Audio-Technica AT-VMN95ML Microlinear Replacement Turntable Stylus Red

I love this stylus. It pulls out a lot of detail out of the record. I listen a lot to classical music and I can hear instruments and details that simply were not there with the conical stylus (blue). The frequency response is a lot better than the conical. I also love that it dislodges dirt from the grooves and leaves the records sounding a lot better, even if they have been manually cleaned. You have to clean the stylus afterwards, but it is worth it.

After being largely disappointed in the Ortofon red, I got this and was blown away. First spin was genesis selling England by the pound reissue and it rocked the house. Fantastic floor and action on this stylus. Best sound I’ve ever had out of a turntable. Sure at $150 it’s a little pricey, but for 1,000 hours of banger sound quality it’s well worth it.

This stylus is wonderful, your music is more clearer with better bass tones. For the money the best upgrade for the AT LS 120X turtable.

Im quite happy with the sound quality Im getting from this stylus.

Got this one for my AT-LP5x. Well, it sounds richer in high range and more clear at low range. Definitely, this is my main stylus now. But dont expect much for the money you paid. It has just a slight difference, and only if you have mid-hi quality audio system and good ears. Other than that, you will not hear much difference between your default stylus and this one. I use internal phono, maybe an external one will open it more for me. But again, if the money is not a problem - I recommend this one! Good upgrade, definitely.

I have a Audio Technica LPW30-TK turntable I got used. It came with the entry level blue conical stylus. Just upgraded to the red AT95 micro linear stylus. Thought I would put this out there for anyone debating pulling the trigger on the red stylus. I immediately noticed reduced overall amplitude (lower volume.) this isn’t an issue for me because I never run my system at full volume anyhow. Just turned it up a little more than typical. Highs are super crisp. Piano sections, crash cymbals, etc are all bright and crisp. Mids are solid with no distortion. I previously had bad sibilance on some records. Specifically my Journey’s Greatest Hits. I read this album was mastered really hot as it was intended for CDs and cassettes back in the 80s, and was never intended to be pressed onto vinyl. Anyhow, it was almost not worth listening to before and now it’s stellar. No more midrange distortion. Which is the main reason I went with the red stylus versus any of the others. Many reviewers said it corrected this distortion. Bass is tight and punchy and a bit more present than with the old stylus. The red isn’t cheap, but it was a worthwhile upgrade for me. Thanks for reading. Also: surface noise is pretty much non-existent. Much better than before.

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.

I bought this, like many others, to replace a VMN95E. This product sounded great from the first time I dropped the needle. So much less surface noise than the elliptical and a much more expansive and full sound. It already blew me away and I havent even gotten through the break in period. I purchased this line of AT products to help tune up an old 1200 mk2 that had been sitting for over 20+ years. I love how easy it is to start with the base cartridge and upgrade the stylus down the line. Ill get around to double checking alignment, but I was too excited to hear it to go through that before my first listen. I doubt itll need adjustment though. The price might seem a bit crazy, especially if youre new to TTs or getting back into it after a long hiatus, but its worth every penny. Plus, I believe it has the longest recommended play time out of the entire line. Awesome, awesome purchase.

I bought this to replace the stock AT-VMN95E stylus on my AT-LP120XUSB turntable. I did not need a new stylus, but had read about how this was a decent upgrade to make. I wasnt sure about the $150 price tag, but since it is supposed to last about 3 times longer than the stock elliptical stylus, there was some value there as I plan to have this turntable for many years. Sound wise, I didnt notice much, if any, difference listening to new records. This is one of those YMMV issues - I have a decent system, but nothing to write home about. I use the LP-120Xusbs built-in phono pre-amp into an Onkyo TX-NR555 A/V receiver which goes out to a pair of Boston Acoustics VR965 speakers. All that goes into some 50-year old ears, so its likely I couldnt hear the increased frequency response compared to the VMN95E anyway. For used records, I did notice an improvement, though. I have an 80s pressing of UB40s Labour of Love that I bought at a used record store. It looked clean, but was pretty crackly when played with the VMN95E. Im sure they cleaned it, but there was still definitely some crud in the groove. When I tried it with the VMN95ML, it not only sounded better with the first playing, but the record also came out dirtier after playing due to the stylus getting all the loose gunk left from the cleaning out of the groove. After two more plays (and appropriate stylus cleaning), the record played near perfect. All that said, this is not the stylus for everybody. If you play a lot of vinyl and need to replace a VMN95E or VMN95C, its definitely something to consider. While it costs more, it lasts longer, so it would all balance out over the years. If you have a higher-end amplifier and speakers, it may also be worth the upgrade to help squeeze every last bit of sound out of your turntable.

I replaced the VMN95E stylus on my AT LP120X with this stylus. Previously I was getting significant inner groove distortion in the last 1/3-1/4 of a lot of albums (mostly brand new albums that had barely been played). With some albums, distortion would show up even earlier with especially heavier recordings. After switching to this microline stylus, the inner groove distortion is essentially gone (or at least it is so low that it is covered up by other noise). Records that had tracks that were basically unlistenable because of distortion sound completely fine with this stylus. I primarily bought this stylus to try and fix my IGD issues, and it definitely succeeds at that. There may be an additional fidelity improvement from going to this stylus over the elliptical stylus, but that isnt as big a difference as the reduction in IGD. Basically, if you have a cartridge that currently has the elliptical version of this stylus and you are experiencing inner groove distortion, buy this stylus. It isnt cheap, but it will fix your issue and theoretically has triple the lifespan of the bonded elliptical stylus. It is a straight swap, so you dont need to realign or readjust anything.