AT-VM95C vs AT-VM95ML

[@longde]

Excellent test. The difference at the inner grooves is dramatic.

[@JRob1125]

This should be a totally unfair comparison, but for a conical to hold its own again a microline is crazy. The VM95C has to be the best value conical cartridge on the market these days.

[@ZeusTheTornado]

For the low price the value of the VM95C is crazy. I'm happy I went the Shure route when I started in vinyl some years ago, but if I had to do it all over again I'd go for these Audio Technicas.

[@jonathancoates4104]

I've got them both, prefer the conical, warmer sounding, and a hell of a lot cheaper

[@paulaj2829]

To any good person out there who loves their vinyl music buy whatever suits your pocket because all of these models from Audio Technica will make you enjoy your music & after listening to the video & having all the Stylus models in this range I always have fun listening to them all & also love giving my thoughts out to all the young people who want to start out on vinyl music as the dream..

[@tomaseriksson4533]

Alway buy cartridge after the records you have. I just mounted my modified ATVM95C and it played very good compare to my Denon DL103 (not as good but not far from it). Both are conical and they play great. I can live with both cartridges as long as I play a mix of vintage and new records. With a to sharp stylus will I get problem to play 7" and vintage records that are not in perfect shape. I can live with missing some of the details in the top to avoid always thinking about the distortion in the top when I come home with a new record. It is the groove in the bass and the attack in the lower mid that makes music fun to listen to.
My recommendation is to go for conical if you want to play 7". If you never play 7" then an elliptical is a good choice. If you only buy new records and audiophilliac releases then you can buy a SH or ML.

[@edguyrocks5865]

Thanks for the comparison...the ML really handles those inner tracks better to my ear. I do like conical styli as well. Sound warmer. I for a long time used a Ortofon Concorde DJS, and went to use Sumiko, Nagaoka, etc Eliptical and they drove me nuts. Once I bought a AT-440mlb I haven't boughten another cart. I like the microline stuff, won't buy another eliptical. Would consider another good conical though, as my ears sometimes like it.

[@JRob1125]

The difference between a conical and a microline is usually pretty noticable. The VM95C is just an excellent conical cartridge and makes the difference sound more subtle than it should.

[@flapjackspeeder]

@@JRob1125this is insane.The ML is a little brighter but I’m not hearing any IGD in this demo. If my previous elliptical sounded as good as this conical i might not have bought the ML at all. Ok i take that back. I heard none on the pet shop boys. But the rest….

[@MrRourk]

The ML is great performer

[@Mattyboy88979]

I had a big problem with the Sssssssssses in Def Leppard Hysteria LP, it has completely dissapeared with the AT-VM95ML i dont just mean a little i mean completely gone so its worth it just for that.

[@musicsoundgear]

What is that other "tonearm" thing?

[@cruzcordero1813]

Interesting, but n the second song the higher end cart made it more musical spacing out the highs and lows with fine balance. But other than that, I can’t tell the difference

[@felixfranzen7578]

Good demo! The interesting part is not the difference in sound ( the ML should have lower distortion, especially IGD, and therefore sound better) but people tend to overestimate these differences a lot. Elliptical styluses (styli?) are supposed to be better than conical, hyper elliptical better than regular elliptical, shibata better than elliptical and micro linear (or other implementations of the line contact stylus shape) better than all forms forms of elliptical.
When you read this stuff it feels like the difference between a expensive line contact stylus and plain old conical one should be dramatic, you should barely be able to recognize the sound picked up by the conical as music. But that's not case.
This is even more applicable to other parts in the hifi chain. I mean, there are no audible difference between (well designed) digital hifi components suich as dacs, cd-players, cables (except for toneark cables, bu those differences are easy to explain) and so on and not even between different amplifiers operated within their limits. And there shouldn't be!
With all that said, vinyl carts are one area where there actually are audible differences between different products. Products which might interact differently with other parts on the chain like phono pre-amps and the like.

[@mcemsi2]

Price is less important here cause it doesn't make any essential difference but tracking ability and IGD minimalization is UNCOMPARABLE. Most conical/eliptical styli are suitable for listetning vinyl records up to half of the side , no more. Microline rules here and is almost unbeatable.

[@Gochtoni]

When you have IGD its not the shape of the styli, its the alignment of the cartridge. I have both carts on a Graham tonearm and no IGD at all. But with tonearms without the possibility to adjust Vta and azimuth its impossible to made a statement

[@danaatkins6827]

Got the 95c, on a Hitachi 353, my alignment is correct, and have no iigd at all...great point...