Audio Technica At95e Phonograph Cartridge 1/2 Mount

Product Information

Introduced in 2003 by LP GEAR to the US and beyond, the AT95E with its overarching radiance and modest price was soon recognized as VERDICT: I actually enjoyed the treble testing. For the price, it is a good buy. I rate it a 5.5 BASS And that isn’t all: Women’s brains are different in many ways to men’s brains. But, how does that affect the differences in “hearing” we could measure -- let alone the ones we can’t, yet, because we don’t know what they might be? Obviously, nobody can say, for sure. Perhaps you could consider for the next test, something in reverse? Three top of the line LOMCs, one cheaper HOMC....and the AT-150ANV? Very brave test Mikey......and you have done the analogue world a great service (among the many in your history).

I was almost right. Only that this time, it surpassed my expectations. The bass actually gave a little punch- definitely not the type that you feel in your guts but it was there and if it wasn’t, you would notice and miss it sorely. So while it was great, it did much better than the midrange. I have also compared the Ortofon 2M Red and the AT95E against the Ortofon 2M Blue and the VM540ML. You’ll find links to those articles towards the end. It's really when one goes in reverse.....from LOMC to MM after a long period.....that one can appreciate the natural 'relaxed' realism of the MM presentation in comparison.Stereophile Recommended Component: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015. 2018, 2019, & 2020

First of all thanks to everyone who participated. More did than we initially expected. This is a learning experience for sure. Future such surveys will feature “normalized” files so levels will be equal. I’ll be far more careful about clipped files too. By itself the 95 is a beauty but with an upgraded stylus ( lP Gear ), it goes from good to great, like in that might be the last mm I buy great). Total investment around 150.00 US. cheers

Took a chance for the price and I am very impressed. Very clean and right out of the box had both good high and low end in my opinion. I have mine hooked to my band's powered mixer and 15 JBL's and sounds great at high volume. Past articles say it takes a while for the stylus to break in and once it is broken in tends have an even better sound. Can't go wrong for the price. Its transients are somewhat softer and less distinct than the ones drawn by the 2M Bronze’s Fine Line stylus but overall it threads the needle between the Grado’s warmth and the 2M Bronze’s detail. That’s why it works so well in so many settings. It’s also priced attractively for what it offers. In a direct comparison with the Bronze, I’d take the Bronze for less money but I can easily hear why others might prefer the BPS’s warmer, more relaxed presentation. So, my plan right now is to spend the time and money needed to get the most performance out of my AT-LP120.

The cymbals have a soft “air brake” kind of quality and Ms. Taylor sounds somewhat veiled but if your system needs some taming, this one will do it without turning it into mush. Images are on the large, not particularly well defined side and soundstage depth is on the flat side. I’d go for the AT 95SA’s somewhat brighter, more lively “transient-snappy” performance and greater detail retrieval. I wanted to investigate if there is a way to significantly increase the sonic performance of my AT-LP120 without totally breaking the bank. The soundstage was noticeably wider than the one produced by the BPS and the images were more finally rendered as well. I also liked the cymbals and drum kit overall. Dynamics were also improved compared to the BPS. Normalizing is not the right tool at all for this kind of exercise, in my opinion. What's actually needed is consistent recording levels. This should be done objectively. Here's how I recommend the next test be done: I also think that your entire system comes into play to hear many of the small, but important details and why Mr. Fremer and you can spotlight these differences. Many others of you as well. Me not so much with my midlin systems and old ears. Being old with hearing loss and being an audiophile is disappointing at times.For example, here’s one issue: Human beings have two “brains,” one in the “gut” (or viscera) and the other in our skulls. And we “hear" through both, though only the skull-brain is directly attached to our ears. (Mostly, our viscera are more responsive to the bass regions.) Apparently according to Jico (manufacturer of the highly regarded SAS stylus), the amount of playing time where a stylus will maintain its specified level of distortion at 15kHz is as follows:

Some manufacturers have traditionally defined a stylus as being "worn out" when it starts to damage the record... in these terms the figures provided by Jico can at least be doubled, and in some cases quadrupled." Rather than spending money on different styli, which may provide a solution but at a price, I'd suggest going for the AT120E instead. It is much, much better than the AT95E. Elliptical diamond stylus follows the groove modulation with greater precision compared to a conical stylus, offering improved frequency and phase responses whilst reducing distortion. No use of nuts Very cumbersome. The special headshell slid out of the jig and because i couldn't leave on the stylus guard, it fell to the floor and that was the end of the cantilever. As for the relatively poor showing for the Ortofon Anna, Continuum Caliburn, Ypsilon VPS-100/MC-16 combo, read on!

AT-VM95E

Instead....it seems that this fact is being swept under the rug and ignored as it has continuously been for decades?