View Full Version : Has anybody tried an AT95E with a shibata stylus?
If so, what did you think of it?
Reviews I have read have suggested that it is 10 times better than an AT95E, but I am interested in real world experiences.
hifi_dave
17-02-2014, 15:23
I thought it was only 9.5 times better.
I ran an AT95 with an LPGear Hyper-elliptical on a Thorens TD316/Linn LVX combo for a while and the HE stylus transformed the performance of the AT95. Better resolution (one should expect this), better PRaT, wider, deeper soundstage and better imaging over the standard stylus, I liked it a lot. Never tried the Shibata though...
Thanks for the response.
Are there any cartridges you have used that you could compare the performance/sound of the HE with?
Thanks for the response.
Are there any cartridges you have used that you could compare the performance/sound of the HE with?
Not with the TD316 Kevin, however just before I sold my SL1210 I was running a Goldring G820 on my SME Ssries III and it was the best sounding cart of the three I ran on that combo by a country mile, the other two carts being a rare Goldring G900IGC and a Denon DL160. To be fair to the Denon though an MC cart in an ultra-low mass arm isn't exactly a match made in heaven... :lol:
albertan
08-03-2014, 05:48
An Audio Technica AT 144 cartridge would be less hassle than jiggering what has to be an analogue best buy. They can be found every where.
Thanks for the suggestion.
I just had a look for one in Europe and I could not find one?
I'm thinking of buying the Thakker supplied Jico SA stylus this month.
The LP gear will attract import duty, and it's probably the same stylus.
CageyH
i have bought the LP Gear and it was a pleasant surprise (if you prefer this style of posting, amazing, night and early morning etc). well worth it.
Do not surmise too much. It's a great ego boost to be right but mine did not require any payment other than VAT. Maybe they heard I do not use AoS very much now and were treating me. Of course if they find you are a heavy AoS user you may get stung for the import tax too.
Delivery was speedy.
Best of luck
its an expensive stylus but i want to try one i have to say. been on my wish list for a while now
ive used the HE and its much better than the stock stylus,the SA is better still but not alot of difference from the HE,best bang for your money is the HE.
It's been a while since I thought about buying the Shibata stylus for the AT95E and I have finally got round to it.
It arrived yesterday without having attracted any unwanted attention on it's journey through customs etc. so remains a reasonable purchase.
I have to say it's a pleasant surprise. It's a big upgrade for anyone with the AT95E.
I wanted something I could swap quickly from the AT95E for a listening session when the nieces and nephews are staying here on holiday. It means I don't have to worry about them getting inquisitive with my MC cartridges.
Sure, it's not as good as some of my other cartridges, but it is superb value for money for the performance that is on offer.
Ive got the shibata on my at95.. Its very good indeed. The he is decent too, and for the cost at time i did it, the he was better value although not as good as a shibata. It does show however, just how good the at95 is, which is surprising considering its very modest price
I have been happily listening to it in my system for a few hours now.
It does seem to be very good. I only wish that the stylus had come with a guard.
I am planning on using the AT95 one, but it would not have been difficult/expensive to supply one.
Yes, the standard at95e guard fits fine.
Ammonite Audio
09-07-2016, 10:15
It would be genuinely interesting to know how a Shibata equipped AT95 compares to Audio Technica's own Shibata tipped AT150SA which has a rather fine overall specification and ought to be a great deal better in every respect. The AT150SA is not outlandishly priced and does IMO sit at or near the pinnacle of MM cartridges available today, irrespective of cost.
Firebottle
09-07-2016, 10:47
I have to say it's a pleasant surprise. It's a big upgrade for anyone with the AT95E.
Excellent Kevin, a good 'safety' move by the sound of it.
:)
It would be genuinely interesting to know how a Shibata equipped AT95 compares to Audio Technica's own Shibata tipped AT150SA which has a rather fine overall specification and ought to be a great deal better in every respect. The AT150SA is not outlandishly priced and does IMO sit at or near the pinnacle of MM cartridges available today, irrespective of cost.
It would be interesting to know, as the AT150SA is almost double the price.
Excellent Kevin, a good 'safety' move by the sound of it.
:)
Still not cheap, as the shibata for it is about 120£ or was when i got it from the states
Ammonite Audio
09-07-2016, 12:09
It would be interesting to know, as the AT150SA is almost double the price.
