Audio-Technica AT-VMN95SH Replacement Turntable Stylus for AT-VM95SH (Brown)

I recently upgraded my vinyl ripping setup with the AT-LP120XUSB record player. While I was pleased to see they supplied you with a bit nicer elliptical stylus instead of just an ultra cheap conical one, it became apparent that it was missing a lot in the grooves of my records. There was one song in particular toward the end of the side that stood out. Instrumentation wasn't well separated, there was a decent amount of inner groove distortion, bass was a bit too high, and the soundstage sounded very small. Just a muddy sound overall. So, I decided to upgrade the stylus as well. I was going to go with the micro linear one but I figured for $30 more, the Shibata one was probably worth it. My instincts and the reviews for this stylus were right. The amount of clarity and depth I get out of this Shibata stylus over the elliptical one is nothing short of astounding. Testing it with that same song as before, this stylus pulled out everything that the elliptical stylus was missing. All the inner groove distortion was gone, the soundstage opened up beautifully, and instrumentation was nicely separated. Highs and mids were crisp and articulate and the bass that was a smidge overpowering before decreased to a more pleasing level. I was a bit hesitant to pull the trigger because of the price but this stylus is worth every penny if you're even a remotely serious audiophile. It really makes listening to a nicely mixed and mastered record a very pleasing experience and I highly recommend it.

Easy to Install, just follow the instruction that comes in the package. Definitely an upgrade in sound, notes seem to be clearer and crisper.

The media could not be loaded. I upgraded turntables a while back to a vintage Technics SL1200MKII. Got it for a good price in excellent condition but hated the "DJ" style cartridge it came with. I looked around but wasn't looking to drop anywhere from $300-$750 on the cartridges i wanted right after buying an all new table. So I decided to get crafty.My starter turntable had come with a VM95E cartridge that was approaching end of life and I was no longer using the table. So it occured to me to get a new stylus for that cart and install it on the Technics, and upgrade it at the same time. So I did my research and landed on the SH. So I ordered it, my first one got lost in mail, but Amazon replaced it.Two weeks in I have to say I truely enjoy the cartridge. I had to put the cart on a new headshell and do all my alignment but it plays flawlessly and since I collect primarily vintage vinyl, I was shocked to hear how little distortion/surface noise it picks up.I will say it is not as "transparent" if you will. But I have noticed no weak spots in bass, mids, or High's. I listen to a lot of Genres and it has shined with each. Jazz especially has just been a joy to hear. I struggle to stop listening because I just enjoy it so much.There is no doubt in my mind there are much better cartridge/styli combos out there but the nice thing is when I upgrade down the road this can go back on my old table to be put in my home office. So especially if you have the VM cart and need a stylus for it, the SH is great. I would love to get my hands on an ML as well to try its more "Analytical" style but for now I'm happy with this upgrade.

I bought this stylus to replace the AT-VN95E elliptical stylus. While the elliptical sounded fine with some records, since the Shibata can reach parts of the groove left untouched by conical, or elliptical styli., even records that have been well-played can sound new. The Shibata does require proper alignment of the cartridge in the headshell, as well as proper VTA and anti-skate. The stylus will allow for safe playing of CD-4 quadraphonic records; however, the cartridge itself isn't rated for that format, and may not play back distortion-free, when used with a CD-4 demodulator.I found this stylus delivered clean, detailed sound with any record, stereo or matrix quadraphonic (SQ or QS), , separation is extremely wide, and clearly defined. If you own a cartridge in the AT-VM95 series, this stylus is a worthy upgrade.

I had a VMN95ML, which replaced the VMN95E, which was originally on the turntable. The ML was a great cartridge, but I felt it was missing something. I replaced it with the VMN95SH. I listen to a lot of classical and jazz music, and this cartridge really brings out the sound. The first record I played with this cartridge was William Steinberg's version of Gustav Holst's The Planets. The detail was incredible; it seemed like I could hear every instrument in the orchestra. If you are on the fence about getting it and you like detail in your music, get this cartridge.

This makes vinyl sound amazing - plus it can make worn records sound new because the needle goes so much deeper and can reach more of the groove and there’s none of the usual compression sound when you get to the inside of the record.

Upgraded to the AT 95SH (brown) from AT 95ML ( RED ) which had replaced my worn out 41 yr old Stanton 881s cartridge /stylus .. Feel the audio is " cleaner " & more precise from the shibata stylus than micro-linear one ... guess i'm partial as really enjoyed the sound from my old 881S and just as old JVC QL-Y55F tt for all these years ..Highly recommend for quality and value ..

Melhor compra possível, agudos não são sibilantes oq me incomodava nas agulhas da ortofon, frequências muito bem ajustadas com essa shibata, nao deve nada para as mc essa mm

Eccezionale stilo ad un prezzo ancora accessibile. Suono aperto nitido. Dona tridimensiinalità al suono degli strumenti . Consigliata.

Estimado Lector, seguro que conoces la empresa Audio-Technica, un sonido fantástico a precios comedidos dentro del mundo del HIFI, tanto en sus giradiscos como en sus consumibles que son las agujas.La aguja AT-VM95E, VERDE, que trae de serie sus equipos es magnifica y barata.La aguja Audio-Technica VMN95EN es aún mejor que la verde y ya es decir, es una aguja económica de batalla que da un sonido muy bueno, pero solo da 300 horas.Audio-Technica VMN95SH Aguja Shibata, que es la que nos ocupa, es sublime en sus detalles, contraste. Pero es ecara y da 800 horas. Si eres exigente con el sonido de tus discos, esta es tu aguja.

I used this stylus on a Cambridge MM turntable. Very pleased with the resulting sound quality.