Audio-Technica AT-VM95E Dual Moving Magnet Turntable Cartridge Green

The sound quality of this cartridge rivals the $200 (in the 80's!!) Audio-Technica AT29SX. For the cost of a replacement stylus for that 29 today, I can buy approximately 3 of these! This is a great, amazing value in a quality phono cartridge. The AT-VM95E features an elliptical diamond stylus which tracks the record groove smoothly and accurately. The sound quality is phenomenal. Deep lows that had the sub under my desk making happy vibes, crystal clear highs with treble extension and clarity that a CD can't touch, and the midrange is present, forward and clear. Female vocals are textured, full and weighty. I auditioned Carole King's Tapestry and was blown away. The piano in "Smackwater Jack" was in the room with me. Stereo imaging and soundstage are broad and have good instrument placement and separation. With a claimed 20db of stereo separation, I'd call it conservatively rated. The soundstage moves outside the speakers and there's plenty of channel separation for my ears. While on the subject of specs, I have no doubt on the validity of the claimed 20Hz-22kHz frequency response! The depths of lows I was able to hear and the reach and clarity of the highs left no detectable rolloff in my listening. All said, this is beyond a great value, it's a must buy. If you're in the market for a replacement, an upgrade or are resurrecting and old turntable, look no further. I've been an Audio-Technica fan since I knew what a cartridge did. I've owned Shures, Pickerings, Ortofons, Empires and Nagaokas. I keep recommending AT. The design of this cartridge is well thought out. The threaded screw inserts are a dream for those of us with older eyes and fingers. No more fumbling with those tiny nuts. In my case, the short body on this cartridge (see the pic of my old AT-29SX above - it's long) allows it to mount fully forward in my angled Sony headshell. Alignment was confirmed on a cartridge protractor to be spot on. Not sure if this will be the case with all headshells on all tonearms. Likely not, but it's nice to get lucky sometimes! Gripes... OK, all rave reviews need a gripe or two. None rise to the level of deducting a star, mind you, but nevertheless there are some niggles. First, the old white-body AT cartridges of yesteryear had tiny colored rings around the connection pins. This made it a no-brainer to see where each wire went. Of course, this was decades before one could solve the question with a 15 second Google search. Second, every AT cartridge I bought back in the stone age included a screwdriver. What gives? Of course for $65 bucks, I suppose I can live with it. And third, wait...there is no third. Another great feature of this cartridge is the broad range of upgrade styli available. AT has carried this tradition forwards from years ago and it continues to be a reason I would choose them again. My setup here is a Sony PS-T22 (circa 1980) with upgraded audio cables feeding an iFi Zen Air Phono preamp into a FiiO K7 DAC (just using the line-in and headphone amp). From there I am running a SMSL A300 integrated amplifier feeding Neumi BS5 bookshelf speakers. For critical listening, I usually rely on my in-ear monitors. My go-to IEMs are the iBasso IT01s. These are what I used for much of the review above.

The VM95 line of cartridges are your best value price/performance on the market today. The 95E has excellent clarity, bass and full range. You can buy better in this price range. Easy setup, top quality product that I always recommend. The records sound great with this stylus and cart. There are other stylus in the line that work on this cartridge without having to change the cartridge which is a great design feature. The design also makes it fit easily during installation. Product functions as expected.

Great value in a quality product for my Dual 1219 turntable. A little fiddly to attach to the head, but all hardware was included. Great sound, highly recommended.

After suffering for literally YEARS not being able to enjoy my LPs because I was thinking there was something wrong with the speaker connection (nope) or something wrong with the KLH amplifier (nope, not that either) I finally had the idea to purchase a new cartridge for my Audio Technica turntable. YUP! That was the problem. At last! Stereo LPs that I can hear in STEREO! Really nice! It was nice to have the instructions on paper instead of having to scan a QR code. Came with two sizes of screws, but it went together easily.

Same brand as the old one that was 80s high end I damaged but not quite as clear of sound. It is a solid cartridge don't get me wrong. Good soundstage, tracks well. Requires a bit more tracking force than my old one at 1.75 - 2.5 grams. It would have been good if it came with a installation protractor paper, I had to find & download one.

Nice cartridge. Sounds great on this old ‘83 JVC turntable.

First, allow me to tell you a little about my audios setup. It is a Scott PS 48A turntable given to me by a good friend as she had no use for it. Denon AVR-X1300W with Marantz Imperial 9 speakers and Pioneer surround sound speakers that came with a Pioneer system I had purchased previously. The Auidio-Technica VM95e cartridge was digitally set/weighed at1.96 grams, antiskate at 2 and aligned with a turntable protracter. I HIGHLY SUGGEST DOING THIS FOR USAGE. Get a magnifying glass with LED lights, eyeglass screwdriver, and tweezer or a small needle-nose plier. I was going to purchase a Ortofon cartridge system, but my tow arm did not fit the specs suggested. RESULTS- the clearest reproduction of sound with the stereophonic emusion I hoped to acheive on a small budget with old equipment. The VM95e brought new life with high fidelity! You will hear things from your records that you never knew existed as the mid-range and highs are expressed with clearity. I would recommend this needle for a low-power system as well. However, nothing is perfect. To that, you make adjustments if possible. DOWNSIDE - the Marantzs speakers forementioned has 4-mid range and 2-piezo tweeters each and boy did they come alive! Cymbals perching that shocked my constitution. However, IT WAS NOT DISTORTED. i WANT TO MAKE THAT CLEAR. I had to bring down the TREDLE to 2 and increase the BASS to 3 out of 5 levels gradience of both. I regained the natural sound while retaining the clarity/fidelity of the system. Last all caps, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS SYSTEM, THE AUDIO-TECHICA VM95e! Yes, I will buy another one when the time comes for that.