Yes, but the AT150SA is still a reasonably priced cartridge by any standard, so the increment is perhaps not so great in £ terms.
I recently bought the LP gear AT95VL Cart
http://www.lpgear.com/product/LPGAT95VL.html
Hey! at 100$.. not a big risk ;)
10 min setup using a protractor etc...V easy actually.
Yess it works as advertised. Sounding better than my Old Shures: v15, 95he and Grados. By a lot actually.
Unlikely I will be refitting those again.. ever.
Good bass and genuinely extended highs, with detail / resolution that was Never heard.. previously.
I suspect that on an unbalanced system it could tend to bright.. not so on mine.. mercifully
Subsequently fitted my diy cobble up Phono. for another decided upstep in clarity.
Improbable that I will be buying /trying for 'better' sounds.. There is long history of the cleaning lady destroying cantilevers in my house.
Consequently 100$ is ALL I'm willing to sacrifice to neurotic cleaning.
I recently bought the LP gear AT95VL Cart
http://www.lpgear.com/product/LPGAT95VL.html
Hey! at 100$.. not a big risk ;)
10 min setup using a protractor etc...V easy actually.
Yess it works as advertised. Sounding better than my Old Shures: v15, 95he and Grados. By a lot actually.
Unlikely I will be refitting those again.. ever.
Good bass and genuinely extended highs, with detail / resolution that was Never heard.. previously.
I suspect that on an unbalanced system it could tend to bright.. not so on mine.. mercifully
Subsequently fitted my diy cobble up Phono. for another decided upstep in clarity.
Improbable that I will be buying /trying for 'better' sounds.. There is long history of the cleaning lady destroying cantilevers in my house.
Consequently 100$ is ALL I'm willing to sacrifice to neurotic cleaning.
paulf-2007
09-07-2016, 20:03
The AT95 is astonishing at its price point there's no denying that. I fitted mine in an aluminium body but haven't potted it in resin yet so probably the reason it's not noticeably better. As I have a Benz word SL, lovely, Denon 103, the jury is still out, SAE 1000LT, very good when set up with the right step up etc and Victor Z1S, another budget cart that performs well I really don't want to throw money at a budget cart like an AT95 but it's interesting to read what you all think about the options available. I did buy a new stylus for my AT after bending the original and was probably 3/4 the price of a complete cart but the jico stylus is 4 and a bit times the price of the cart I think.
Hmmm Although I don't own one Or intend to :-) I've been told that the SAS tip AT95 is of Arguably Identical performance to the LP gear VL version stylus one.
for Me the main inducement of the Vivid Line grind is it's 4X ! claimed lifespan over the pedestrian 95 stylus .
What is perhaps even more interesting is this thing :
https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT92ECD-Universal-Replacement-Cartridge/dp/B00006HO3L/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468103131&sr=8-1&keywords=AT92ecd
This almost certainly as good as a regular 95. Fair guess that only the externals differ.
However the pmount is it's Achille's heel.. it needs a diy solution.
I used Glaziers' double sided Foam tape to mount it. No screws.
Easy,as permanent as one wishes it to be, effective and also neatly decouples the cart from the headshell /arm. Lotsa bonuses.
:eyebrows: 20$ is even easier to 'risk'
Why not get a p-mount adapter?
After a hectic day trip to Hamburg (which involved me oversleeping and nearly missing the flight :doh:) I am sat down relaxing, with the AT95SA doing the duties, and it is thoroughly enjoyable to listen to. The rest of the family is away, so I get a chance to wind the wick up a little, and I am not disappointed with the purchase.
do you travel to germany a lot?
A fair bit, but don't have time to leave the company site.
Its a great pairing. Mine is only not currently being used as I am using my shure 55... I kept it over an ort 25fl
Had a holiday way back in Hamburg... although rebuilt, its a lovely, well orginised place.
no worries,rumor has it that the turntable needles and lpgear stylus's are made by jico,if i remember correctly its the blue dot that gives it away.
just to add another option in the mix,before i went to the HE stylus i bought a replacement standard stylus from jico,that was also better than the AT bog standard stylus.i still have it if anyone's desperate.:)
The AT95 is astonishing at its price point there's no denying that. I fitted mine in an aluminium body but haven't potted it in resin yet so probably the reason it's not noticeably better. As I have a Benz word SL, lovely, Denon 103, the jury is still out, SAE 1000LT, very good when set up with the right step up etc and Victor Z1S, another budget cart that performs well I really don't want to throw money at a budget cart like an AT95 but it's interesting to read what you all think about the options available. I did buy a new stylus for my AT after bending the original and was probably 3/4 the price of a complete cart but the jico stylus is 4 and a bit times the price of the cart I think.
