Cart Choices

[Trekkie4]

Hi guys!

After almost 18 years of wandering in digital jungle, I finally found my way out & am going back to vinyl & analogue technology lol. So now I'm looking at my choices regarding cartridges, styli & their upgrade(s). I would also love to hear your input on my current setup & any suggestions on how to improve its quality

So, first things first - the turntable itself. Now, I know some of you here will probably roll your eyes but overall speaking I'm quite happy with my choice - Audio Technica AT-LP120 USB (black). Being the latest gen edition, It came with AT95E cart & HS10 headshell just like LP5.

However, I happened to have a very old Shure M94E cart in my desk drawer from around early 2000s, so I gave it a try. This Shure barely had 50-ish hrs of service before it was removed from the headshell & stored back into the original box.

Unfortunately, it seems that after 18yrs of waiting stylus suspension gave out, as the sound quality suddenly turned from bad to worse - things started out OK, but then I noticed audible distortion on right channel. Which led to loud crackling & static, very similar experience to the one from dirty & worn records (except it was ONLY on right channel) So, I ordered a replacement stylus & this is where things get really complicated - apparently Shure M94E is no longer available, either a genuine Shure N94 stylus or replacement one. Instead, I could choose between N92E & N97xE which is essentially the same stylus as N94, but slightly dressed up to include brush stabilizer & fancier guard. Sadly, I wasn't in financial position to buy N97xE at the time (especially since 97 is pretty expensive) so I went with N92E replacement instead.

And this is the weird part - despite the quality & size difference (0.4x0.7 for M92 vs 0.2x0.7 for M94E), not to mention frequency response (20-18,000Hz for M92E vs 20-22,000Hz for M94E) I can barely tell the difference between those two! In fact, the sound quality is far more better, because now I'm getting clear sound without any distortions on either of the two channels. But it still makes me feel bad for downgrading, going from "better" to "budget" if you know what I mean. Do you think I should look into upgrading to Ortofon OM 5E and/or Audio Technica AT95EX, would that give me advantage over current setup? Because I already got AT95 cart, I would only need to swap the stylus for "EX" one. Both OM5E & 95EX are 0.3x0.7 elliptical styli, and capable of higher frequency response than Shure M92E. But then again, OM5E's internal impedance & inductance are far less than the one on M94. Because remember, even though this is now M92E stylus, it's still mounted on M94 cart which seems to have different values than P-Mount M92 one.

If it's OK with admins here on forum, I can even upload sound sample(s), I got "Dancing Queen" from Abba ripped from my LP album in three flavors - AT95E, Shure M94E & Shure M92E (on M94 cart)

 

[Searing75]

With a stylus upgrade, the AT95 can be a giant killer!

 

[Balifly]

Hi guys!

Do you think I should look into upgrading to Ortofon OM 5E and/or Audio Technica AT95EX, would that give me advantage over current setup? Because I already got AT95 cart, I would only need to swap the stylus for "EX" one. Both OM5E & 95EX are 0.3x0.7 elliptical styli, and capable of higher frequency response than Shure M92E. But then again, OM5E's internal impedance & inductance are far less than the one on M94. Because remember, even though this is now M92E stylus, it's still mounted on M94 cart which seems to have different values than P-Mount M92 one.

If it's OK with admins here on forum, I can even upload sound sample(s), I got "Dancing Queen" from Abba ripped from my LP album in three flavors - AT95E, Shure M94E & Shure M92E (on M94 cart)

Welcome to the AK turn table forum.

It is possible to upgrade the Audio Technica AT 95E stylus to a HE-hyper elliptical stylus for less than $60.00 from VOM.
http://thevoiceofmusic.com/catalog/...ameNeedles&MfgName=Audio+Technica&Categories=

See the last one on the list, $53.00.

 

[Multiplex]

The M92E isn't at all bad, despite some of the bad press it seems to receive. Likely, both the M92 and 94 cantilevers are very similar, and both have bonded stones. In all reality, that makes as much (or usually more) difference than the stylus profile. The biggest differences in performance between the two styli will probably be most noticeable in the innermost grooves. Probably not a huge difference, at that. On some records, you may not notice at all.

