Audio Technica AT95Ex
I ordered an Audio Technica AT95Ex pickup cartridge because of all the good hype I read about it, and with the intention, when funds permit, of “up-grading” it with an ATN-95VL stylus from LP Gear. This stylus has a .0002 x .0030 inch tip compared to the .0003 x .0007 tip of the stylus supplied by Audio Technica. That’s what LP gear say, anyway. I already had a Shure M97xE which was my go-to cartridge for most things, so I will compare the two. I know that Shure no longer manufacture pickup cartridges, so I am fortunate to have obtained one before there are no stocks to be had.
Audio Technica pack the the AT95Ex in a vacuum formed plastic bubble within a small cardboard box - nothing like the aluminuim case that Shure supply with the M97xE. There are no tools or accessories supplied either - no stylus brush or screwdriver. Just two sets of different length aluminium screws and nuts and two plastic washers.
I mounted the AT95EX in an Audio Technica headshell, for no other reason other than I had one handy. It was easy to mount and to set the overhang and VTA for my JVC-Z1s tonearm on my JVC-QL7 turntable. I initially set the tracking force to two grams as per the enclosed instruction sheet but later backed it off to 1.5g. The cartridge will require some 50 hours of use to properly bed in, but I did some comparative listening regardless. I compared it to my Shure M97xE using a proof pressing of James Lasts "Music From Across The Way" on Polydor PD5505 and "Das Wunshkonzert" on DGG 2721073 (Overture to Carmen and Chopin's Polonaise). I particularly like using the James Last album because I happened to be in in the studios in Hamburg when this was recorded and I heard some of the tracks live.
My comments regarding the differences between the two cartridges are totally subjective, and apply to what I heard on my particular system and in my living room and I am nitpicking here. Your mileage may vary.
To my ear the AT95EX has a more open soundstage than the Shure. While I can place the percussion to the right with the Shure, I can place it to the right and behind the brass with the AT. The AT has better attack and timing but the Shure has better low end balance. (not more low end, just smoother.) The mid range of both cartridges are difficult to tell apart, but I haven't had a chance to compare them with vocals. On the high end, things like cymbals sound slightly more "present" with the AT, and softer with the Shure. Listening to the piano in Chopin's Polonaise, I can actually hear the soft "thock" of the hammers striking the strings of the piano with the AT and but it sounds like my head is inside the piano, whereas with the Shure, the piano is front and centre of the sound stage, probably where it should be.
After burn-in: The AT cartridge with OEM stylus is Andre’ Rieu and the Johan Strauss orchestra. The Shure M97xE is Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic. Ya pays ya money and takes ya choice.
I am impressed and pleased with the Audio Technica AT95Ex. It has a joie de vivre that the Shure lacks. At this price point, who could ask for more?
GrahamS - It's not what you hear that counts, it's what you think you hear........
Present Kit: NAD 326BEE, NAD C515BEE CD player, JVC QL-7 DD turntable, JVC Tonearm, Shure M97Ve, Audio Technica AT95EX, Pickering V15, JVC Z1E, Wharfedale Diamond 230s, Visual Rio interconnects and My Ears.