Audio-Technica AT-VM95SH/H

Unbelievable sound quality.. so happy with this purchase, and all purchases I've made Crutchfield. Thank You.

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"Universal" headshell?

Either I'm missing something dumb, or "universal" headshell has to be assuming an S-shaped tone arm. My TEAC TN-300 has a straight arm and the headshell itself is angled. The headshells are not interchangeable. So, fine, I switched the cartridge into the original headshell and everything worked fine. But I was out the admittedly negligible cost of the headshell. Otherwise the sound is great, nice and crisp.

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Best cartridge and stylus for the money

Great for middle of the road cartridge.

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Shibata Shines

I wouldn't call myself an audiophile, but I do enjoy listening to records. I probably listen to my turntable a couple hours a day and a few more than that on the weekend. My set up is a Music Hall Classic, Marantz NR1200, 20 year old Polk bookshelf speakers and upgraded speaker/RCA cords. I've been using the Music Hall Spirit stylus that came with the turntable for the last year. I upgraded to the AT-VM95SH two weeks ago, after some fantastic advice from Eric at Crutchfield (thanks again!). After two weeks, 30 plus hours of listening- I'm impressed! I had a rough start, but after I went back to the Music Hall headshell and recalibrated everything, it really improved the sound. I don't why the AT headshell didn't work for me, maybe because the AT is straight and the Music Hall has a slight bend? It just didn't sound right, I'm not sure why. But the Shibata stylus fit perfectly in the Music Hall headshell and my review is based on that set up. I'll say it is brighter and richer in sound on newer 180 gram vinyl and picks ups details I hadn't notice before in older records.

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Audio-Technica AT-VM95SH/H

First impression was disappointing, but that's because I didn't bother to align the cartridge, just popped it right on the tone arm for instant gratification. Alas, it sounded subdued, fuzzy, and distant, with no punch at all. So I printed out an online alignment protractor, and made the necessary adjustment, sliding the cartridge forward slightly in the head shell. What a difference a quarter of an inch makes! Now reasonably well-aligned, this baby sings sweetly. The sound is smooth across the entire sonic spectrum, with tight bass, crisp mids, and no upper range coloration or distortion. Background noise is virtually nonexistent on well-maintained vinyl. Best of all, there's absolutely no sibilance or inner groove distortion. I can't imagine a better cartridge at this price.

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