Upgrading the AT to the recommended HE tip will definitely dig up better high frequency and inner groove detail, but there is a trade-off. The Shure sounds warm and lush, and if you like that sound, you'll probably miss it with the AT. They tend to sound more thin and forward. Then again, if you think the sound is too dull or laid back, it might be just what the doctor ordered.

If you like the Shure, don't fret... There are some pretty expensive cartridges with .4x.7 tips out there. Nagaoka, for instance, produces some pretty high end models.

Jico also offers good upgrade styli that will keep that Shure sound alive.

 

[illinoisteve]

A few other things to remember:

* You might only be able to easily hear what distinguishes certain cartridge-stylus combinations from others when playing certain recordings.

* While people will say an elliptical stylus is better than a humble conical, an elliptical is more likely to sound bad if it hasn't been aligned on the tonearm perfectly and if its optimum tracking force hasn't been determined and set.

* There's nothing wrong with having more than one cartridge, set up and ready on separate headshells (cartridge holders), since you might find one better for general listening to records of varying condition levels and musical styles, while keeping another ready to install for getting the very best out of special favorite records from your collection that are in the most pristine condition.

 

[DavidTT]

Not much to be added to the already outstanding replies above, but there are also upgrade styli available for the M92, including a .3x.7 on TVOM for $24. There is no doubt that for many of the high-volume-production affordable cartridges, there is a healthy aftermarket with multiple stylus options available.

 

[Trekkie4]

With a stylus upgrade, the AT95 can be a giant killer!

True, I know! AT95E has a very good reputation, and it does sound pretty good on some of my albums. But in my personal opinion it gives too bright (high?) sound most of the time. Will talk about this in a second

Welcome to the AK turn table forum.

It is possible to upgrade the Audio Technica AT 95E stylus to a HE-hyper elliptical stylus for less than $60.00 from VOM.
http://thevoiceofmusic.com/catalog/...ameNeedles&MfgName=Audio+Technica&Categories=

See the last one on the list, $53.00.

Thanks! I was going to join AudioKarma & make a whole new account when I realized that I've been a member all along lol. And then it came to me, I was working on an old Akai tape deck few years back & had to find the resources here on forum, so I joined but never posted before

And yes, I know! There's a whole bunch of styli upgrades out there, on the market since 95E is pretty much everywhere & is considered to be a best buy. What I don't understand is "95EX", is that hyper-elliptic stylus? I know they designed 95EX exclusively for LP5, but it's available at the nearby store for around 35 USD. According to those who bought one, it gives a massive difference from the stock 95E one, far more superior sound quality. But it all comes down to personal taste & interpretation so I'd love to hear a sample before I make up my mind for good. Or I might just risk it & buy one anyway lol, we'll see down the road

The M92E isn't at all bad, despite some of the bad press it seems to receive. Likely, both the M92 and 94 cantilevers are very similar, and both have bonded stones. In all reality, that makes as much (or usually more) difference than the stylus profile. The biggest differences in performance between the two styli will probably be most noticeable in the innermost grooves. Probably not a huge difference, at that. On some records, you may not notice at all.

Upgrading the AT to the recommended HE tip will definitely dig up better high frequency and inner groove detail, but there is a trade-off. The Shure sounds warm and lush, and if you like that sound, you'll probably miss it with the AT. They tend to sound more thin and forward. Then again, if you think the sound is too dull or laid back, it might be just what the doctor ordered.

If you like the Shure, don't fret... There are some pretty expensive cartridges with .4x.7 tips out there. Nagaoka, for instance, produces some pretty high end models.

Jico also offers good upgrade styli that will keep that Shure sound alive.

