cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/35581545

I’ve had my JVC L-A10 for about 2 years now and have never replaced the stylus. I have no idea how old it is or how much use it has had before me. Always meant to get around to it at that time is now.

I’m looking for advice on which stylus to choose, it currently seems to have an Audio Technica AT-91 cartridge with an ATN-91 stylus (yellow).

My options are:

My vinyl collection is a mixed bag, some well looked after in great condition, others charity shop finds with plenty of wear.

My understanding is a spherical stylus like the ATN-91R would be more forgiving with the worn records but I’ve also seen people say the elliptical ones should get into the groove deeper and avoid the wear.

So what would I be better putting my money into?

Or should I go for a AT-VM95E for £40 and swap the whole cartridge?

Is there something else in a similar price range I’ve overlooked?

  • Lorindól@sopuli.xyz
    2·
    7 months ago

    A few years back I replaced the original cartridge of my Dual 1225 with the AT-VM95E and I have no complaints. The 95E is a good basic cartridge and might be well worth trying out.

    My experience is that spherical stylus skips less with worn records, but is a bit lacking with the overall clarity. Just check the specs and make sure that the needleweight is set correctly and wear shouldn’t be an issue.