Features:

  • VM95 Series dual Magnet cartridge with 0.3 x 0.7 mil Elliptical stylus
  • Aluminum cantilever
  • Specially wound coils increase output voltage
  • Durable low-resonance polymer Housing
  • Threaded inserts in cartridge body enable cartridge to be mounted to headshell with just two screws - no nuts required
Not easy to install for the newbie. If that's you, read on!

So I bought a HeyDay Turntable (it's Target brand but has gotten great reviews). It came with an Audio Technica 3600L. That's a "middle of the road" cartridge. It isn't bad and I would've been fine staying with it. But, not knowing how to install a new cartridge, aligning it, and making adjustments, etc, I knew I was taking a chance of ruining this and my turntable (LOL!). First off, now that the "journey" is over, it's awesome! The sound isn't a little better it's a lot better. The sound envelopes you. It's so full and clear. There's also a discernible separation of all the instruments: the bass, guitar, keyboards, drums and vocals. Before it all kind of "coagulated" together....not in a messy way but it sounded very "average". Now the sounds really stands out. This turned my turntable from middle of the road to very respectable! Here's what I recommend if you are thinking of buying or you have one on the way: 1. Take your time! Take the screws out of the existing cartridge and gently pull the four wires off the prongs in the rear of the cartidge. 2. Make note of where the colored wires are connected so you put them back on the new cartridge correctly. 3. Watch a youtube on "turntable cartridge setup". It took me about 30 minutes to get this right. But., if I had to do it again - it would be much shorter! 4. Pay attention to videos that show how the tone arm weight are set and the anti-skate knob is set. This will reduce skipping distortion, etc. Lastly, it really was noticeably better once I had played 4-5 albums all the way thru. It seemed to open up a bit more (ie: it was broken in). I would not hesitate to get this. I realize it's expensive, but it's definitely worth it.

The best value in phono cartridges.

I’ve got this cartridge mounted on a vintage Rega Planar 3 with RB250 tonearm. It sounds great. It gets out of the way of the music, which I like. I don’t want to hear a piece of equipment coloring everything with a certain sound, and there’s no worrying about that with this cartridge. No part of the frequency range is emphasized, it tracks really well (AT’s always do), and the stereo imaging is excellent. It’s virtually indistinguishable from my trusty AT440MLA with AT100E stylus I’ve been using for years and years. Audio-Technica were smart to release this VM95 cartridge line. They’re affordable, upgradable, and incredibly easy to install thanks to the threaded inserts. They’ll work on just about any tonearm and they sound great. I’ve heard and owned more expensive cartridges, and I don’t miss them a bit.

AT-VM95E - A Budget Elliptical MM Phono Cartridge

Purchased on Amazon Prime Jan 2020 for $48. Since I did not see this information in previous reviews I wanted to show what is included with the product (mounting screws, etc). Delivered in an approx. 3" square cardboard retail box including a warranty card (in Japanese only) an environmental statement (in 11 languages) a user manual that unfolds to 10.5" x 18.5" - also in 11 languages) and a small bag of hardware. No stylus brush or small screwdriver is included like with old Shure cartridges but that may just be the way of things today. Since the cartridge body has threaded brass inserts, nuts are not needed nor included in the hardware mounting kit like other cartridges but one pair of nylon washers and two pairs of aluminum machine screws of different lengths are included: M2.5 x 8mm long M2.5 x 11mm long The threaded brass inserts on the cartridge body makes mounting the cart to the headshell much easier than any other 1/2" cartridge I've installed. Somewhat disappointed that the rear of the cart is not color-coded like others so you'll need to refer to the tiny wiring diagram in the user manual to sort out which wire goes where. Also included is a removable translucent plastic stylus guard that slides onto the cartridge for when the cart is off of the turntable. With a 2g recommended tracking force (VTF range is 1.8 - 2.2g) and the 0.3 x 0.7 mil elliptical stylus this cart should be gentle on your vinyl. Sonically, the only direct comparison I've made was against a conical Audio-Technica cart that came on a new TT I recently purchased. Compared to the DJ styled AT-XP3, the AT-VM95E has a less harsh high end (female vocals, brass, etc) that somehow also seems just a bit brighter. I was not able to hear much of a difference throughout the rest of the spectrum. I have each cart mounted to a headshell which makes the job of swapping of them a 15sec task so I plan to keep & use them both - the conical AT-XP3 for old, distressed records and the lighter tracking AT-VM95E for newer, better conditioned vinyl.