My biggest concern with M92/M94 is the difference between the carts themselves. Original M92, P-Mount cart that comes with 1/2 inch adapter kit for example has the voltage output of 5.0mV, where the M94 has 4.0mV. Would the voltage difference affect the sound quality in this particular situation? Otherwise yes, I've heard nothing but good words for M92. Apparently is very popular choice on those P-Mount Technics turntables, and very cheap to maintain & replace if necessary. In fact, according to this guy here M92E sounds about the same as Ortofon 2m Red, even though I'm finding that hard to believe (especially due to YT audio compression)

See what I said about AT95 above, in my answer to @Balifly & @Searing75 Thing is, I grew up with Shure. My dad used to have a Kenwood KD-1600 MkII, which had some sort of Shure M91, or one of its sub-models. So I got used to Shure over the years which is why I bought M94E to take its place, back in early 2000s. AT95 sounds OK at the time, but then again there are certain albums which "make my ears bleed" Well OK, maybe not literally, but you know what I mean, it sounds way too high for my taste. Where on the other hand, some of the other albums sound perfectly fine & decent. And yeah, both headshells have been aligned correctly (according to Stevenson Protractor) so it's not an issue of mistracking. Besides, I'm getting the same effect on both outer & inner grooves, so it's definitely cart itself, and not alignment issue.

I guess I should point out (even though it's pretty much obvious) that I'm NOT an audiophile. In fact, I don't even play vinyl every day, more like every once in a while. And most of my albums are in terrible condition, full of dust, scratches (mostly light, surface but with occasional deep ones here & there) and/or chewed up grooves. So, with that being said it probably wouldn't make much sense to invest huge amounts of money into Shibata stylus and/or S.A.S/MicroLine/MicroRidge models even though I DID consider this option for a while. But it just wouldn't make any sense, money-wise.

Sorry guys, it seems that character limit had been reached... More in the next post!

 

[Trekkie4]

If you like how it sounds, don't sweat it. My opinion matches that of @Multiplex. I have an M97xE with original stylus and a ton of aftermarket replacement styli as well as the M92E and its original stylus. My N97xE stylus has spent time in the M92E body in my P Mount deck and it's only a modest improvement over the M97xE which is actually undetectable on most records. Where the improvements in fancier stylus tips, thinner cantilevers, "purer" mounts, exotic cantilever materials or wire stock, etc., reveal themselves regarding tracking is on problem "hot" records or records with unusually difficult tracks (Telarc 1812). Those records make up about 1% of my collection and pretty much allows me to conclude that most audio dollars are spent on obsessing over records that aren't recorded or pressed well. The Telarc 1812 really, probably, exceeds the limitations of the medium which is bad engineering. Interestingly, if you go on YouTube and listen to many videos put up by people with expensive cartridges and expensive turntables who boast that their set up tracks the cannonfire, you will hear that their system actually does NOT, but they think it does--I guess because the expect it to and they will hear what they want to. Similarly, on the opposite end of the phenomenon, many people hear problems with an inexpensive cartridge or "cheap" diamond that aren't really there or they blame the wrong item on the list. Linn owners, at least, have been open to the idea that an excellent arm will allow someone to use an inexpensive cartridge and be happy with it. But most of the brilliance of that ideological approach is propagating extreme faith in the capabilities of the Linn arm (not saying it's not a capable arm) which actually gives Linn owners the opportunity to put away prejudicial misgivings about "cheap" cartridges and actually listen to them and accept their attributes and merits in a complementary way. There are many arms and turntables that are "as good" as a Linn, and "cheap" cartridges aren't so bad after all when you give them a chance.