Paul,
Where did you get the aluminium body from?
I have just bought a Cocobolo body, as I am interested to see how far the humble cartridge can be pushed.
If you read American forums the general consensus is they all come from jico
The bodies?
I see some are from Germany, and others from Hong Kong.
There is a big price difference, so I don't think they all come from Jico.
I have also read that the AT95 will fit nicely in the 103 body. The only issue is that this might be like putting lipstick on a pig.
loveoscar
13-12-2016, 12:20
Or a pig putting on lipstick.
The bodies?
I see some are from Germany, and others from Hong Kong.
There is a big price difference, so I don't think they all come from Jico.
I have also read that the AT95 will fit nicely in the 103 body. The only issue is that this might be like putting lipstick on a pig.
No in talking about the AT HE and SA from the likes of lp gear etc.
The sa is a big upgrade, a bit like same on a e55 i presume. I like mine
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/290/31594985222_f5448a4063_z_d.jpg
The lipstick has been put on the pig....
brian2957
19-12-2016, 12:33
:lol: Well ! Does it make it any prettier :)
It does not sound like an AT95 now. It sounds much better...
brian2957
19-12-2016, 12:37
So not oink oink then mate :D
Sorry couldn't help it ...:rolleyes:
It this with a new wooden body and a new stylus Kevin ?
Not tried a wood body. Is it easy to fit, or do you need skills? Lol
It's a wooden body on my AT95 fitted with the LP gear AT95SA stylus.
You have to remove the screw holding the generator assembly to the plastic mount, transfer the generator across into the wooden body, where it is a push fit.
It's not as good as my EPC-U205 in the midrange, but it is very pleasant.
Not tried a wood body. Is it easy to fit, or do you need skills? Lol
Grant,
I think you would quite like the results.
It is worth trying if you have some spare cash. It sounds pretty good to my ears.
Grant,
I think you would quite like the results.
It is worth trying if you have some spare cash. It sounds pretty good to my ears.
Found a spare at95 body i can try with, in case i cock up. May buy one for trying. Would look good under my hs4 carbon shell
Thanks
Bought an AT95VL (LPGear.com's vividline tip)
Cheap, works well.. surprisingly so actually.
Bettering any and All Shures and Grados in my collection. Not a big claim though as those were/are mehhh carts .
Did mount My AT using double sided Foam glaziers' tape.
Which made a small but audible improvement over screw mounting it
I see they do a paratrace version as well. Presumably by ESCO?
http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/The-95P-Paratrace-Upgrade-Stylus-Assembly-for-the-AT-95E-AT95E-MM-Cartridge-/252679451711?hash=item3ad4de743f%3Ag%3AFL0AAOSw5cN YJ25B&_trkparms=pageci%253A9f0799d2-cc64-11e6-9052-74dbd180cf63%257Cparentrq%253A4199e5181590a2a235e9 9183ffd00afa%257Ciid%253A1
What VTF are you guys using? 2.0?
Yes, 2.0g VTF.
The paratrace version looks interesting.
I fitted my AT95SA last week as the family were coming to help tile the terrace. This includes three inquisitive nieces, so I figured I could quickly swap the stylus just before they arrived, and if I wanted to or had time to listen to music, I could put the Shibata back on.
I have to say that I am in no hurry to change it back for an MC cartridge right now. Sure, it is not as good as the AT33PTG/II, the Hana SL or the upgraded Denon DL-103, but it is really not that far off.
The sound of this in the wooden body is lovely. It has good tight bass, nice midrange and the treble does not shriek at you, but sounds just right. A lovely balanced sound. It has lovely detail from the Shibata stylus and the boogie factor of the AT95.
I think this will stay on for a while longer....
Not yet tried a wood body but agree the sa makes a huge diffference to the cart. I always quite liked the humble at, but with the sa on its not so humble. Really quite refined, yet punches out the music with rhythm.
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