anyone personal experience of replacing / upgrading an Audio Technica AT95E?

[stephen_matthews_uk]

Hi, I have an aging Audio Technica AT95E in a Rega RB250 arm on an early PT turntable, it's due at the very least for a new stylus but I'm considering replacing the whole cartridge, I don't want to lose the AT zip and verve but are maybe a little more smoother? I don't want to change the overall balance of my system greatly. Will need to be a MM not MC, less than £100 ideally

Many thanks, Steve

 

[Anonymous]

The AT120E is a touch smoother and can be bought for well under £100. You might also consider an upgraded AT95E from william thakker - same bounce and verve, more detail.

If you want to try something smoother there's the Shure M97xe, again going cheaply from Herr Thakker, though you will miss out on the bounce factor.

The ultimate in smooth is the Grado Premium range, but you do miss out on a little bit of treble. Unbeatable midrange, however.

 

[Anonymous]

I replaced a similar cartridge with a AT 110 which was a good improvement, I have now put an old ADC XLM in that I found in a junk shop for a fiver 🙂

blimey .... I suppose a good second hand one of these would be under a ton.. needs a proper stylus though, the cheap replacements are not as good as the original items.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NOS-ADC-Integra-XLM1-Phono-Cartridge-w-Stylus-/160503982622?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item255ec86a1e

£50 + post , they have 1 left .. its a Mk1 though, the 3 is a bit better and the stylus more robust.. the early ones still sound great but were a tad delicate apparently.. but mine has survived a couple of years and has not fallen apart or bent yet. And it sounds great