In fact, the high end cartridges don't usually do a whole lot more than the cheaper ones on 99% of your record collection. Now, when they do run into that 1% of pain in the ass records and reproduce the sound from the groove as though there is no problem with the record at all, well, that might be worth the extra bucks. But that's a subjective call and everyone has to individually decide where the line of annoyance is for them and how much they are willing to pay and work hard to extend that line a little bit further. Other reasons to buy "expensive" cartridges may be because certain cartridges can tailor the musical presentation to just exactly how you like it, and that's of course a worthy goal. No one's in this hobby to be more miserable than they would be without it (I almost believe that). So, for me, there are a few expensive cartridges that I wouldn't be able to live without. But that doesn't mean, to me, that the humble M92E is garbage. It might be for someone else exactly what the "expensive" cartridge that does it for me is. Also, never lose sight of the fact that the retail price of a cartridge reflects a lot of things that have nothing to do with the cartridge. Volume of model production, distribution network, the ability of the company to offset profit in other areas, amortization tables (how long has it been since the company had to invest in tooling to make the item) and be competitive in a price segment all play a role. That Shure has been around forever. Shure is a giant company that doesn't need the profits of this cartridge. The tooling for that cartridge is bought and paid for, perhaps decades ago and the design, a good one, goes way back. Compare that to a small company that needs the profits of its cartridge production, produces in low volume and not very high efficiency, is still paying off the loans for it's tooling, etc., all that reflects on the price of the cartridge and so a very expensive cartridge might also be somewhat mediocre in build and technology if produced by a company that doesn't enjoy Shure's efficiencies of production. There's a whole thread started by yours truly that kind of took off about an $11 Audio-Technica model that is an amazing cartridge. I love it, and I've heard TONS of cartridges in my system. Would the AT ever replace a Goldring Eroica LX in my system if I had to choose at gunpoint? No. But it could be depending on the parameters. One thing that would figure into my choosing of the Goldring would not be sound, but if I could only have one and it would not be replaced when worn, I'd take the Goldring because of one of the true measurable objective benefits of a line contact stylus tip is that it lasts forever compared to a conical stylus, so I'd get a lot more use from the Goldring than the AT. Complex tips objectively last longer than conicals and are gentler on records than ellipticals, so for me that's a strong argument for going with line contact--but that's not based on sound. However, I don't really worry about record wear so being totally honest, I'd choose solely for stylus life as the swing issue. But you could buy enough M94E styli to outlast the Goldring for less money, really. So in the real world the stylus wear issue is a nonissue.

Long winded, I know, but I just see immediately some sense of anxiety in your post that you're doing something wrong by liking the sound of an excellent cartridge, budget though it may be. Also, I note your frustration in being able to hear little difference between two styli that are, in fact, very close, and also thinking either is something is wrong with your perceptions or your equipment or something else. Just relax. You're supposed to have fun. Enjoy the music.

Haha! Your post not only was so informative & useful, but it literally made my day Ok, so from the top - thanks for the feedback regarding styli & M97xE. Yes, I do feel bad for losing the advantage, going from M94 to M92, as I was assuming it would reflect on the sound quality. After all, that's the common sense right - you pay what you get. But according to this, I'm more inclined to believe that you can pay as much as you want (and can) AND STILL end up with same results as if you're going stock. And yes, you're most definitely not alone, again see what I said above in my answer to @Multiplex & YouTube video. Kinda funny actually, because when I started with vinyl (or rather, came back) I said to myself how I'm not going to take it seriously. As in, I'm not going to worry over state of my albums, styli, carts, or even the turntable itself. But yes, you can easily see here how things got out of control, now I'm comparing internal inductance, tip sizes & over-analyzing frequency response lol. And yes, you're absolutely right, I don't hear any difference between M92 & M94. Well actually, I do - but (to be completely honest) I didn't want to say this out loud. M92 outperformed M94 in my opinion. I'm guessing because M92E is now brand new & never used where the M94E was a 18yr old stylus which has seen better days. But I do remember M94E from back in a day, and it sounded decent, very similar (again, if not identical) to M92 that I'm using right now.

A few other things to remember:

* You might only be able to easily hear what distinguishes certain cartridge-stylus combinations from others when playing certain recordings.

* While people will say an elliptical stylus is better than a humble conical, an elliptical is more likely to sound bad if it hasn't been aligned on the tonearm perfectly and if its optimum tracking force hasn't been determined and set.

* There's nothing wrong with having more than one cartridge, set up and ready on separate headshells (cartridge holders), since you might find one better for general listening to records of varying condition levels and musical styles, while keeping another ready to install for getting the very best out of special favorite records from your collection that are in the most pristine condition.

