Audio Technica Conical Stylus Turntable Blue (AT-VMN95C)

Conical styluses work better with 12-in records which are made for DJs because they have wider, deeper grooves that work better with conical, especially when you weigh the cartridge down to about 3 grams. Conical styluses also sound better on older records that might have some dust or scratches, the ones you haven't washed or cleaned up like you should have. Or they're just old records. They tend to sound better because of the way conicals hug the groove walls. Because they're conical, they don't actually touch the bottom of the groove so while they do technically lose a little bit of the information on the vinyl they also don't pick up as much of the dust crackling that an elliptical or better stylus might do.Everything when it comes to playing vinyl records is a trade off. In this case, the better the stylus, the more noise you're going to pick up because the better it's tracking the grooves... therefore you're also going to hit every little dust particle with an elliptical or a shibata stylus. So conical styluses do have their uses. about them if you like but you should definitely have one if you have this AT cartridge. Plus, they tend to last longer than an elliptical and so I don't mind playing my records that would beat up a stylus using my conical. I save my elliptical for my new vinyl and for good quality old vinyl records. At the end of the day, I can't really tell much of a difference between this one and the green elliptical one except that the green elliptical one does have some better definition at the high end. But just a bit. The conical sounds nice and warm and I do like it.Oh and one more thing, conicals are great for playing mono vinyl records. They just track better. Don't believe me, try both on a mono record and you'll see what I mean. The mono records just sound warmer on a conical stylus.Everyone should have one of these if you have this cartridge. Use it for the reasons I'm telling you and you'll be happy. And you're only out like 30 bucks or whatever. It's a great deal. It also saves wear and tear on your more expensive stylus. That counts for something.

It has significantly enhanced my vinyl listening experience. The installation was straightforward and hassle-free, perfectly fitting my Audio-Technica cartridge. The conical stylus delivers crisp, clear sound quality with minimal distortion, allowing me to enjoy my records with newfound clarity. The build quality is impressive, and the blue color adds a stylish touch to my turntable setup. Whether you're a casual listener or an audiophile, this replacement stylus offers excellent performance and value, making it a highly recommended upgrade for your turntable.

Does what it says at a very reasonable price! Look, if you're wondering whether or not you want to go the expense of a vinyl collection, seeing that the albums, a good turntable and what not can get pricey, this needle/cartridge set up should help you make up your mind. I'm playing through an old stereo with an old but great DUAL 1229 turntable. I wanted to get back to vinyl but, perhaps like you, wanted to do so in a reasonable budget that gave me best bang for the buck BUT had to treat my records well. My original, very old Shure cartridge was headed out so I went with the Audio Technica. It sounds great and the variety of stylii available for the same cartridge make it a bonus. Take time, research and set it up right. It's very easy but very important. You won't be sorry. (Oh, and keep those records CLEAN!)

I have a number of phono cartridges and styli, all having different sounds and tracking abilities. Some time back, I bought the Audio Technica AT VM95E, with bonded elliptical stylus. It tracks well and sounds very good overall. It's a bit on the "cool" (as opposed to "warm") side and also a bit bright compared to vintage Shures and Stantons. I use it when I want to give a record a bit more "snap" and "bite". But I play a fair amount of vintage mono pressings from the 1950's and '60's and an elliptical stylus is not always the best for this purpose. It often picks up more noise and imperfections. I tend to prefer a conical stylus for these records and, in particular a .6 mil conical as opposed to the more common .7 mil size. I get lower surface noise and distortion from old groove damage. This stylus is really well suited to playing this kind of record. The sound is well balanced. Yes, it lacks a little bit of the top end the elliptical tip has but that, actually, is an advantage with a lot of these old records. I can always add a little top end back in. It just sounds solid, smooth and detailed on mono pressings. Highly recommended for this purpose!

I bought an used turntable and it came with a blue cartridge, which unfortunately broke. So, I was going to replace it with the same blue one but decided to order a black one as well to see if I like the black one better, which I actually did (plus it looks much better than the "cheesy blue"). So, I decided to keep the black one and return this blue one.However, I must say that for $25, this is a VERY GOOD stylus... if this blue conical was black, I would've bought it again instead of upgrading to the elliptical (which comes in green or black).With all that being said, I highly recommend this one if you don't care about the colors and the conical style, which honestly it sounds pretty good!