AT95E in action [Archive] - The Art of Sound Forum

Bwaze

15-01-2012, 14:39

Technics SL1210 MkII (not really seen) + AT95E in action. Shot by Canon EOS 5D MkII + Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro.

Lots of lint and dust everywhere! But the needle seems clear. :)

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k26/Bwaze/Turntable/IMG_5225-2.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k26/Bwaze/Turntable/IMG_5208.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k26/Bwaze/Turntable/IMG_5207.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k26/Bwaze/Turntable/IMG_5203.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k26/Bwaze/Turntable/IMG_5202.jpg

Marco

15-01-2012, 14:44

Very nice pics, Blaz... I particularly like the 1st and 2nd ones, which are well cool! :stalks:

Marco.

Interconnect

15-01-2012, 14:54

Awesome quality pictures!

Thats not dust! Im ashamed to say I have removed the odd 'dust bunny' from my needles in the past :lol:

prestonchipfryer

15-01-2012, 14:55

Blaz, I have to say your pictures are first-class. Well done.

John

TBL

15-01-2012, 15:47

2nd ed on the pics, what was the camera and lens? Cart seems way further forward in the headshell than is normal. Is it set correctly?

Bwaze

15-01-2012, 17:04

Cartridge was set up with VinylEngine Baerwald protractor, which puts the cartridge quite a bit more forward than Technics alignment tool (which has similar geometry to Stevenson alignment, I read).

Pics were shot with Canon EOS 5D MkII + Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro. I played a bit with "reverse monuting" a Sigma 50mm F1.4 EX DG HSM in front of Canon EF 100mm, and these are the results:

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k26/Bwaze/Turntable/IMG_5260.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k26/Bwaze/Turntable/IMG_5254.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k26/Bwaze/Turntable/IMG_5252.jpg

Not a microscope by a long shot, but interesting nonetheless!

Stylus type: 0.4 x 0.7 mil elliptical diamond stylus

I think you can actually see the difference between front to back radius (0.4 mil = 10.16 micrometers) to sideways radius (0.7 mil = 17.78 micrometers). Human hair is about 60 - 80 micrometers (2.3 - 3.1 mil) thick.

Marco

15-01-2012, 17:30

For me, WAY more interesting than a microscope!

Marco.

synsei

15-01-2012, 17:54

Those are excellent pics Blaz, you have some skills there bud ;)

The venerable AT95 is possibly the best super-budget cart out there. I used to use one on my old Thorens TD316 with an LPGear line contact stylus and it punched well above its weight. I wish I hadn't sold it with the deck because it would have been interesting to compare its performance with that of my current cart. For enhanced performance try superglueing the stylus housing to the cart body, it's a dirt cheap mod that tightens up the sound significantly...

baron

15-01-2012, 18:09

Fantastic pics, well done :)

Bwaze

15-01-2012, 18:14

New idea, stacked Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM + Sigma 50mm F1.4 EX DG HSM. Math shows 4 times the magnification at 200mm compared to bare 100mm macro lens. And the results:

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k26/Bwaze/Turntable/IMG_5275.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k26/Bwaze/Turntable/IMG_5274.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k26/Bwaze/Turntable/IMG_5273.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k26/Bwaze/Turntable/IMG_5264.jpg

:stalks:

Lots of unrepairable chromatic aberration, and depth of field is really small... Should have tried closing the aperture of 50mm lens... Next time, enough of playing for today.

Frankyc2003

15-01-2012, 18:18

very impressive indeed, what can be achieved with a 5D when you have an expert behind it! fascinating stuff...
It almost gets me tempted to put aside my next upgrade to spalsh out on a new camera!

Stacker45

15-01-2012, 18:35

Very nice shots,the AT95e really is,a great cartridge,talk about a no brainer

Bwaze

15-01-2012, 20:01

I believe I have now reached the limits of my equipment, nothing I do improves the sharpness. I have added Kenko 1.4x teleconverter, but it doesn't have much effect on magnification or image quality. So, mostly the same image quality and one new angle:

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k26/Bwaze/Turntable/IMG_5294.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k26/Bwaze/Turntable/IMG_5293.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k26/Bwaze/Turntable/IMG_5289.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k26/Bwaze/Turntable/IMG_5288.jpg

And please, I'm in no way an expert. :eek:

Reid Malenfant

15-01-2012, 20:06

Oh my god.... :stalks: :stalks: :stalks: :stalks:

Amazing!

Incredible pictures :D

Roy S

15-01-2012, 20:09

I'll bet it's a mock up that's twenty times the size of the original :youtheman:

synsei

15-01-2012, 20:17

I'll bet it's a mock up that's twenty times the size of the original :youtheman:

:lol::lol::lol: I'm sorry I couldn't help it, it just popped in there: (In HMV Birmingham) "Hi, do you stock 12 foot LP's???" :cool:

Roy S

15-01-2012, 20:32

_oint3j4HlA

synsei

15-01-2012, 20:45

:rfl::clap:

Ducatiist

15-01-2012, 21:40

Wow,

those photos are totally incredible. I only wish I had half the ability to capture pics of my equipment like that. Your obviously a very accomplished photographer, who knows how to to use his lenses and camera to its best.