I was going to say this to @needlestein but decided to keep it separate, for another answer. I'm definitely going to stick with elliptical styli in the future. Line Contact is not within my budget (at least for the moment), and I really don't like Conicals. I've been using Audio Technica AT3600L on a budget Akai USB table over the last 4-5 years (in between previously-mentioned Kenwood KD-1600 Mk2 & current AT-LP120), and it had tons of tracking issues. The overall sound quality was OK, I'm not saying conicals sound terrible just that I was having tracking issues where the stylus would either stuck or skip due to tears & scratches in the vinyl. Where on the other hand, my current setup with either Shure or AT elliptical styli don't have these kind of issues, they dig through just about anything!

Thanks for the moral support I already have two headshells, you can easily see both in this picture where the one is mounted on the tonearm & other one stored behind the counterweight. Somehow I knew choosing the right cart setup would be a whole new adventure, so I decided to keep the original AT95 & bought another, standard SME "Technics" type headshell for Shure. And TBH, I swap them quite often, every once in a while... Especially when I want to compare both carts, see which one performs better!


@DavidTT Thanks! Would you mind sharing a link to the website/store? As long as they have free (or cheap) delivery, I might just pick it up!

 

[Balifly]

And yes, I know! There's a whole bunch of styli upgrades out there, on the market since 95E is pretty much everywhere & is considered to be a best buy. What I don't understand is "95EX", is that hyper-elliptic stylus? I know they designed 95EX exclusively for LP5, but it's available at the nearby store for around 35 USD. According to those who bought one, it gives a massive difference from the stock 95E one, far more superior sound quality. But it all comes down to personal taste & interpretation so I'd love to hear a sample before I make up my mind for good. Or I might just risk it & buy one anyway lol, we'll see down the road

The AT 95E 4x7 mil ( original )

The AT 95 EX 3x7 mil

The AT 95 HE .2 X 1.5 mil

Don't wait too long, the HE stylus at VOM may be gone soon.

 

[Trekkie4]

Thanks for that response. Very entertaining. I guess I'd have to add that if your records are damaged, then that is another area where, perhaps, a better tip profile can help. I do sometimes totally forget about this point because I really don't have any bad records with scratches or gouges or even bad warps except for one or two, but only three cartridges that I have can track those without an issue. One is a Shure M91E with original Hi Track at 1.75g or EVG replacement at 2g, the other is any Pickering or Stanton moving magnet cartridge using a very specific retipped stylus and original brush at 1.25g tracking force and the other other is any Pickering or Stanton moving iron cartridge using the Pfanstiehl 4822-DEE and its included brush at 2g tracking force. Of all the other cartridges you've ever heard me write about including some very expensive ones, none of them can track this certain record with a lip warp without being thrown for a few grooves. So if tracking lip warps were someone's swing issue, the best cartridges ever made are those three types and only the Shure is capable with its stock stylus.

However, line contacts might not be out of your budget. There is the AT95E for which a hyperelliptical (line contact) can be had for about $50. That's the cheapest brand new hyperelliptical that I can think of. The next least expensive one is for the Pickering XSV/3000 or XUV/4500Q for about $65. So you don't have to go broke getting a complex contour stylus.

Some of the albums had been preserved, where on the other hand others had been used & abused over the years. Nothing too severe, none of my records had been severely warped or anything like that, just neglected. Full of dust, fingerprints & stored inside the cardboard album box (cover) without its protective bag. Sooo yeah, you can probably visualize the state of my collection. Also, some of the albums had been badly pressed, off-center. So you can see the head moving left & right, as it tracks the groove. Again, nothing too severe but it'll obviously affect the sound quality to the point where investing into high-end equipment & pickups wouldn't make much sense. But as I pointed out before, having elliptical styli over conical one helps a lot. Even with standard 0.4x0.7 tips

Funny you mentioned M91E, because I used to have M91(ED?) on a Kenwood KD-1600 MkII. At least I think it was M91, it looked almost identical to M91, except it had a shiny metal underbody (therefore wasn't painted black) & didn't have a white "S" logo painted in front. Everything else is exactly the same, so I'm guessing it was either submodel (perhaps OEM, for maybe another turntable?), or some other revision, special and/or budget model. It had a red stylus, tracking at 1.5g. Apart from that I honestly can't remember, as I sold Kenwood along with mentioned cart years ago, right before I bought Akai ATT022U. And I know some of you here will wonder why, so I'm just going to save you time It had electrical problems, where DC current would leak into sound channels every time it was lowering and/or returning the tonearm. I even had it professionally repaired, which oddly enough made things even worse, as the guy removed the grounding wire altogether. But that's a whole other story...

