Audio Technica Styli Information

Audio Technica Moving Magnet Cartridges make it easy to simply remove the stylus assembly including the plastic surround and fit a new stylus. Within the VMx range, the VM95 range and the older VM range you can upgrade or change the level of performance simply by changing to a different grade of stylus. You can choose from Conical, Elliptical, Microlinear, Shibata or Special Line Contact profiles as well as round or square shank and bonded or nude mounting. These terms may not mean much to you yet, so we have outlined all the options below to help you make the correct choice.

Stylus Options

Here is some information on the different stylus types, which shank style is best and also whether you should go for bonded or nude. So many choices.

Conical Stylus: The conical stylus is the simplest and most widely used stylus. Its spherical tip normally touches the centre of the record groove walls. A conical stylus works best for low to moderately priced turntables and audio setups. It is also ideal for mono (vinyl with one channel) and older 78 RPM records. However, its shape prevents it from making detailed contact with much of the record groove walls, resulting in less fidelity.

Elliptical Stylus: The elliptical stylus has two radii, the front radius being wider than the side radius. The front radius rides in the centre of the groove like the conical, while the smaller side radius makes more contact with the groove walls. More contact with the record groove walls delivers a higher level of fidelity.

Microlinear Stylus: The Microlinear stylus almost exactly duplicates the shape of the cutting stylus that produces the original master disc (the disc used to create the pressed vinyl record). This likeness enables the Microlinear stylus to track portions of the groove other styli cannot reach, resulting in extremely accurate tracing of high-frequency passages and a flat frequency response within the audible range. The unique multilevel shape also wears more evenly, greatly extending record and stylus life.

Shibata Stylus: The Shibata stylus was originally developed to play four-channel (quadraphonic) vinyl records. The Shibata stylus has two radii, similar to an elliptical stylus. However, the radii of a Shibata stylus allow for more surface contact and effective pickup of ultra-high frequencies with less groove stress and distortion.

Special Line Contact Stylus: The special line contact stylus is shaped to track the record groove with the highest level of precision, resulting in excellent high-frequency response, low distortion and minimum abrasion. The special line contact stylus makes more surface contact than any other stylus shape. It should be noted that due to its high-fidelity, the line contact stylus may produce more noise on heavily worn records. The line contact tip is used on our higher-end cartridges.

Round or Square Shank? The stylus shank is the piece that connects the tip to the cantilever. A round shank can be more difficult to align when it is affixed to the cantilever. Proper alignment is needed in order to position the stylus tip precisely in the record groove.

Square shank styli cost more to make than round shank styli, but mounting them in laser-cut square holes in the cantilever locks them in precise alignment with the record groove.

Bonded or Nude? In a bonded (or jointed) stylus, a diamond tip is glued on a metal shank that is itself glued into the hole of the cantilever. While less expensive to manufacture, this construction may increase the mass of the overall tip and affect transient response compared with a nude stylus where the tip and shank are constructed from a single piece of diamond.

Nude styli, shaped from whole diamonds, are more costly than bonded styli. Their lower mass allows nude styli to track more accurately. Also, since Audio Technica’s nude styli are grain-oriented, with their longest-wearing faces touching the record surface, they last longer.

The Audio Technica AT-VMx Cartridge Series

Here is a list of the Audio Technica AT-VMx Cartridges and the stylus types they come with as standard. Remember, all VMx models have removable styli and the same body design, enabling vinyl enthusiasts to interchange and upgrade any VMx cartridge with any VMNx stylus type (excluding mono models).

AT-VM510xCB Moving Magnet Cartridge - AT-VMN10xCB Conical Bonded Round Shank Diamond Stylus with Aluminium Cantilever

AT-VM520xEB Moving Magnet Cartridge - AT-VMN20xEB Elliptical Bonded Round Shank Diamond Stylus with Aluminium Cantilever

AT-VM530xEN Moving Magnet Cartridge - AT-VMN30xEN Elliptical Nude Round Shank Diamond Stylus with Aluminium Cantilever

AT-VM740xML Moving Magnet Cartridge - AT-VMN40xML Microlinear Nude Square Shank Diamond Stylus with Tapered Aluminium Cantilever

AT-VM745xML Moving Magnet Cartridge - AT-VMN45xML Microlinear Nude Square Shank Diamond Stylus with Solid Boron Cantilever

AT-VM750xSH Moving Magnet Cartridge - AT-VMN50xSH Shibata Nude Square Shank Diamond Stylus with Solid Boron Cantilever

AT-VM760xSL Moving Magnet Cartridge - AT-VMN60xSL Special Line Contact Nude Square Shank Diamond Stylus with Solid Boron Cantilever

The Audio Technica AT-VM95 Cartridge Series

Here is a list of the Audio Technica AT-VM95 Cartridges and the stylus types they come with as standard. Remember, all VM95 models have removable styli and the same body design, enabling vinyl enthusiasts to interchange and upgrade any VM95 cartridge with any VMN95 stylus type.

AT-VM95C Moving Magnet Cartridge - AT-VMN95C Conical Bonded Round Shank Diamond Stylus

AT-VM95E Moving Magnet Cartridge - AT-VMN95E Elliptical Bonded Round Shank Diamond Stylus

AT-VM95EN Moving Magnet Cartridge - AT-VMN95EN Elliptical Nude Round Shank Diamond Stylus

AT-VM95ML Moving Magnet Cartridge - AT-VMN95ML Microlinear Nude Square Shank Diamond Stylus

AT-VM95SH Moving Magnet Cartridge - AT-VMN95SH Shibata Nude Square Shank Diamond Stylus

The Audio Technica VM Cartridge Series

Here is a list of the Audio Technica VM Cartridges and the stylus types they come with as standard. Remember, all VM models have removable styli and the same body shape, enabling vinyl enthusiasts to interchange and upgrade any VM cartridge with any VMN stylus type. Even though this is a discontinued series you can use the new VMNx styli listed above on any VM cartridge.

VM510CB Moving Magnet Cartridge - VMN10CB Conical Bonded Round Shank Diamond Stylus

VM520EB/H Moving Magnet Cartridge/Headshell Combo - VMN20EB Elliptical Bonded Round Shank Diamond Stylus

VM530EN/H Moving Magnet Cartridge/Headshell Combo - VMN30EN Elliptical Nude Round Shank Diamond Stylus

VM740ML Moving Magnet Cartridge - VMN40ML Microlinear Nude Square Shank Diamond Stylus

VM750SH Moving Magnet Cartridge - VMN50SH Shibata Nude Square Shank Diamond Stylus

VM760SLC Moving Magnet Cartridge - VMN60SLC Special Line Contact Nude Square Shank Diamond Stylus

The Right Choice

Whether you choose a Conical, Elliptical, Microlinear, Shibata or Special Line Contact stylus will depend on how much you are willing to spend and whether your turntable and system are good enough to show the difference a better stylus can make. If you are in doubt, you can always talk to one of Audio Trends’ Turntable Specialists for expert advice.