I salute you sir, those photos are incredible.

Bwaze

15-01-2012, 21:51

Of course, if you wish to see similar pictures of conical/spherical and Shibata styli, you can send the cartridges to my address!

:D

flatpopely

15-01-2012, 22:10

Superb pics!

I'm going to have a go myself.

AT95e IMHO the only MM cart one should buy........runs for cover.

alex_san78

16-01-2012, 09:29

Grate pictures Blaz! Impressive quality.

What headshell are you using?

DSJR

16-01-2012, 09:43

Wonderful pics and thanks for sharing them :)

At KJ, we had a "Dual" made stylus microscope, which used to give similar images to the eye (and closer obviously). This device was still there in battered form in 1998 and should still be there, buried under piles of other stuff i should think :D The best I ever saw was an original Dynavector Diamond cartridge. The cantilever was better finished than most diamond tips of the period and as for the immaculate Shibata? stylus itself? beyond beautiful IMO.

Thank heavens for modern automated stylus grinding. That AT95 tip would put many an expensive Shure or Empire from the 1970's to shame :)

sq225917

16-01-2012, 11:57

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k26/Bwaze/Turntable/IMG_5275.jpg

That's as good a tip shot as I've seen, try messing with light incidence angle to really get a halo going behind it.

freefallrob

16-01-2012, 12:15

Very impressive and interesting stuff, cheers.

synsei

16-01-2012, 19:11

Before I fell foul of the Vinyl Engine Mafia a few years back there was a long running thread on VE concerning AT95 mods, and by all accounts they were achieving very impressive results with cart rebodies, stripped back bodies and stylus housings and replacement cantilevers and stylus retips. They were really going for it... :lol:

Bwaze

17-01-2012, 18:57

Tried "focus stacking" (blending photos with different focus points into one). Not very successfully, there's lots of artefacts, and the sharpness is often less due to blending... Have to try harder... :)

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k26/Bwaze/Turntable/Focusstackstran8.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k26/Bwaze/Turntable/Focusstackstran7.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k26/Bwaze/Turntable/Focusstackstran5.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k26/Bwaze/Turntable/Focusstackspredaj.jpg

Bwaze

17-01-2012, 20:09

New tries... Suddenly the needle doesn't seem so perfectly conical... :lol:

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k26/Bwaze/Turntable/Focusstackstran11.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k26/Bwaze/Turntable/Focusstackstran10.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k26/Bwaze/Turntable/Focusstackspredaj4.jpg

Reid Malenfant

17-01-2012, 20:16

I'm stunned at the detail you are getting :stalks: :stalks: :stalks: :eek:

You say you aren't a professional :scratch:

Either you are lucky or you are one gifted amateur :eyebrows:

Bwaze

17-01-2012, 20:24

If I would show you my setup you wouldn't mistake me for a professional, trust me. :D

It's all very very amateurish, and I'm not the first person to try stacking the reversed prime lens on top of 70-200mm... Luckily, the subject matter is exactly the thing this setup is able to take photo of - something very tiny that can be placed very close in front of lens.

Table light on top of cartridge to help focusing - it gets very dark, even though both lenses have huge openings... And there are the sheets of paper for directing the light from flash - I don't have an off camera flash cord, so I have to improvise. Not a pretty sight. So I won't take photo of it.

Reid Malenfant

17-01-2012, 20:29

The thing is though you get results :D Ok, so a pro could do better with better kit, but I find it remarkable the images you are getting :)

Elephantears

17-01-2012, 22:46

This is cartridge porn, no other words for it. Brilliant.

Would be fascinating to see pictures of more carts done by this method.

MartinT

18-01-2012, 07:12

Phenomenal pictures, Blaz. Very impressive.

freefallrob

18-01-2012, 09:48

WOW!

sangkeun

20-01-2012, 21:00

Cool~

chris@panteg

25-01-2012, 11:34

Great photo's Blaze !

May i suggest getting the HE stylus from LPgear as an upgrade ? I ask this as i bought the 95HE direct from them last year but i never heard it with the stock stylus , the HE does seem to be very good though currently its in a box as I'm running a "precept" 550ML , but thinking of putting the 95HE back in soon to compare .

DSJR

25-01-2012, 15:33

The basic non OFC generator did stirling service for Linn in four models (Basik, K5, K9 and K18 but with similar internals I understand), so no reason why the HE couldn't lift it very high indeed :)

synsei

25-01-2012, 18:45