and hard the music on it is. After upgrading to the VM95ML, that sibilance and distortion is greatly reduced. The guitar tracks are well balanced and Randy Blythes screaming sounds much more clear in comparison. If you want well-mastered pressings to sound even better, this upgrade is worth it. Even for budget Hi-Fi setups.

The VMN95E stylus that came with my turntable might be an accessible option, but the IGD problem that occurred on at least 20% of my vinyls just bugged me too much. Finally broke down and got an upgrade to VMN95ML. PROBLEM SOLVED. The IGD problems is now inaudible on nearly all of my records. If you are looking for a new stylus for the same reason, go for it!

I bought an Audio Technica AT- VM95E a while back, with the bonded elliptical (green) stylus. For the money, its impressive. I then bought the conical (blue) stylus for playing older, mono records. It is also impressive for that purpose. I recently got a VM-95EN stylus too. Thats the nude elliptical (orange). It REALLY impressed me. Compared to the bonded elliptical, its clearer and noticeably more defined, has a more open top end, is punchier and tracks better. Finally, I just got the AT-VM95ML, micro-linear (red) stylus. And as great as the nude elliptical is, this stylus represents a significant improvement over it. Its even punchier, has an even better top (and bottom) end, has noticeably better clarity and definition, a slightly wider and deeper soundstage and tracks amazingly well at 2 grams. I have yet to hear even a hint of inner groove distortion. The nude elliptical is very good in this regard too but the ML is even better. The other thing I noticed right away was lower surface noise with this stylus shape. The music seems to just leap out of the grooves. The dynamics are amazing and the noise level is low. Theres a real solid feel to the sound of the cartridge with this stylus. Its fun and exciting to listen to! Sonically, its a bit on the brighter side of the spectrum. All the styli I have for this cartridge share that quality to some extent. It doesnt bother me at all. On most records, it sounds great. On the few that it doesnt, I have other cartridges to choose from ready to go in head shells. If you couldnt tell by now, I really like to play with different phono cartridges and styli to get different sounds and to discover which cartridges and styli are best for different types of records, whether they be new, old, stereo or mono etc. Anyway, if you already have an AT-VM95C or E and you can afford to pick one of these styli up, I can assure you, you will not be sorry! If you have an EN, nude stylus, the improvement is still quite noticeable but less than if you are upgrading from a C or E stylus. Audio Technica has really produced a great product line with the AT-VM95 series and very smart to offer such a comprehensive line of available styli for them. Notice, I use the word STYLI, not STYLUSES. The plural of stylus is styli, folks, like stimulus and stimuli Just a pet peeve of mine. OK, lecture over. I dont have the Shibata stylus yet, maybe someday! Buy this stylus for your AT-VM95 cartridge. You wont regret it!

If you have an A/T turntable this is the best upgrade! Pricey but worth it.

I upgraded the stylus from the AT-VMN95E (Green Cart) on my Fluance RT81. The upgrade is as easy as switching the stylus - no rebalancing the tone arm needed. While the Green Cart is pretty good, the AT-VMN95ML (Red Cart) provides more detail and crispiness. Depending on the recording, you can hear more detail in the guitar strings and differentiation between the instruments with the Red Cart. If my budget was tight, I would stick with the Green Cart but I dont regret spending $149 for the incremental improvement of the Red Cart.

Sonic performance with this stylus Is unbelievable at this price point

The sound stage is broader, the music plays louder, clearer in the bass and you hear more details in the music. My wife asked what Id done to get the player to sound better when walking by. I would buy this again.

Drastically improved the sound quality

I had the cheap AT-VM95E (the green one) that came with my record player. I thought it sounded pretty good, but it did seem to overdrive on the louder parts (I think thats called sibilance?). This red one sounds so much clearer, even on older records, and theres no more sibilance. I get that feeling like the singer and instruments are right in the room with me more often. Definitely worth the upgrade for sound quality, plus it lasts over 3 times longer.