Audio Technica At95e Phonograph Cartridge 1/2 Mount

Product Information

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.

Finally, the bass was tested. Since I’d experienced two different qualities, I told myself to place my expectations in the middle. Hence, I expected no punch from the bass but I expected its presence at the very least. The thing that sold me on this experiment was the phono stage! The Graham Slee is no joke. The bass response had just the right amount of "tube" without the sloppiness that real tubed phono stages can have. After my first view of the Audio Technica AT95E, I had more hope than ever than it could actually be a good buy. From the first view, it gives no reason for one to think otherwise. 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. The guitar on the right channel was buried and not distinctly presented as it was through the two Ortofons and the piano’s transients were slightly blunted but the instrument’s woody warmth shone through and I like the way it presented the saxophone’s reedy tone.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. My least favorite was the AT150ANV. HATE that sound: hyper boosted in the upper treble that adds artificial detail and renders the recording to sound "outlined" with all of the music's weight and density removed. It's like eating all frosting and no cake. I've heard a lot of moving coils sound like this. I don't have an attitude; I was merely stating fact. It seems silly to suggest to someone that their stylus is wearing down because of misalignment when completely ignoring the possibility that someone is seasoned enough to understand that styli wears down after time. Is that not a confirmable fact? I put one on a Linn LP-12/Ittok... I couldn't believe the sound for the money. I upgraded the stylus to the aftermarket Shibata. People who come to my house are stunned. Fabulous detail and resolution; but more importantly, so engaging that I can't wait to get home at night to play a record. The unit’s light weight and relatively high compliance mean it should not be used in high mass tone arms, but I found it worked well in the Traveler tonearm as well as in a Rega RB8 I just finished reviewing for Stereophile.

In the end there wasn't that much of a sonic difference with the only real difference noted was a somewhat 'warmer' sound from the M97xE, probably due to the increased output in the 30 to 60 Hz range combined with the slight upper treble roll off. All these things combined would probably give the M97xE a 'smoother' and a 'non fatiguing' sound for which it is 'renowned'. It the end, I guess it all comes down the listener preferences and equipment synergy. Regards, Felix aka catman. 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. The Audio Technica AT95E has a dynamic compliance of around 11.5 CU (at 10Hz). This leaves it at the lower side of medium mass when its compliance is considered. Due to this, you should be better off pairing it with medium mass arms or high mass arms. It especially well defined the slight ambience around the saxophone and I thought its presentation of Ms. Taylor’s voice was especially convincing and pleasing.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. VERDICT: I actually enjoyed the treble testing. For the price, it is a good buy. I rate it a 5.5 BASS Mechanically, the LP120 is an amazing piece of kit for the price when it comes to perceived build quality and weight. As an electronics engineer who used to design consumer electronics for a living, I just can’t wrap my head around how they manage to sell this for such a low price. I am curious if your collegues at Stereophile (people who do this for a living) were able to easily identify your rig. Clearly I have no business being an audio reviewer. I found the process of listening and comparing fairly exhausting. It was fun to do as an experiment, but I wouldn't want to do it for a living!

All of the Traveler files played at the same speed (fast). The Continuum file with the Ortofon Anna was at the correct speed. At least one reader discovered which was the Anna by identifying the one slower file. Introduced in 2003 by LP GEAR to the US and beyond, the AT95E with its overarching radiance and modest price was soon recognized as

Audio-Technica AT-VM95E

Stereophile Recommended Component: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015. 2018, 2019, & 2020 But when it comes to sound and sonic performance, the AT-LP120 sounded a bit dull, dark and muted to me. It didn’t give the music the “liveliness” and “openness” that I had hoped for. I find that when I switch from MM to LOMC.....the non-audiophiles look at each other in apparent puzzlement....whilst the audiophiles usually go...."oh yeh, listen to the 'tightness'? And the bass is solid and defined.....and boy....those cymbals...how 'clear' is that?"

I can't wait to go listen to the files again using Mr. Fremer's notes and improve my listening skills. I also need see how I voted when I got home. I can't remeber. Note that the above assumes a phono-cable capacitance of 125pF for the Technics SL1200 Mk5. This value may be higher (likely) or lower for other turntables. Typically, a value in the range 150-200pF is assumed. Comparison 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. Its transient performance was also fast and very clean. The cymbals sparkled realistically and were sized just right. You could easily hear the guitar comping on the right channel and the piano’s body, transient definition and physicality were also notably good. I know I suffered some serious listening fatigue. Maybe comparing a max of three or four things would be best. Or do two more often?

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.) Here’s another: We know that men and women “hear” differently -- women can hear better in the “treble” range than men. At LP GEAR®, our philosopjy runs counter to the usual corporate convention. We believe that products created for perfection should last a lifetime of enjoyment or much longer like the Guarneri violin. Older than the USA— This is not to say that at 500 hrs a SAS stylus is "worn out" - but at that stage the wear has reached the point where distortion at 15kHz surpasses the level specified by Jico for a new stylus. (Which I believe is 3%).