Audio Technica AT-VM95SP

Audio-Technica AT-VM95SP: the cartridge dedicated to 78 rpm records

Before the vinyl LP and its 1948 revolution, millions of shellac records were spinning at 78 revolutions per minute on gramophones around the world. Those 1920s jazz recordings, pre-war classical music, and early blues remain today as irreplaceable sound documents. The AT-VM95SP belongs to Audio-Technica’s VM95 range and is aimed at those who want to bring these fragile archives back to life using modern, reliable equipment that is perfectly calibrated for the specificities of the format.

A stylus calibrated for wide grooves

78 rpm records have much wider grooves than modern LPs: where an LP has grooves about 1 mil wide, a typical shellac disc ranges between 2.5 and 4 mil depending on its production era. The AT-VM95SP features a 3 mil conical diamond stylus, a judicious compromise that covers the vast majority of pressings made between 1920 and 1955.

This generous curvature radius allows the diamond to track higher up in the groove, away from the debris and wear that have accumulated at the bottom after decades of playback with the metal needles of old phonographs. On heavily played records, this geometry significantly reduces surface noise and distortion compared with a finer 2.5 mil stylus. The diamond is bonded to a round shank, fitted to a tubular aluminum cantilever, a proven construction that promotes both rigidity and low moving mass.

VM technology serving archival work

Despite the monaural nature of 78 rpm recordings, the AT-VM95SP is a stereo cartridge. This design choice is deliberate: it meets the needs of both professional and amateur archiving. With two independent channels (left and right), the user can select the side that shows fewer defects on a worn record, or combine both signals in an optimized way to reduce background noise. Some phono preamplifiers dedicated to restoration work make precise use of this capability.

The generator uses Audio-Technica’s VM (Vertical Magnet) technology: two small magnets in a V shape mirror the angular configuration of the cutting head used during the original mastering. This architecture allows precise groove tracking and good channel separation—qualities that are especially valuable when working to minimize sonic artifacts on vintage media.

Tracking force and mechanical compatibility

The AT-VM95SP requires a tracking force between 4.5 and 5.5 grams, with a nominal setting of 5 grams. These values, much higher than those of cartridges for LP records (typically 1.5 to 2.5 g), are explained by the nature of the medium: shellac discs are stiffer and their deeper grooves tolerate, and even require, higher pressure for stable tracking. Even so, this weight remains infinitely gentler than the 100 to 200 grams applied by the mechanical tonearms of period gramophones.

The cartridge body uses the standard half-inch mount (1/2” spacing), compatible with the vast majority of modern tonearms. Audio-Technica has integrated threaded inserts into the low-resonance polymer body: two screws are all you need to fix the cartridge to the headshell, with no nuts or washers required. This practical detail considerably simplifies installation and replacement.

A body interchangeable with the entire VM95 range

The AT-VM95SP shares its body with the five other models in the VM95 series. This standardization means you can replace only the stylus rather than the entire cartridge when the diamond reaches the end of its life (around 500 hours for a conical stylus). It also opens the door to a certain versatility: the same body can alternately accommodate a 78 rpm stylus and an LP stylus (conical, elliptical, Microline or Shibata), depending on listening needs. For those with a tonearm featuring a detachable headshell, the AT-VM95SP/H version, pre-mounted on an AT-HS6BK die-cast aluminum headshell, offers an even quicker solution for switching between vintage and modern records.

A few practical considerations

Playing 78 rpm records on a modern turntable requires some adjustments beyond the cartridge itself. The turntable must offer a 78 rpm speed, an option missing from many entry-level models. Moreover, the RIAA pre-emphasis curve, standard since 1954 for LP records, does not match the curves used before that date: each label then applied its own equalization. A standard RIAA phono preamplifier will provide acceptable but not optimal results; an equalizer or a multi-curve phono preamp will allow you to fine-tune the playback.

Audio-Technica recommends engaging the mono function on the preamplifier when playing 78 rpm records, in order to combine the two channels and reduce noise. If this function is not available, some audiophiles use software equalization after digitization to reconstruct the original curve and clean up the signal.

The recommended load impedance is 47 kΩ, combined with a capacitance of 100 to 200 pF—standard values for MM phono inputs. The 2.7 mV output voltage (measured at 1 kHz, 5 cm/s) is sufficient for most phono preamplifiers on the market.

Cartridge with conical bonded diamond (LP format)

• Generator type: Moving magnet (MM)
• 3 mil stylus allowing a reduction of surface noise on worn records compared to a 2.5 mil stylus
• Aluminum cantilever
• Output voltage 2.7mV
• Body compatible with all VM95 Series replacement styli

Specifications

• Cartridge type VM Stereo Dual Magnet
• Mounting 1/2” centers
• Frequency Response 20 - 20,000 Hz
• Channel Balance 1.5 dB (1 kHz)
• Output Voltage 2.7 mV (@ 1 kHz, 5 cm/sec)
• Vertical Tracking Angle 23°
• Vertical Tracking Force 4.5 - 5.5g (standard 5.0g)
• Stylus Shape SP 3 mil Conical Bonded
• Stylus Size 3 mil
• Stylus Construction Bonded Round Shank
• Cantilever Aluminum Pipe
• Coil Impedance 3.3 kΩ (1 kHz)
• Coil Inductance 550 mH (1 kHz)
• DC Resistance 485 Ω
• Static Compliance 12 x 10 – 6 cm / dyne
• Dynamic Compliance 2 x 10 – 6 cm / dyne (100 Hz)
• Wire Used for Coil T.P. Copper
• Recommended Load Impedance 47,000 Ω
• Recommended Load Capacitance 100-200 pF

General

• Cartridge Weight 6.1g
• Dimensions 17.2 x 18.9 x 28.3 (H x W x D mm)
• Replacement Stylus AT-VMN95SP