Very much worth the money

As a teen I was super into audiophile stuff way back in the day - late 70's and early 80's. I had a Dual 510 and then a Denon turntable and always generally liked Audio Technica turntable cartridges. Now it's literally 40 years later and I'm hauling out much of the old vinyl that's been in storage. I still have the original Denon turntable - model DP-23F - and I was pleasantly shocked to find it works flawlessly - except the Shure cartridge on it was a bit tired and frankly sounded pretty bad. So I bought this nifty little gem, the Audio-Technica AT-VM95E, and WOW what a difference! My old vinyl sounds superb, as good or better than the very best cartridges of 40 years ago for much more money, and inflation adjusted money at that. This economical cartridge was super easy to install and fit perfectly on the tonearm of the Denon turntable. I am delighted, and watching that vinyl spin and the tonearm slowly make its way across the record surface as I listen to the wonderful quality music is a hypnotically sublime pleasure, bringing back so many good memories. Highly recommended!

WOW

I'm pretty much blown away, I have been on an audio budget for a while now and didn't quite have the money to keep buying new stylus' for my 2m Red, so I thought I would change carts all together and saw this for a good price and got it. WOW WOW WOW, seriously great cart, I hate to say it but it really makes me feel like the 2m Red is way overpriced for what it is. I cannot hear much of a different between the two and this is half the price. If you are thinking about buying, just do it.

A definite step up from the previous Audio Technica AT95E cartridge

The AT-VM95E is definitely a step up from the previous Audio Technica cartridge AT95E which I also own. The VM95E has a more open sound stage, treble region is more smooth and refined like a real audiophile cartridge. The bass is tight and better controlled too. It's a bargain at the offered price, good bang for the buck.

A updated version of the AT100E, and even better than the VM95ML!

Still in disbelief how a $50 cartridge sounds crispier, and more fresh than a $170 one. The VM95ML sounded flat, and too warm for my taste. I purchased both cartridges and decided to switch their styli, so now the VM95E plays with a microline stylus. What a combination! as a matter of fact, this cartridge sounds exactly the same as the AT100E; two samples of the same music were recorded using the same equipment, just different styli. I then listened to and analyzed the audio through an audio spectrogram, and I came to the conclusion that both styli are essentially the same (AT100E and ATVM95). Bottom line; the ATVM95 is a keeper!

Tracks nicely, sounds great.

I purchased the Audio Technica AT-VM95E to replace a Grado Black. I was not unhappy with the sound of the Grado, but it did not always track well with some records on my turntable. I am still spinning vinyl with a Rabco SL-8E straight-line tonearm mounted to a Thorens TD-125 turntable that I bought 50 years ago as a college student. The Rabco is a heavy tonearm and needs a low compliance cartridge. The compliance on the VM95E is lower than the Grado and it tracks beautifully on the Rabco. I had a few (slightly warped) records that would not even play with the Grado, but they all play flawlessly with the Audio-Technica. I will also say that I like the sound of the VM95E slightly better as well. It has a crisp and clean sound without being too bright, and the bass is nice and tight. This cartridge also gives me the ability to easily upgrade to a Microlinear or Shibata stylus if desired. This cartridge is a real bargain for only $49.00. My cartridge was shipped by Zorro Sounds and arrived quickly.

No regrets

I purchased this because there was only one stylus option still available for my existing cartridge, and I wanted to have more options should I choose to upgrade, which this allows for. It installed in minutes, and immediately cleaned up sybillance I was hearing, and restored the top end of the sound, as well as clarity in the bass tones. Very similar to the videos you might see on YouTube. Sony PSLX300h from '97. First cartridge upgrade. I've played the Craft remaster of REM's Monster with this, "Hot Thoughts" by Spoon, 22 A Million by Bon Iver, Bill Evans at Shelly's Manne Hole, Yves Tumor's Heaven to a Tortured Mind, and a dozen or so other albums. The stylus and cart handle everything I throw at them with clear, dynamic fidelity and it all sounds great. Used worn records will still sound used and worn, but they will get back some important dynamics. There's a lot of background layers in Purple Rain I was never able to hear that really jump out with this as well. Well, well worth the price, and I can't wait to upgrade the stylus after 500 hours.

Good sounding turntable cartridge!

I finally had to replace the cartridge on my vintage 1980 turntable and was surprised how easy it was to find a replacement cartridge for it. I had to "dust off a few brain cells" to remember how to remove the old cartridge and install the new one but was pleasantly surprised that the procedure can be easily done with a small screwdriver and a pair of needle nose pliers to gently remove and re-install the four wires on the cartridge. Be sure to note the proper way and polarity to re-connect the four small wires! Anyway, the new cartridge sounds great and my vinyl albums never sounded better!

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