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Review on Enhance Your Vinyl Experience with Audio-Technica VMN30EN Elliptical Nude Replacement Turntable Stylus in Orange by Joseph Whiteman

Revainrating 5 out of 5

Significant improvement over elliptical, no hiss

I have an AT100E cartridge (predecessor to VM520EB) which is now discontinued. The included elliptical stylus was slightly damaged so I replaced it with a Microline stylus. Improvements: 0 sibilance, less surface hiss, very low internal distortion (0 distortion elsewhere), more punchy extended bass, less harsh highs with more micro detail. The sound profile is analytically neutral with hints of brightness and excellent sound stage/separation. Line contact pins are said to be difficult to set up, but I've had good results simply by doing a Berwald alignment with no VTA/azimuth adjustment. The AT100E+VMN40ML (essentially the VM540ML) features a Technics S-arm direct drive with 2.0-2.1g of downforce and 1.75 anti-skating.

Pros
  • Lots of positive vibes
Cons
  • No power