The AT 95E 4x7 mil ( original )

The AT 95 EX 3x7 mil

The AT 95 HE .2 X 1.5 mil

Don't wait too long, the HE stylus at VOM may be gone soon.

Thanks for the offer, but considering I just cashed out 40$ on a M92E replacement, I'm not in the position to invest more money into the vinyl setup at the time. Besides, something tells me that it wouldn't work out due to delivery rates... I'm from Europe, and from what I understand the store is located in the States? So not only delivery itself would probably cost a lot more, but I would also have to pay for customs

Oh well, I'll see if I can pick a replacement HE from Germany and/or China, those two sources are surprisingly cheap & easy to come across around here.

 

[Balifly]

Thanks for the offer, but considering I just cashed out 40$ on a M92E replacement, I'm not in the position to invest more money into the vinyl setup at the time. Besides, something tells me that it wouldn't work out due to delivery rates... I'm from Europe, and from what I understand the store is located in the States? So not only delivery itself would probably cost a lot more, but I would also have to pay for customs

Oh well, I'll see if I can pick a replacement HE from Germany and/or China, those two sources are surprisingly cheap & easy to come across around here.

Did not know you are from Europe, your location is not listed on your profile.

Best of luck with your search.

 

[Trekkie4]

Which translates to "Sorry, you're out of luck pal", huh? It's fine, thanks. And it does now, I finally updated personal info...

By the way guys, I'm curious - We talked about several carts & styli here, but I never asked about Grado Black 1. Is it worth 65USD? Because I've tried to find more info on the stylus itself, but can't seem to come up with anything, it only says "Elliptical" without any details on the tip itself.

 

[Balifly]

Which translates to "Sorry, you're out of luck pal", huh? It's fine, thanks. And it does now, I finally updated personal info...

Poor translation.

There are several very good site in Europe as well as Asia Pacific that sells for less than the sites in North America.

 

[Trekkie4]

Since I never received a feedback from admins or moderators, I'm going to assume that uploading entire song (for the sake of cart comparison) would be considered a copyright violation. Instead, I've made 1min sample of "Dancing Queen", for all three options - M92E, M94E & AT95E. So there, I hope that's OK with everyone... Please let me know what you think!

Audio Technica AT-95E
-note: a genuine AT-95E with its stock ATN 95E stylus tracking at 2.0g

Shure M92E
-note: a replacement, non-original N 92E using Shure M 94 cart tracking at 1.5g

Shure M94E
-note: a genuine & original, 15yr old N94E stylus tracking at 1.0g just before the right channel went out. If you listen closely, you will hear distorted highs & more audible crackling

 

[Multiplex]

Haven't listened to the files yet, but just a quick thought... Your N94E will likely track far better at its recommended 1.25g VTF. In fact, it should be able to track as high as 1.5g. Also, what is your anti-skate set at? If it's too low or too high, and your tracking force is too low, one channel will mistrack before the other. Usually, the optimal AS number should fall between 75-100% of your tracking force in grams.

A dirty stylus can worsen the effects of improper VTF/AS.

 

[Trekkie4]

Haven't listened to the files yet, but just a quick thought... Your N94E will likely track far better at its recommended 1.25g VTF. In fact, it should be able to track as high as 1.5g. Also, what is your anti-skate set at? If it's too low or too high, and your tracking force is too low, one channel will mistrack before the other. A dirty stylus can worsen this effect.

