The best aftermarket Audio Technica P-mount styli?

Vinylmasters

Vinylmasters

Super Member
There is a plethora of info on the original AT p-mount styli, but barely anything on the aftermarket ones. I've already purchased a Hyperelliptical (from VoM) and the AT "Microline' upgrades for my AT-92e, but I'm curious about the many others that are out there now. LP Gear has Line Contact (http://www.lpgear.com/product/ATN3472LC.html), a Vivid Line (http://www.lpgear.com/product/ATN3472VL.html) AND a Shibata as well (http://www.lpgear.com/product/LPGATN3472SA.html). Has anyone tried these? Any feedback? What's the difference between the line contact and Vivid line - and which is the better of the two?

And on the older style AT p-mounts, they also have a Shibata (http://www.lpgear.com/product/ATN152MLPG.html) and a 'Vivid Line Contact' - whatever that is (http://www.lpgear.com/product/ATN152LP.html). Any feedback on these?

I'm looking to buy one of each style, what's the best - and the best bang for the buck? I have a LP Gear VL on a Shure and it's an incredible stylus for the $$$. I'm hoping the same will be true for the AT's too, but I've never seen anything about them anywhere. Someone out there has had to try these!
 
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I can't answer to the others, but I do own the ATN 152LP. I have it mounted in a Signet AM series body. Under scope, it shows impeccable construction, setting, polish. Plays very close to my Grado Signature 10MR. Other AT styli I've had in my system 440MLa and 440-OOC. I liked the OOC better than the MLa. The 152LP is a good step up in performace. I haven't had a 150MLX in my system so I can't give an A/B opinion
 
Hi,

The VL and Shibata have the same tip dimensions, 0.2x3.0. So
in theory they will be similar and last as long as each other The
Shibata may do its original job better, picking up the CD-4 carrier
with better quality, but I suspect its not better than the VL for stereo.
The VFM standout for me is the VL stylus.
For Price vs. Quality vs. Tip Life. (x4 of a 0.2x0.7 elliptical.)

rgds, sreten.
 
marcmorin said:
I can't answer to the others, but I do own the ATN 152LP. I have it mounted in a Signet AM series body. Under scope, it shows impeccable construction, setting, polish. Plays very close to my Grado Signature 10MR. Other AT styli I've had in my system 440MLa and 440-OOC. I liked the OOC better than the MLa. The 152LP is a good step up in performace. I haven't had a 150MLX in my system so I can't give an A/B opinion
Click to expand...

Hang on! I'm not asking about the original AT's, but rather the aftermarket replacements that are out now.
 
sreten said:
Hi,

The VL and Shibata have the same tip dimensions, 0.2x3.0. So
in theory they will be similar and last as long as each other The
Shibata may do its original job better, picking up the CD-4 carrier
with better quality, but I suspect its not better than the VL for stereo.
The VFM standout for me is the VL stylus.
For Price vs. Quality vs. Tip Life. (x4 of a 0.2x0.7 elliptical.)

rgds, sreten.
Click to expand...

"VFM"???
 
I bought one of the Pfanstiehl bonded Shibatas for the 3472 and it is just "OK". It traces fairly well but has an audible cantilever resonance that I don't care for. Haven't tried any of the other you mentioned. The Pfan was ~$38 so I thought it was worth a try.
 
tubewade said:
I bought one of the Pfanstiehl bonded Shibatas for the 3472 and it is just "OK". It traces fairly well but has an audible cantilever resonance that I don't care for. Haven't tried any of the other you mentioned. The Pfan was ~$38 so I thought it was worth a try.
Click to expand...

A SHIBATA for 38 beaners??? Yea, can't expect much there. The HE I bought from VoM wasn't too bad for the $$, but the AT ML was BIG waste of $$$.
 
Vinylmasters said:
A SHIBATA for 38 beaners??? Yea, can't expect much there. The HE I bought from VoM wasn't too bad for the $$, but the AT ML was BIG waste of $$$.
Click to expand...

Yea, I thought it was cheap enough to take a chance. It was advertised on eBay as a "Hyperbolic" stylus but examination under a microscope reveals a Shibata cut on a huge post and a rather unrefined cantilever. The best stylus I've found for the 3472 series is the genuine 3472NE (nude elliptical). I'm sorry to hear that the 3472ML is a disappointment. Lini once explained to me that it is apparently a BONDED ML tip on a straight aluminum cantilever so I never could bring myself to spend the money to find out how they sound.

