LP Tunes AT95SA Phono Cartridge
- Probably 10x better than the AT95E.
Renowned as the best buy in cartridges and probably 10x better than the AT95E1, the LP Tunes AT95SA phono cartridge delivers pinnacle performance offering discerning listeners musical bounty impeccably graced from the record grooves by its highly polished Shibata diamond stylus. The LP Tunes AT95SA is designed for audiophile quality listening and for converting records to digital when the intent is to listen to digitized music as you would the original record or LP.
Developed by LP Tunes, the AT95SA phono cartridge is the culmination of over a year's research, development and testing of many styli and designs from various manufacturers. The critical and comparative advantage is the use of a newly reincarnated Shibata diamond each exquisitely polished with precision and then carefully mounted on a thin wall Zualum tubular cantilever for natural sound quality, long playing life and exceptional tracing of record grooves. Due to the Shibata's exceptional extractive capability, it was recommended for quadraphonic, quad, CD-4 audio systems and was used in highly acclaimed phono cartridges such as the Grace F9L, Stanton 881S, and Audio-Technica AT20SS. (In 2008, the Shibata diamond was employed by another cartridge manufacturer and is offering a cartridge of similar stature in excess of $700.00.)
The result supreme musical accuracy, harmonic purity and faithfulness to the original recording. While there are newer designs under different nomenclatures promising better parametric performance, we believe based on our ears and many others we trust that the Shibata-based LP Tunes AT95SA divines music with faithful accuracy, coherence and elegance.
Paul Szabady in Stereotimes March, 2007 had this to say regarding the LP Tunes AT95SA phono cartridge.
"The LP Tunes AT95SA and its Shibata stylus gets you more high frequency detail and resolution, without any attendant artificial brightness or edge. High frequencies sound silky and sweet, yet still cast clarifying light on the frequencies below, sharpening timbral acuity and bringing out more detail and nuance of performance. The basic rhythmic skills of the AT95E are not compromised, are, in fact, improved, as the AT95SA sounds even quicker on its feet and is more capable of rendering subtleties of performance technique. The increase in bandwidth and resolution clarifies orchestral instrumental timbre significantly, thus making Classical LPs as communicative as Rock and Roll albums."
"The AT95SA becomes my reference for inexpensive cartridges."
LP Tunes AT95SA Phono Cartridge Details
- Output voltage @ 1kHz, 5cm/sec.: 3.0mV
- Channel balance: Within 2dB
- Channel separation @ 1kHz: > 22dB
- Frequency response: 20Hz-22kHz
- Load resistance: 47k ohms
- Load capacitance 100-200 pf
- Stylus type: Shibata diamond
- Tracking force range: 1.5-2.5 g
- Tracking force recommended: 2 g (20 mN)
- Vertical tracking angle: 20
- Coil impedance @ 1kHz: 2.8k ohms
- Coil inductance @ 1kHz: 400 mH
- Color: Black/Gray
- Weight: 6.6 g
- Dimensions (mm): 30.5l x 17w x 17.20h
- Stylus replacement: LP Tunes ATN95SA
Note: Details are subject to change without notice.
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1 Michael Fremer, "Nine Cartridges Reviewed, Compared and File Identities Revealed!", Analog Planet, August 22, 2013.
