Audio Technica ATVMN95SH Replacement Shibata Stylus
This diamond stylus is designed for the Audio Technica AT-VM95SH Moving Magnet Cartridge. A diamond stylus should perform at its best for around 1,000 hours which, if you play records for 1 hour a day, works out to almost 3 years. After 1,000 hours the diamond stylus will start wearing down and sound quality will start to drop off. This is the time to replace your stylus.
Fortunately, the design of the Audio Technica AT-VM95 Cartridge Series means it’s easy to simply remove the stylus assembly including the plastic surround and fit a new stylus. Another great feature of the AT-VM95 Series is that you can upgrade or change the level of performance simply by changing to a different grade of stylus. You can choose from Conical, Elliptical, Nude Elliptical, Microlinear or Shibata, depending on how much you are willing to spend and whether your turntable is good enough to show the difference a better stylus can make. If you are in doubt, you can always talk to one of our turntable specialists for expert advice.
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.