For those who have a turntable with the very common AT-3600l cartridge this will be a perfect upgrade the AT-VM95E retains much of the pleasant character of the legendary 3600l ,but with a more defined midrange . the improved midrange enhances the low and high range by allowing those bands to better be replicated what I like most about the AT-VM95E is the sweetness of the high end ,it doesnt have too much of that crispy high frequency that can often promote sibilance or raspy effects. being that I am over 60 yrs old my high range perception is not as good as it used to be so I tend to increase the treble level when listening to vinyl more than many younger people might the VM-95E is the first cartridge that handles higher range boost with no effort , the sweetness characeristic of the cartridge sounds and handles the top end better than any "budget" cartridge I have owned and for that its a winner overall great cartridge for the price ,has great definition overall and retains some of the charm the 3600l provides that has made it a favorite among even the picky audiophile crowd the VM-95e is by far the perfect upgrade for those who enjoy the 3600l its a great budget Cartridge regardless of your circumstance .if your on the fence ,,,buy it ,absolutly worth every penney

I picked up the Audio-Technica VM95E recently — not because I needed a new cart (I already run a Nagaoka MP-110) but just to try something new and keep an empty headshell busy. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much. I thought it would be a decent backup cart. But this thing seriously surprised me. For the price I paid (~₹3600 / ~$40), it’s ridiculously good. Clear, punchy, well-balanced — more than what I expected from a budget cart. It’s an absolute workhorse. I still love my MP-110 — it’s smooth and warm and great with vocals — but the VM95E has a totally different energy. It’s fast, open, and engaging in a way that makes it hard to ignore. I’m definitely going to be using this regularly, not just as a backup. It’s still early days (just a few hours in), and I know it’ll only open up more with break-in. But even now, I’d say this: don’t go by the price tag — go by what sounds best to your ears. And this little cart delivers. Audio-Technica nailed it with this one. Incredible value for money.

Chegou intacto, bem embalado. Melhor custo benefício, com excelente fonocaptação!

Très bon équipement tout terrain.

Dovendo sostituire la puntina della vecchia Shure M75ED type 2 (il cui stilo di ricambio è introvabile, e per la quale sono disponibili solo alcuni ricambi non originali di dubbia qualità) che equipaggiava dal 1978 il mio piatto Technics SL-3310, che da due decenni giaceva su un armadio, protetto dalla polvere, ma ahimè abbandonato, mi sono trovato a dover scegliere una testina che non costasse tanto. Dovendo stare entro i 50 euro, ero fortemente indeciso tra l'Acquisto della classica AT95E (che dalle recensioni è considerata da molti anni una delle testine con il miglior rapporto qualità prezzo) e questa VM95E con stilo ellittico di durata dichiarata pari a 300 ore, che sul sito Audio Technica è indicata come il nuovo modello che ha sostituito la AT95E da pochi mesi. La AT95 è ancora disponibile su Amazon, per circa 13 euro in meno, ma ho optato per questo nuovo modello, tenendo conto che solitamente l'evoluzione tecnologica porta a dei miglioramenti nei prodotti disponibili, anche pensando alla disponibilità dello stilo di ricambio nei prossimi anni. Ho affiancato a questa VM95E anche una più economica AT91 (con stilo conico, che costa circa la metà), per l'ascolto dei vecchi LP. Mia figlia, presa dal fascino per i vinili nuovi, mi ha chiesto un consiglio su cosa acquistare, ed ecco arrivati a casa, per ben cominciare, due classici dei Pink Floyd che hanno fatto a storia della musica pop, "The dark side of the moon" e "The Wall" . Effettuate le regolazioni di rito (montaggio sulla shell, regolazione della distanza puntina-attacco shell a 52mm secondo le indicazioni della Technics per il braccio montato sul giradischi, regolazione dello zero sul peso, impostazione sui 2 grammi come suggerito dalla Audio Technica, e regolazione dell'antiskating su 2), ho accesso l'amplificatore e posto il primo LP sul piatto ........ L'ascolto di "Shine on you crazy diamond" ha rivelato con piacevole sorpresa dei dettagli sonori che quasi non ricordavo più, con una ottima definizione sulle alte frequenze e dei bassi ben presenti e controllati, con la restituzione di una scena sonora che ha reso veramente bene, con una dinamica molto buona, le chitarre di Davide Gilmour, con i tappeti di tastiere di Wright ed il Fender Precision bass di Roger Waters, con dei distinti e precisi acuti sui piatti e le incise e definite basi ritmiche di Nick Mason. In "The Wall" la resa dinamica, anche grazie all'eccellente registrazione di questo album, si è resa ancora più apprezzabile, ed è stato un vero piacere riascoltare un disco dall'inizio alla fine, come si faceva un tempo, quando non si saltava avanti e indietro sui vari brani . Sono soddisfatto dell'acquisto, e posso senz'altro consigliare la VM95E agli altri appassionati, anche a coloro che non definendosi audiofili vogliono utilizzare una ottimo prodotto, e che magari non avendo disponibilità economiche elevate, possono godersi con questa testina il piacere dell'ascolto dei loro dischi sapendo di avere fatto una buona scelta.

A classic in a upgraded suit. Sounds as good as its predecessor.