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AT95e why does everyone love this?

Yamahaha said:
Indeed you are correct. Logged in and Denon comes up. However, just like many complain about Comet does not tell you if they have it in stock. Its 87 and you can add to your cart with no information whatsoever.

To all those who still don't get it - I am not saying anyone else is wrong to like their AT95. I am saying I have terrible results and find it a harsh unnatural sound easily beaten bot both inexpensive and more expensive options TO MY EARS. I found the AT95 bad TO MY EARS in such a way I wouldn't use it for any price. But that's just me. I think these hype articles and posts snowball. People start believing and then its game over no matter what reality is. But again that's just me. I am perplexed by the AT95 love and myth.
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No, everyone does get it. You don't like the AT95, others do. Why are you all worked up about other peoples opinions?

Get over it!

BTW, who are you to say what reality is regarding the sound of any cartridge?

Jon
 
Carefully aligned at 1.85-1.9gm downforce and about 1.8gm antiskate according to the dial, I've used this AT-95E cartridge *body* in an Ariston RD60 3 point suspended with Ariston Enigma (Jelco manufactured) arm since 1988 . I have better cartridges but the package as a whole sounds balanced with as much detail, depth and imaging as you could ask for from a budget cartridge.
It's Smooth sounding and never fatiguing to listen to on a wide range of music. Only on full scale orchestral works might you wish for a bit more 'layering' of the sound stage and a bit more 'ambient' resolution...and for that...you need look no further than the AT-110E if classical is your thing.
On jazz,pop,reggae,soul,fusion,rock,latin,vocals,guitar,percussion...it pretty much ticks enough sonic boxes to leave well alone and simply buy more records.
Don't write off the humble at95e until you've heard it in a decent fixed plinth or suspended table with an arm of the right mass (10gm effective mass or more)..it's a fun listen when well setup.:thmbsp:
 

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melofelo said:
:scratch2: I think few who know this cartridge well would claim that it can compete with anything at 10x its price.
It's simply a well balanced sounding budget cartridge that suits a medium mass arm and actually sounds very very good for the money.
If you really want to hear how could a £50 budget cartridge can sound strap it to a Linn Sondek or equivalent.
The at-110e is a bit more refined in the treble and is another excellent performer. Trouble is...very few people take the time to listen to these cartridges performing as the *weakest/cheapest link* in a well engineered/low noise floor analogue rig, preferring instead to throw money at the cartridge for small apparent gains when in fact the turntable itself may well be the main limitation.:scratch2:
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You rant a long one without realizing or reading the test table was a Yamaha PX-2
 
my apologies..what's the effective mass of the yamaha's linear tracking arm..it could simply be a mismatch causing poor sound ?
 
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Yamahaha said:
Of course I realize my comparison is not a fair one. However, so many people go on and on about the At95e being simply wonderful and unbeatable under $500 (I think that was a magazine quote)

So I am legitimately curious. Its not god awful but lacks detail plus really seems to bring out surface noise. I find all AT cartridges to bring noise to the front actually but this one makes albums sound poor that play just fine on the expensive Nagaoka. Something up with that.

I also do not buy into the "break in" nonsense. Just like any other break in period your brain reacts to a different presentation. Nothing changes other than your own brain getting used to it. This is why any new stereo component sounds a little funny at first. Then you think its broken in but it hasn't changed.

I think 99% of a good cartridge difference is the diamond? I may be wrong but it makes sense to me the cantilever and tip would be far more likely to contribute to final sound.
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You spoke about hundreds of posts approving of the 95, but you got different results. So what?

I'd bet there are also hundreds of post attesting to dramatic changes after break-in, but you think it's nonsense. Unlike electronics, here happens to be a mechanical aspect to a phono cartridge.

Not sure what that 99% means. How can you quantify components of performance? I guess what your implying is the 110 has a better quality diamond?
Even if you broke-in the 95 and terminated with < 200pF total shunt capacitance, you still might not like it, or like it as much as your 110. It depends on your phono stage, system, and taste. The 110 is a great cart for $139 (3X the price), but it's no giant killer. It's ironic that you talk about changing it's look or using a wood case and selling it for $1K, because that's what Clearaudio does with the 95 body/generator. There are slight differences depending on the model and Maestro has boron/ML tip. The 95 is a nice budget cart with great potential. At $139 the 110 is a throwaway when worn. It would cost more to retip than buying a new one.
neo
 
So far no mention has been made of arm mass, or of the capacitance loading.

Both of these variables can be involved in turning a silk purse into a sows ear....

(or you might just not like the AT95's voicing...)

Audio Technica cartridges in general work best at around 150pf - which is the AT recommendation. In many setups and with most phono stages this is almost impossible to achieve.

bye for now

David
 
I have both the AT95E and a Denon DL110. The 95E came with a budget turntable (the LP-120) and, while I was very pleased with the balance and imaging of the cartridge, it does have a propensity to produce lots of surface noise. I also found that the DL110 was similarly noisy on the same table with lots of clicks and pops. On my Project TT, the Denon has a very different character--the pops and clicks are pretty much inaudible on the same recordings. I have not tried the AT95E in this table (I hate fiddling with cartridge setup, especially with the thin wires on the Project), but as far as noise with the Denon was concerned, I assume much of it was due to the arm on the 120.

Best,

Brian
 
The Yamaha PX-2 is a linear trackers with shorter and lighter tone arm.

The requirements are not the same as the more conventional longer, heavier tone arms.

The Yamaha PX-2 does not come with a cartridge.

The Yamaha PX-3 with a simpler tone arm comes with a pretty nice lomc cartridge.

Which cartridges are you using with the Yamaha PX-2 now? :scratch2:
 
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Yes the Yamaha PX-2 and PF1000 I have are just rubbish.
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They look like well made turntables from the pics I've seen.
The thing is...whether you use a vintage budget Pioneer PL12D or a fully tricked out Linn LP12...You 'generally' aim to match the effective mass of the tonearm with the compliance range of the cartridge...regardless of the cost or design of the cartridge itself.

If you have an obvious mis-match between tonearm mass and cartridge compliance ,then, simply dialing in the optimum tracking force on your tonearm isn't always enough to ensure the stylus tracks properly under dynamic load.
This isn't meant as an apology for the AT-95e but just a general guideline to observe if you try a cartridge without checking whether or not the compliance range is suitable for the tonearm you are using.
The humble AT-110e might work better in your Yamaha tonearm as it is designed to work with a *low.ish* mass arm and has a finer profile tip than the at-95e.
Both cartridges are budget cartridges..but I've heard them both playing well recorded vinyl in a couple of top notch turntables (ie not just expensive..but built for one thing only..soundly quality..) ..and both of them were sufficiently good to embarrass several decent red book cd players I've heard when playing analogue mastered music from the pre -90s. Food for thought...:scratch2:
 
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thilaseen said:
I think the PF-1000 is a very nice TT but it's a Yamaha not a Pioneer PL-L1000.
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Your statement "it's a Yamaha not a Pioneer PL-L1000" inplies that no Yamaha turntable is as good as, or better than, a Pioneer PL-L1000. That would be incorrect.
 
dlaloum: <<So far no mention has been made of arm mass>>

I, too, raised this issue on p 2 of this thread. Matters a great deal with this AT95e.
 
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