As for great P-mount ATs, I prefer the 102P series and use them with original 102 styli and modern styli from the AT120E family. I'd love to try the 152LP stylus that Marc suggests above but I don't have the budget for that right now and especially since I already have several AT150MLXs and 440MLas.
 
tubewade said:
Yea, I thought it was cheap enough to take a chance. It was advertised on eBay as a "Hyperbolic" stylus but examination under a microscope reveals a Shibata cut on a huge post and a rather unrefined cantilever. The best stylus I've found for the 3472 series is the genuine 3472NE (nude elliptical). I'm sorry to hear that the 3472ML is a disappointment. Lini once explained to me that it is apparently a BONDED ML tip on a straight aluminum cantilever so I never could bring myself to spend the money to find out how they sound.

As for great P-mount ATs, I prefer the 102P series and use them with original 102 styli and modern styli from the AT120E family. I'd love to try the 152LP stylus that Marc suggests above but I don't have the budget for that right now and especially since I already have several AT150MLXs and 440MLas.
Click to expand...

I have a 152LP - great stylus, but for almost $250 now? That's why I curious on these aftermarkets at half that price. I've had great luck with the LP Gear VL's on others, but have never seen anything yet for feedback on the LP Gear AT replacements.

And yes, that ML is a big disappointment. It's really 'dead' sounding, lacking in detail and high end response. The original AT92e runs circles around it. I WISH I could find an original NE, but haven't had any luck so far.
 
tubewade said:
Yea, I thought it was cheap enough to take a chance. It was advertised on eBay as a "Hyperbolic" stylus but examination under a microscope reveals a Shibata cut on a huge post and a rather unrefined cantilever. The best stylus I've found for the 3472 series is the genuine 3472NE (nude elliptical). I'm sorry to hear that the 3472ML is a disappointment. Lini once explained to me that it is apparently a BONDED ML tip on a straight aluminum cantilever so I never could bring myself to spend the money to find out how they sound.

As for great P-mount ATs, I prefer the 102P series and use them with original 102 styli and modern styli from the AT120E family. I'd love to try the 152LP stylus that Marc suggests above but I don't have the budget for that right now and especially since I already have several AT150MLXs and 440MLas.
Click to expand...
I've heard a couple of the 152LPs that came in on repair tables. Not my favorites. Beautifully clear, but really really bright. You can hear every speck of dust or flaw on the record.

From the same series, I've heard the 140LC (non-p-mount) and the 132EP. Both sounded better to me than the 152. YMMV.
 
bangsezmax said:
I've heard a couple of the 152LPs that came in on repair tables. Not my favorites. Beautifully clear, but really really bright. You can hear every speck of dust or flaw on the record.

From the same series, I've heard the 140LC (non-p-mount) and the 132EP. Both sounded better to me than the 152. YMMV.
Click to expand...

That's a dirt problem on the record (or wear). I'd rather have revealing than not.
 
needlestein said:
I don't know if this is still relevant, probably not, but I got a couple Shibatas for my AT3482 style body, I think it's a 301 body, from Ed Saunders (yes, I know about Ed Saunders these days) and they really did give me a nice taste of what a higher quality complex stylus can do. That was back in the day when I was still learning the basics. They are made by AT, though.
Click to expand...

Sadly, those are all long gone :(
 
I know this is off-topic, but isn't the 3472NE the same thing as the 6006? Nude "tombstone" diamond, 3x7, nontapered matte-finish canti?
 
Ah, good. Thanks. The reason I asked is because I'm not familiar with the old 3472 nomenclature, but if the NE is what VinylMasters wants, there was a NOS 6006 on eBay that went for about $44 shipped a couple of days ago. They're still out there. And that one auction, at least, was less pricey than one of the fancy aftermarket jobs. And, as you say, there are clones hiding out there as well.

On the other hand, if waiting time is a factor, or eBay isn't an option, I'd get the red Shibata or Hyperelliptical that TTN.com was selling. I haven't been impressed by my one encounter with the VL stylus.
 
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