Being new to terms of capacitance (and having much more to learn), can anyone shed light on why Yamaha would spec their phono stage at 470pF? And I've no doubt I'm missing a lot, but if capacitance is of such importance why aren't those specs easier to find? Maybe better suited for another thread. To start with, I tested crosstalk (stereo separation) between the channels. For this I used the 1k test tones on the LP and then measured in Audacity after applying some noise filters. I founded Audio Appraisal a few years ago and continue to regularly update it with fresh content. An avid vinyl collector and coffee addict, I can often be found at a workbench tinkering with a faulty electronic device, tweaking a turntable to extract the last bit of detail from those tiny grooves in the plastic stuff, or relaxing in front of the hi-fi with a good album. A musician, occasional producer and sound engineer, other hobbies include software programming, web development, long walks and occasional DIY. I will listen to these both without A/Bing soon, so I can get an overall sense of the performances rendered by each. Maybe I wrong with your measurements but AT-VM95ML on default setup with that almost perfect results looks to me prety insane.

AT VM95ML - Impressions | Audiokarma Home Audio Stereo AT VM95ML - Impressions | Audiokarma Home Audio Stereo

Likely you have a loading problem with the VM95ML. What is the phono preamp capacitance spec on the Yamaha? Thanks, sounds like that would be right up my street but I had enough stress fitting the absurdly easy (once I worked out how ) 2M Red - anything fiddly with screws will drive me mad.The way is to get a phono preamp where you can adjust the capacity to about 100pf. This should solve your problem. AT themselves never marketed any upgraded styli for the AT95 leaving other companies to take on the task including LP Gear, Jico and The Audio Files, who’s 95P Paratrace is considered by many the best of the bunch. The VM95 Range Lastly there is one setting which gets more important called Azimuth. You again cant adjust it on the table unless you get an adjustable headshell. Its the angle of the stylus viewed from the front. You would again need a microscope but its more reliable of an installation.

Praise for the AT-VM95ML | Steve Hoffman Music Forums Praise for the AT-VM95ML | Steve Hoffman Music Forums

After reading some post I learned that this was due to capacity and I bought an Art Dj Pre II for 55€ - and the brightness was gone instantly. I've analysed the files in Logic Pro, File 1 has 2.3db more output (Ortofon Blue), that needs to be compensated before listening. So my question is if I buy the VM95L/H does that mean I don’t have to mess about with screws etc, I just take the Red headshell off and put the VM95L/H headshell on, then recalibrate accordingly? I don’t know all the TT terminology but hopefully you know what I mean?I have read and practiced over the years that you do want to turn on that last bit, which is above the -6db threshold (6 x the bit rate is the dynamic range). One engineer I read said that there is no reason to go above -5db, but I think that leaving 3db of loudness disregarded as not a good practice and it lowers the rest of the music as well. I generally do not go over -2db in my own work, but overs in digital are bad, so I avoid them at all costs. I noticed in these two files I had clearance at the top of the wave forms by going to -1db. Strength- Wholesome delivery, tons of heart, presents mid-bass (toms, bass guitar, male vocals) with authoritative swagger and punch, excellent harmonics, lush emotion, rich tonal beauty. Weaknesses- Less high frequency sustain (noted in cymbal decay), less focused detail than ML, not as precise of staging as ML. Is this overt crispness an anti-skate issue? I have my anti-skate set to match VTF as per AT's rec. Planning to get an ML stylus at some point as its a bit cheaper and it might be nice for extracting a bit more drive out of records that are somewhat constricted in dynamic range and sound compressed by default.

Technica VM95ML vs. VM95SH, generically Audio Technica VM95ML vs. VM95SH, generically

If this is any help, my VM540ML sounded terrific right out of the box, depressingly bad at about 5 or 6 hours, then started to improve dramatically at around 10 hours. I'll try to describe my takeaway w/o waxing poetic or getting too long-winded for anyone to care to read. If you get one already mounted in a headshell, the alignment might indeed not be quite right for your turntable. But then again, it might be good - and you could take the chance.Weaknesses- Transparent to the point of seeming thin, dry character, some higher frequencies are brilliant to the point of glaring, analytically sterile presence. Since the bodies are different (though should be close) and the headshells and wires are different, along with the other minor differences you mentioned, you should try swapping the two stylus assemblies and see if the results stay the same. I work in a Vintage Vinyl Store part time and I often bring home vinyl that sounds bad at work but then I play it on my thanks Oscroft, I might take the plunge, everything thing I’ve read seems to conform the VM95ML would be more to my taste.