Actually, the recommended value for M94E (according to the original box, featured in one of my previous posts) says "0.75 - 1.25" max, so I figured 1.00g would be that ideal middle setting. AS is always roughly the same as VTF, I believe it was "1" for this particular test. "2" was featured on AT-95E (tracking at 2.00), and it's currently set to "1.5" for M 92E which tracks at 1.5.

Again, see my earlier post(s). Yes, the stylus was indeed dirty & the grooves were full of dust. However, even after cleaning the tip, distortion was gradually building up to the point where it became extremely obvious & annoying to listen. It even showed visually, in Audacity - right channel was much noisier than left one, and things only went downhill from that point on. Which is why I "downgraded" to M 92E in the first place & opened up this cart debate, asked for other opinions on which stylus/cart should I use, replace and/or upgrade

 

[Multiplex]

Oh, I guess the 94 does top out at 1.25. They did produce that model as a Pmount , however, and Pmount spec is 1.25g, which it should do with no prob. That tonearm is a little on the heavy side to track at 1g with pretty much any cartridge.

 

[Trekkie4]

No prob. And I just realized that my uploaded sample might not be as obvious as I thought, so I made another one. This time I modified 1min sample to include right channel ONLY, removing left one altogether. So basically it's a mono track now, except both channels are "right" and not "left" as it would normally be on mono record.

M94E Right Channel preview

By the way, when I first experienced sound degradation I did try increasing the VTF to as high as 1.5g which you just recommended yourself. I figured +0.50g wouldn't make much of a problem, and I wanted to make absolutely sure that it's stylus and not dust. Unfortunately, it didn't make any difference, as the problem remained the same regardless of cleaning the tip and VTF adjustment.

 

[illinoisteve]

I usually think of optimum VTF as falling about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way up the suggested range, not the midpoint of the range. Of course, this could vary depending on things like tonearm characteristics, and in a few cases some styli will track at the bottom of their range when all other things about the arm and cartridge alignment are near perfect for that cart-stylus combination. Since I don't consider that perfection common, I wouldn't hesitate to try a VTF of 1/4-gram more than the top of the suggested range. With a generic stylus, I might go somewhat higher since the printed range might be inaccurate.

.

 

[Trekkie4]

I usually think of optimum VTF as falling about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way up the suggested range, not the midpoint of the range. Of course, this could vary depending on things like tonearm characteristics, and in a few cases some styli will track at the bottom of their range when all other things about the arm and cartridge alignment are near perfect for that cart-stylus combination. Since I don't consider that perfection common, I wouldn't hesitate to try a VTF of 1/4-gram more than the top of the suggested range. With a generic stylus, I might go somewhat higher since the printed range might be inaccurate.

.

Right, I understand. But TBH all M92/M94/M97 already have a pretty small VTF range. I mean, they all track unusually light, comparing to other carts such as Audio Technica (2.0g), even 3.5g (popular AT 3600L) so the range of VTF is obviously going to be a proportionally smaller. So the reason I picked 1.00g was mainly because it seemed appropriate, & well within safe tracking range. I gave it a test obviously, to make absolutely sure & it was tracking anything! Scratches, bumps (minor warps), never had a single issue!

As for later experimenting & going beyond recommended value, at 1.5 - M94 pretty much equals M97xE (except for brush stabilizer & cool design), and we know M97xE tracks at 1.5g, so I figured M94 would be safe around same VTF & wouldn't damage my records. But unfortunately, I didn't get any difference, whatsoever. And I tried just about everything I could think of - messing with AS, cleaning, removing the headshell & checking the contacts, you name it!

At the end of a day, I had to face the truth - my M94E was just too old. In fact, I had to pry the stylus out, because it fused itself with cartridge, throughout those 16 or 17yrs. And I really do feel bad about losing M94E (technically, N94 E since it's only just the stylus alone and not the entire cart), in a strange bizarre way it feels as if I lost an old friend. I was very happy with M94 when I 1st bought it, and never wanted (or needed) another cart or stylus, which is why M94 left a huge gap for other (budget) carts & styli to fill in, if possible.